April 17th, 2009 by Learning Systems

Want to create a dynamic LMS learning system with an appeal to many different kinds of learners? Nurture the fun factor. The more exciting and interactive a learning system, the wider and more powerful its appeal. How can you bring your learning content to life? 

According to a survey by Pew Internet & American Life Project, 97% of all teenagers age 12 to 17 play video games of some sort, whether it’s on a console, a computer, or a cell phone. And recent AOL Games and the Association Press poll data suggests that 38% of adults play computer or video games in some capacity. 

But adult gaming shouldn’t be viewed in a negative light (unless gamers spend too much time playing). The generation of men and women in their 30’s grew up in the video game boom, and since then the industry has evolved with them. Grown adults aren’t playing Pong anymore on their Ataris. 

Today’s games are much more sophisticated and involved, and require thought, strategy, and decision making. They’re more like interactive movies than just games. They’re educational. They involve levels, points, and rewards. I think courseware system developers might stand to learn something from the gaming industry.

Why not design your course with an appeal to the ever-expanding gamer demographic?

It’s not difficult to develop courseware that takes after a video or computer game. Every game follows a similar pattern that can be emulated in your LMS learning system.

All games have an overriding goal and steps to reach it. The player’s challenge is to solve a series of problems, and complete the steps quickly and efficiently. Sort of like a regular course, right? Students who are asked to conquer levels and solve problems in a game-like format will be more engaged and interested in the course. 

But how does one actually go about creating an LMS learning system based on a game model? Start by developing a narrative. Create a story.

Most video games begin with some kind of back story or situation to get the player invested in the game. Present your courseware system learners with a dialogue between two people, or as a series of images that tell about a sequence of events.  

Creating a narrative helps to reel the learner into your LMS learning system. Be creative and let your learner indulge in the story. He or she is about to interact with the course, and you’re setting the tone for them to get started. Visuals and dialogue are a winning combination. 

Following the game model, guide your learners, setting clear instructions about how they are meant to interact with the course. Clarity is essential–there’s nothing more frustrating than clicking a mouse a dozen times when all you needed to do was press enter. Make the method of interaction simple and consistent.

Some games give instructions in written text, while others provide a guided tutorial where you play the first level of the game, or an introductory level, with assistance. Just remember–the student’s likeliness of becoming instantly engaged, as well as the danger of becoming immediately discouraged, depends largely on the first few moments with your courseware system. 

Just as all video and computer games become gradually more challenging as they go, so should your LMS learning system. Begin the course with basic tasks, and work upward from there. This is another reason to keep the method with which your learners interact consistent throughout your course–as levels become increasingly difficult, your learner won’t want to be hassled with learning new rules. 

An important game feature to include is the allowance for trial and error. If a student fails to successfully complete a level, he or she should be given another chance or multiple chances until it’s completed. If a student fails at the third level, allow him or her to start over at the third level. A student shouldn’t have to begin again at level one. 

Additionally, be sure to include rewards, feedback, and motivation for students. Most computer and video games have a system of points, lives, and boosters to provide the player with a sense of how they’re doing, as well as make them feel good if they’re performing well. Making it easy to score points or secure boosters or bonuses will encourage your learner to keep going, as well as make his or her LMS learning system experience more rewarding and fun.

March 27th, 2009 by Learning Systems

While GPA, class rank, and community service all play an important role in the admissions process to graduate school learning systems, admission test scores (LSAT, MCAT, PCAT and GRE) can make or break an application. They can also make the difference between receiving a scholarship–which for many students is the only way they’ll be able to afford a higher learning system–and not. Prep courses for admissions tests are another source of financial stress for students. 

March 26th, 2009 by Learning Systems

More and more people are looking into not only online and LMS-hosted courses, but also two-year colleges, which are an increasingly attractive option for tight budgets. According to a Reuters article in yesterday’s paper, thousands of people–many laid-off or jobless because of the recession–are flocking back to retrain at more than 1,100 community college learning systems across the country.

High school seniors are also making tough choices. The annual Princeton Review survey, which polled over 15,000 students and parents, was released yesterday with a sober report on the mental state of soon-to-be college students. 

According to the report, over two-thirds of high school seniors have experienced high levels of stress over higher learning system admissions, and claim the economic downturn has directly influenced where they applied. Thirty-eight percent of polled students applied to colleges with lower tuition than they would have otherwise. And nearly nine out of ten respondents said financial aid will be essential to their attending a higher learning system. 

March 26th, 2009 by Learning Systems

For the past year or so, educators in various parts of the world have been getting prepped on how to use social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo as part of their learning systems. A report was conducted for Childnet International and was funded by Becta, the U.K. government body for technology in education. It suggests that while educators may be using social networking services themselves, most fail to recognize the educational potential for their students.

But what’s the point of integrating social networking sites into online and classroom learning systems? Well, experts say that young people are more likely to learn social skills from their friends or classmates than from any formal instruction or support from adults. However, as social networking sites work their way into LMS learning environments and classroom learning systems, they may serve another purpose. Students can use the sites to collaborate on projects, discuss lessons, and work in teams.

March 25th, 2009 by Learning Systems

One challenge of using Twitter is acquiring “followers” who add you to read your tweets. Within a classroom or school that uses an LMS, or a company training program or learning system, this could be neatly taken resolved. Each member could add everyone else to create a members-only bubble. 

One idea, for those willing, is to create a collaborative learning system and hub for educators themselves. Installing TweetDeck, teachers can be prepped on how to use Twitter features including message length, retweets, DMs, replies, hash tags, etc. Conventions can also be established for search terms (those items in tweets preceded by the # symbol).

The key is encouragement without pressure. Many see the inclusion of web 2.0 technologies in learning systems as unnecessary and gratuitous, or a waste of time. When a shiny new tool is made obligatory for people who don’t want it, the fun is lost.

March 25th, 2009 by Learning Systems

Twitter may turn out to be somewhat limited in what it has to offer company and classroom learning systems. At its best it still feels a highly-caffeinated, jumbled version of instant messaging. And at its worst, it’s trite and nurtures an addiction, as Josh Faure-Brac suggested, to “constant self-admiration.” 

The Wall Street Journal wrote, “These social-networking services elicit mixed feelings in the technology-savvy people who have been their early adopters. Fans say they are a good way to keep in touch with busy friends. But some users are starting to feel ‘too’ connected, as they grapple with check-in messages at odd hours, higher cell phone bills, and the need to tell acquaintances to stop announcing what they’re having for dinner.”

On the other hand, this sense of being “too connected” could and has been said of many communicative tools, such as cell phones and instant messaging. In any case, just like Facebook and other social networking sites in LMS courses, with a little creativity, I think we could see Twitter become a learning system tool worth trying out. 

March 25th, 2009 by Learning Systems

By selling the sponsorship of an “ExecTweets” site to Microsoft on Monday, Twitter announced its entry to corporate marketing and learning systems.  ExecTweets is a page that compiles tweets posted by corporate executives, and features branding from Microsoft. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone wrote on a company web site that the ExecTweets learning system is operated by online advertising firm Federated Media. 

“Twitter is contacted regularly by brands interested in sponsoring innovative experiences based on topics of interest,” Stone wrote. “However, our focused commitment to Twitter itself means we don’t have much time or resources to build these interesting topical experiences.”

Whether or not the deal will actually generate the amount of revenue Twitter is hoping for, the deal signals a foot in the corporate door. And possibly a greater likelihood that more LMS educators and businesses will consider trying out Twitter in their learning systems. 

March 24th, 2009 by Learning Systems

As Twitter celebrates its three-year anniversary, its new deals with giant companies like Salesforce and BusinessWeek seem to hint at a sparkling future. And thanks to a new sponsorship agreement that Federated Media brokered with Microsoft, the service will begin generating funding that doesn’t come from a handful of venture capitalists.

One advantage Twitter has over social networking sites like Facebook is that users don’t have to visit the site to use its service. Its extensibility makes it more convenient and easy to integrate into corporate learning systems, customer service departments and marketing schemes. 

Best Buy is another large company that has incorporated Twitter, adding feeds to its new social-media hub and learning system, ConsumersPrice.com. Users can comment on various products through Twitter, share product photos using Flickr, and receive price alerts via SMS.