Paul is a KMi Implementation Manager. He has been with KMi since 2006.

eLMS on the Ground is a discussion of who uses eLMS and how it is utilized on a day-to-day basis. This discussion will examine everything from, how new features are determined and developed to what makes end users the happiest. 

To contact Paul directly, email him at pshannon@kmionline.com.

Hi Folks,

It's been a while since I've posted anything for eLMS on the ground. I'd like to return today by talking briefly about the KMi SCORM player and how it works.

SCORM is an incredibly useful tool. But exactly how it works can be somewhat of a mystery, especially if you don't have much networking experience.

The first thing to know, is that SCORM configurations can have many setups. SCORM content can be hosted on the actual eLMS server or it can reside on an external, content dedicated server. In fact, with the right setup, SCORM content listed on a single eLMS implementation, can be spread across several servers.

Regardless of where the content actually resides, if that content is going to interact with the SCORM capabilities of eLMS, then the content needs to be on a server that also has the SCORM player installed. If the content is on many server, each server needs to have the SCORM player installed.

The image here reflects SCORM content on a single, third party server. Steps 5-8 in the image are repeated as the user moves through the course. This is where the "essence" of SCOs comes in. A SCO is the most granular piece of information in a SCORM course. This is often a chapter or page within the course.

In some future posts, I'll examine SCOs in more detail and will discuss some of the driving principles and forces behind SCORM.

As technology evolves, some folks worry that future generations will lack crucial social skills. They worry that all these kids will know how to do is send text messages and post their thoughts in less than 140 characters. Essentially, diminishing human contact as new communication devices fill our lives.

That's why, next week, I have the absolute pleasure of meeting the administrators of our largest user base (300K+) in person. There is no replacement for meeting someone face to face. You learn things about that person and gain a level of comfort that can greatly advance current and future projects.

This coming week will be a gathering of some 23 state health department representatives as well as two reps from different federal offices. 

My topics of presentation will include:

• Understanding SCORM
• Online Application Training (including advanced ad-hoc reporting)
• LMS Management
• General keys to improved communication

I am most excited by this opportunity, because I think it will be a good chance to showcase just how powerful KMi's eLearning tools are. I hope to demonstrate to the conference that, although there are 25 different institutional needs, that each of them can be independently satisfied using KMi's hosted learning management system. 

Once the conference is finished, I'll look to post some of my informative PPT slides here.

Reflecting back to the previous converging trends for learning management system provider discussions we've had -let's again take a look at Tony's article here.

The biggest thing he doesn't cover, that surprises me, is the versatility, power and general shift toward the myriad Google applications. I encourage anyone with interest to see the Google Labs.

I've mentioned before how important these tools can be and how KMi is positioned to take advantages of some of the specific functions:

• Feb 8, 2010
• Dec 28, 2009

In short, Google is here to stay. You might as well utilize the tools they provide!

Granted, their tools might not further your attempts at understanding SCORM and these tools probably won't help you manage any online skill soft training...

But they will help you get out the word about your LMS and can help frame how your users are accessing eLMS. Two elements crucial for marketing success.  And this is not just marketing with the intent of making a sale (although that is 100% applicable) but also in terms of marketing eLMS within your organization.

KMi's Google Analytics integration provides easy to read data on what users are spending what time on which eLMS pages. Clients can now take this information and tailor their heaviest traffic pages for optimal usage.

Just don't name your kid after Google!

Social Media is off the ground and moving forward. As we've discussed before, if you're not already part of the trend, then you're behind the curve and have some catching up to do. 

Fortunately, KMi is in a prime position to help companies expand their social learning efforts into a proved, stable, productive training and events management platform - eLMS. 

How can we help? KMi understands the need to balance organic user activities with a more structured, top-down learning environment. We know that users need the freedom and opportunity to reach out, collaborate and work with each other. However, we also recognize the need many organizations have to certify/verify that their employees are taking required training courses. 

Fortunately, we're not only aware of the seeming conflict, but we have solutions in place that will capture both the grassroots efforts of the end users and the learning requirements determined by upper management:

Moderated Course Comments!



With eLMS new moderated course comments feature, administrators can setup comments on a per course basis. This way, we know exactly what course topics the users will be talking about. Administrators will also be able to remove inappropriate comments - thus keeping the users focused on the content at hand.

At the same time, users will be able to communicate and see ideas and trends, from across the company. Someone in sales may have a great idea for improving manufacturing safety. Now, both sides can take the same, safety based online compliance course - and then comment (and read other comments), all in the same eLMS section/page!

KMi provides a wold class SCORM learning management system - and has been for several years now. We call thiseLMS.

As with any technology product, the features, functions and user interfaces are constantly being updated to assist ease of access and to ensure the technology being used is current and affective.

As mentioned in my previous post, one new addition/change to KMi's hosted learning management system, eLMS, is the introduction of an AJAX based, RadControl Event Calendar. This calendar will be easier to read - it provides daily, weekly and monthly views; it will also be easier to navigate within a given date range or across a large range of weeks and months.



The new calendar look will replace the existing Events Calendar by the middle of April and will be widely available (as an option) to the rest of our clients toward the end of May. 

The intention of updating this calendar, is to drive more traffic to our client specific online webinars. This, in turn, will provide our clients with improved and more frequent customer contact as well as increased opportunity for targeted marketing efforts. 

This new calendar will be a big improvement for eLMS, will give administrators more access to vital information and provide users with a more intuitive interface for finding the best learning events available.

Website ergonomics is a tough thing to pin down. Especially in a dynamic learning environment, such as eLMS. 

If ergonomics is matching user capabilities and limitations with their environment, then doing that within an ever evolving, learning landscape, can be even more difficult!

Even with a powerful set of eLearning Development Tools, administrators and learning directors need to take care that the scorm content and other learning material they present to their users, is accessible in an intuitive, easy to understand way (and even beyond that, how to catch and retain user attention, can be a study of website ergonomics).

Content categories have always been an important part of online learning. Obviously, computer compliance training is different from customer service skill training (i.e., two different categories). And on the surface, pondering these categories may lead to the notion the ergonomics is just common sense. 

This, I think, is an incorrect conclusion. 

Ergonomics is much more than "what feels right". It involves scientific study and observation.

Continuing with the idea of content categories, here is one simple example of how to apply a more scientific method to your ergonomic efforts. This method is good for defining learning content categories:

1. For best results, use 15-20 people; however, this process is also reasonably effective in the 8-15 person range.
    
2. Take the name and short description of the top 20 pieces of learning content you have and write each name and description on its own note card. Repeat this so each participant has a full set of content cards.
    
3. Ask each person to divide the content into what they think are the best categories.
    
4. Record how each user breaks down the content and look for patterns or similarities in the subject matter that you might not have yet considered.
    
5. Then, ask each participant to name each category

I bet you'll be pretty surprised - and will have some powerful new knowledge - about how users view and think of your content.

Hi Folks! I missed the past few weekly posts and am now trying to get back in the swing of blogging :-)

Interestingly, the name of this blog provides the best explanation of why I was not able to post the past few weeks for the blog.eLMS on the Ground.

One thing, we at KMi pride ourselves on is the responsiveness of our supporting cast. Everything from the KMi helpdesk to its implementations managers (and even chief officers) is setup to be nimble and highly responsive. The past two weeks have been full of exciting changes for my clients and I. And these changes really highlight the full custom-ability of KMi's LMS learning system. 

• New features to help display course content previews are under development
• New calendar views and display options are under development
• New user comments sections are under development, etc.
• Lots of changes geared toward end user ease for using LMS software

Anyhow, over the next few weeks, I will highlight how these new functions are improving user retention rates, bringing more user traffic to the sites and how client administrators are using the tools to hone messages for users.

I'll also be wrapping up my Converging Trends for Learning Management System Providers series.

In the meantime, I encourage everyone to read the blog posts my coworkers have been adding - there is lots of useful eLMS specific and general LMS information and ideas here! And be sure to checkout the KMi website for an in depth look at what KMi can do for you!