In This Issue
	What's New E-Learning Tools: A Large & Fragmented Market Product Review: A New Era in Virtual Classrooms? Training Analytics Series Blended Learning Achieves Significant ROI

E-Learning Tools: A Large & Fragmented Market

Bersin & Associates just released the largest-ever study of the market drivers, size, and business potential for e-learning content development tools. The research, available now, surveyed nearly 1,100 e-learning development teams across all industries and provides data on market size, growth rates,and corporate budgets for e-learning development tools. The research also provides data on vendor shares and describes the role of simulations, assessment tools, and other emerging technologies in e- learning development. The research found that e-learning teams use a variety of tools - with more than 15 different vendor products cited in the study. Due to the complex nature of e-learning, development teams are mixing and matching products from different vendors, making this a fragmented marketplace. It also means that development teams must struggle with interoperability issues as they try to integrate the disparate tools and technologies. The study also captured information on the content sources and other technologies used to create on-line courseware. Learning Management Systems and assessment tools are now in widespread adoption, used by nearly half of these e-learning professionals. Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS's) are of interest but current deployments are low. The study predicts that object reuse will become popular and, as such, organizations will turn increasingly to LCMS's to manage content. Complexity in building simulations was cited as the #1 challenge in course development. Simulation authoring vendors are listed by market share in the study, in addition to the authoring and assessment tools vendors. More results from this study... »

Product Review: A New Era in Virtual Classrooms?

Macromedia just announced an additional module to their rapid e-learning system called Breeze Live. If you're not familiar with Breeze, it is an integrated system that enables rapid development of e-learning courses using PowerPoint as the authoring tool and Flash as the delivery technology. The latest offering adds a "live" component that most closely resembles the virtual classroom technology from companies such as Centra, Interwise, Webex, and PlaceWare (Microsoft). But do we really need another virtual classroom system? Well, perhaps so. There are some key differences that make Breeze Live intriguing. Breeze Live has the standard interface found in other products including the presentation material, chat, list of attendees, and even a live video of the presenter. Because it uses Flash, however, the windows can be moved and resized according to what's being presented on the screen. Flash uses what's called a vector-based system for displaying images so that images will expand and contract with the size of the window. You can also create your own "templates" which completely customize the interface for different training applications - which could become a key feature. Breeze Live provides an additional capability that takes advantage of the latest Flash version, called Flash MX - embedded video. Using a webcam, the presenter and even the participants in a live classroom session can all have live video images of their smiling faces up on the screen during the training session. Again, since it's all based on Flash, there is literally nothing to install on the desktop - it all just works through a browser. So using Breeze Live, non-technical folks can now author a course, place it online, send out email notifications, and conduct training sessions with a live video feed. More on Breeze Live... »

Training Analytics Series

Docent and Bersin & Associates are co-sponsoring a three-part webinar series on training analytics. The series covers: "What is Training Analytics and How Do You Cost- Justify Such a Solution?" Date: Thursday July 24, 12 noon ET / 9:00am PT "Measurement Techniques: What Are the Most Important Measures in Your Organization?" Date: Wednesday, August 27, 12 noon ET / 9:00am PT "How Do You Implement Training Analytics? What Will Make You Successful?" Date: Wednesday, September 10, 12 noon ET / 9:00am PT Attend all three webcasts and received a Training Analytics Completion Certificate. And before beginning this training, download our white paper on training analytics. Find out more about this webinar series... »

Blended Learning Achieves Significant ROI

A comprehensive study examining best practices in corporate blended learning programs found that e-learning is driving huge returns on investment -- upwards of 700% and higher -- and at the same time dramatically improving time to market and business productivity. This study demonstrates that blended learning -- training programs combining a number of modalities such as web-based training, live instruction, and tele-conferencing -- has broken through as a major corporate application which is helping companies increase productivity, time-to-market, product and process quality, and revenues. Blended learning programs result in dramatic reductions in costs, but they also go much further, solving problems of scale and speed which were impossible to solve in other ways. The study describes 17 case studies of corporate blended learning programs, including a new case study on how Novell slashed its costs and development time on product training. Novell adopted an innovative approach to "rapid e-learning" and now spends $2,000 or less for a 30-minute training course , as compared with its previous spending of $15,000- 20,000 per course. This study will help you determine the costs and expected returns on blended learning programs in your company. Often the choice of ·which media to use determines the success or failure of the program. The study describes proven methodologies used to determine the appropriate media mix. More information on this study... »