Elearning! Magazine: Building Smarter Companies via Learning & Workplace Technologies.
Issue link: http://elmezine.epubxp.com/i/714072
Elearning! August / September 2016 45 STATE OF VIRTUAL LEARNING Ninty-seven percent of practitioners are using Ninty-seven percent of practitioners are using virtual learning solutions ranging from web meetings to immersive 3D virtual worlds. Web meetings still garner the highest usage at 81.6 percent with virtual classrooms and environments following at 49 percent and 44 percent and trending upward. (See Table 1). Despite the maturity of online learn- ing, approximately 47 percent of learning ing, approximately 47 percent of learning practitioners are planning to source a new platform during the next 12 months. Why change? The appetite for engage- ment, immersion and collaboration is motivating the move to more robust solu- motivating the move to more robust solu- tions. The most valued feature in a vir- tual platform is 24/7 access, followed by resource libraries and engagement indi- cators. Gone are the days of event-based online training. Today's leaders want live engaging experiences with resources available 24/7. (See Table 2). Learning professionals deliver 47 percent Learning professionals deliver 47 percent of their training via online or virtual learn- ing methods. e top content delivered is so skills, compliance and sales and prod- uct training. Onboarding employees has jumped to No. 4 in 2016 from nowhere in 2014. (See Table 3). Learning practitioners deliver more hours online every year. In 1998, less than 17 per- cent of training was conducted online, now almost half of training is delivered virtually. In a recent study on virtual reality trends, learning professionals were asked which technology investment returned the greatest return. Virtual learning and video learning ranked highest. Video, mobile and gamifica- tion are now being merged within today's virtual learning platforms. (See Table 4). VIRTUAL ON-BOARDING AT ADOBE One out of three learning executives is host- ing virtual new employee onboarding and Adobe has it mastered. Established in 1982 with more than 11,000 employees around the world, Adobe struggled with onboarding the world, Adobe struggled with onboarding its global workforce in an efficient engaging manner at the speed of product develop- ment. Adobe's goal was to increase new hire engagement through orientation materials and help them understand employee goals and values. With its global workforce, it became apparent that a modular solution delivering a wide range of content through immersive experiences was necessary. Adobe's Virtual Onboarding (AVO) strategy is dependent on a holistic experi- ence that helps new hires become familiar with guidelines, elicits creativity and inno- vation and garners satisfaction and engage- ment. Adobe Connect was used to deploy AVO. At the weekly digital orientation, Adobe brings employees together to share a Adobe brings employees together to share a common understanding and vision for the company's future. By transforming new- hire orientation from locally-facilitated events to a standard, shared virtual experi- ence, Adobe is better supporting its grow- ing workforce by syndicating core cultural themes around values and collaboration more consistently, without sacrificing user experience. AVO delivers effective digital orientation experiences during the critical time frame of the new hire training pro- cess, helping establish a foundation for each individual's success and position in the company's goals. ere's an emphasis on digital content creation to connect the global employees. "Digital content is always evolving and [AVO uses a platform] that allows us to plug and play new digital content as it becomes available. is is especially true of video media," says Justin Mass, head of digital learning innovation at Adobe. "[e platform] gives us more flexibility and cre- ativity with how we present information and ideas, as well as continually evolve our digital learning experiences." Creating a positive online experience can be daunting and it's easy for learners to get distracted by what's happening around them distracted by what's happening around them which is why Adobe empowers presenters to engage with new hires one-on-one. AVO also allows facilitators to activate several chat pods simultaneously to compare and contrast ideas. e various chat pods also enable participants to overcome language barriers to create a true sense of community. Activities, games, and other types of interac- Activities, games, and other types of interac- tivity can be included in the session. Table 2. Top Features Sought in Virtual Solution (On scale of 1-5, 1 being critical) 24/7 access to content 1.60 Resource library of materials Resource library of materials 1.83 Engagement indicators measuring learner activities 1.93 Access to on-demand sessions after live event 1.94 Ability to collaborate with peers before, during or after learning events 2.07 Content &/or presenter scoring or rating 2.23 Live Q&A; with speakers/experts 2.25 Table 1. Virtual Solutions Deployed: Web meeting solutions 81.6% Virtual classroom 49.8% Virtual learning environment 44.7% Virtual world 3.1% Table 3. How valuable has your investment(s) in the following been for your organization? (Rank on scale of 1-5, 1 being extremely valuable) Video Learning 1.69 Virtual Classroom 1.84 Mobile Learning 1.95