ALIVE is a nonprofit organization that’s been able to continue its essential work during this pandemic by carefully considering what it needs from its LMSs. They put together some features you should look for when selecting an online learning management system (LMS).

ALIVE’s Case:

The ALIVE organization is a youth suicide prevention group that operates in Australia. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they had to switch all their training programs from face-to-face to an online-only format so as not to risk students’ exposure and preserve effectiveness while still providing quality service delivery within 65k reach locations coast-wide.

But this wasn’t easy because it meant many thousands were suddenly without access or knowledge about what was happening at home; some may have even missed class due to travel restrictions, but worst yet: no one knew how long any given person would last when there’s nothing left worth fighting anymore.

An LMS helped them overcome that challenge, and they even increased the number of students by 13,000. However, the result could have been different if their LMS lacked crucial features over time; let’s take a closer look at what five proved essential for success in our analysis.

Their tool needed to be flexible enough with courses created on-demand and not limit learners to only 15-minute sessions or hours per week – this way, users are able.

1. User-friendly interface

trainers at ALIVE had some experience using an LMS but not much. When they were faced with the pandemic and needed to turn their offline training into online courses quickly, this platform worked well for them because of its intuitive interface, which made things easy even without any previous knowledge of how these systems work!

2. Mobile App

Mobile apps have become an increasingly popular way to engage learners, especially those who don’t have access to or prefer mobile devices. An LMS that includes a native app allows users to download courses onto their phones to study even when offline.

ALIVE found this format effective with young students and designed some content especially for these formats like relaxation exercises which were included in the program’s library.

3. Course Authoring Tool

We know that online learning without courses and assessments is impossible. To create them, you will need an authoring tool which often comes as a separate software for our budget – but there are some free ones too! These can be found on various platforms like EdX (a nonprofit organization) or Duolingo(an app).

ALIVE has taken its presentation, worksheets, and e-books from a traditional format into an online one. They also created new courses for young people as well as customized versions of training programs tailored toward teachers or coaches who work with family members in varying degrees on various topics such as Learning Paths designing different paths based on what you want out there rather than offering everything all at once like some companies do today

4. Customizable Design

It might seem less important, but the look and feel of your learner portal in LMS impact how effective it can be. If trainees see a poorly designed page or platform that doesn’t resemble their organization’s website, they may get the impression they’re not where they should be; however, if there is branding visible like logos from other sites with similar colours as well as an easy-to-use layout then this will make them understand immediately where you want them to go next for training on new content.

The design choices made within learning management systems (LMS) have been shown to impact user satisfaction levels significantly.

What’s the point of having an LMS if it doesn’t have customization options? Customization is critical when you’re looking for something that will meet your needs precisely.

ALIVE paid attention to their LMS design, and it worked for them. The youths perceived online learning not as a tedious formality, but rather like watching Netflix – only instead of movies or TV series there were courses on the platform which increased enjoyment levels significantly; along with this came an increase in time spent studying because who wouldn’t want more entertainment while they learn something new?

5. Gamification and Certification Features:

One of the main challenges with online learning is engaging learners. When you teach offline, they’re in front of you. They can’t get away quickly, so it’s easier to make them feel like what they see matters because there aren’t any other distractions around them that might be pulling their focus off-topic or otherwise compelling enough for attention span- let alone motivation from boredom setting-in during a session without some constructive input into how we could improve things as individuals using these technologies ourselves were being able not only see but hear about different approaches/tactics used successfully.

To Sum Up

The five features of an effective learning management system are vital to any company, but it’s not the only thing you need. Even with a perfect fit for your needs and specifications in mind, there will still be other factors to consider, like logistics or budget restrictions that may limit which LMS can best serve as a solution. After taking these into account, make sure everything matches up before signing on anything– having flexibility from one provider across multiple areas means more time working less, so employees have opportunities both personally (at home) AND professionally outside their office space!

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The post eLearning for Nonprofits: 5 Features an LMS Should Have appeared first on Tricky Enough.

If you didn’t know, Google currently offers a range of free and low-priced courses on Digital Marketing. These courses will teach you about all the core topics in the field. From taking your business online to content writing, SEO, and strategy building, you’ll learn almost everything you need to know to create the perfect marketing strategy. The course consists of 26 modules and a total of 40 learning hours. Like all online courses, you can complete it at your own pace. 

Even though the course is free, 40 hours is still 40 hours. And if you have a lot of things on your plate, it can take months before you can complete the course. So it’s natural to wonder whether it’s worth doing or just a total waste of time.

If you’re still on the fence about taking the course, no worries. In this post, we’ll explore the pros and cons of Digital Garage so you can gauge whether to enrol or not. Ready? Let’s dig in.

What is Google Digital Garage?

Google Digital Garage is an online learning forum that Google launched in 2015. It provides free or low-cost training, courses, and certifications that prepare you for a career, business, or entrepreneurship. You can choose a course you like and learn it on your schedule. 

Aside from the courses, Google Digital Garage also offers live training sessions and lessons on how you can learn to use tools that will help you communicate more effectively online.

Course prices range from being free to averaging under $10. Other courses range from $200-$3000 depending on the kind of certification you’re getting. The platform provides 39 qualifications, the most popular of which are Digital Marketing, Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, and the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing certificate.

No matter what your education or skill level is, you can put these courses to good use on your CV. Courses are endorsed by industry and experts, so you’ll be getting a certification that matters when it comes to the job market.

The Digital Garage offers courses to enhance your career, learn marketing, or get into data or tech.

What Can You Learn From It?

The course Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is a comprehensive plan of study that has been approved and endorsed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe and The Open University. The curriculum consists of 26 modules with 106 lectures. The lectures are divided into 7 sections as listed below:

• Take a Business Online
• Make it easy for people to find a business on the web
• Reach more people locally, on social media, or on mobile
• Reach more customers with advertising
• Track and measure web traffic
• Sell products or services online
• Take a business globally

These sections deal with concepts like establishing your online presence, developing your online and social media marketing strategy, concepts about online advertising, working with content marketing, concepts like SEO and PPC, working with web analytics, and going international with your business.

Each section consists of 1-7 modules and short lectures that make the content easily palatable. The course lectures are structured with informative videos, interesting and engaging visuals (e.g. graphics), action items, knowledge checks, and short quizzes at the end of each section that make sure you’re paying attention and not getting bored. You can also read the video transcripts and make your notes from there.

Once you’re done with the course, you take an exam consisting of 40 questions and upon passing, you get a certificate with your name on it.

You also get a bunch of additional resources after completing the course to help you in your digital marketing journey. 

How Long Does It Take to Complete The Course?

Most of the modules in the Digital Marketing course can be completed in 30-40 minutes. The shortest module can take 15 minutes while the longest may take 70 minutes. In total, the course can take you around 40 hours to complete. You can approach the course at your own pace, spending about 15 minutes to half an hour every day or whenever it’s convenient for you.

Once you’ve completed the entire course, you have to take a 40-minute test after which you’ll get a certification. You can also skip lessons and just take the quizzes at the end of each module, and the final exam, if you feel that you know enough and just need the certificate.

Benefits of a Google Digital Marketing Certification

If you’re wondering whether spending your precious time on a Google Digital Market Certification is worth it, we want to tell you that it is. Here are some reasons why:

1. It’s Free!

You get to access a wealth of information for absolutely no price at all! Learn about topics like SEO, analytics, and online advertising in a short course and get a certificate at the end, free of cost.

2. Enhances your CV/Resume

We all want a resume that shows our experience with our preferred field. With these courses, you get to add a certificate to your CV which also automatically improves your achievement with LinkedIn. And you can apply to better jobs in the industry since these Google courses are endorsed by professionals and experts. 

3. It’s Different from the Traditional Topics

Pursuing a marketing degree at University might teach you traditional topics, but the world is quickly moving towards the online sphere today. You’ll end up learning more in this 40-hour course about contemporary practices in online marketing than with a 4-year marketing degree.

4. Anyone Can Benefit from the Course

Whether you’re just starting in the field of Marketing or have been here for some time, taking this course will teach you a bunch of relevant stuff for you to excel in the marketing field.

5. It’s a Refreshing Way to Learn

This course doesn’t involve your typical monotonous lectures that seem to go on forever. The modules incorporate visuals like animations, graphs, and quizzes to keep you focused and interested. 

6. Personalization

You can add a personal touch by selecting and registering for courses you’re interested in pursuing.

7. Flexibility

Since these courses are available online, you can watch them at your own pace. Whether you set aside half an hour every day or work at a stretch for several hours, you get to complete the courses keeping your schedule and priorities in mind.

The course will prepare you adequately for a job in any of the fields of Digital Marketing, Content Strategy, SEO, social media management, marketing and paid ads management, and partnership marketing.

Are There Any Disadvantages?

There are a few disadvantages that come with the online learning aspect of these courses. 

1. Not the same as Classroom Training

Classroom learning has a bit of an advantage over online learning. Classroom environments are more interactive since you’re in the same room with the lecturer and issues like connectivity problems don’t exist.

2. Requires self-discipline

The drawback of being able to pursue courses at your own pace is that you might never finish one. Without external deadlines, a lot more motivation is required to complete your work. You’d have to impose a schedule on yourself to make sure you do!

How to Sign Up For The Course?

To get started with Digital Garage you need to sign up/register first. Click on the Sign In button on the top right of the screen if you already have an account. If you don’t, click the Register button.

You could also click the Get Started button to go directly to the course list. Apply the filters you 

need e.g. the course category or duration to pinpoint the course you want:

When you select the course you need, you’ll be asked to sign up/sign in.

If you click the Register button, you can choose to sign up either with your Google account or with another email: 

After you select your course(s), you can track how much you’ve progressed based on the unlocked badges or the % of the course completed. You can also download your certificate after you’re done with the course. 

And that’s it! Now you can get started on your favourite courses.

Bottomline

Whether you’re looking to build on your digital marketing basics, improve your resume for the job market, or get a headstart in your new business–Google’s Digital Garage offers a learning experience perfect for you. With its stimulating visual lectures and self-paced flow, you get to cover courses at a speed comfortable for you. 

With the COVID situation these days, most learning and jobs have moved online. The same case is with the marketing industry. With this online certification, you can apply for digital marketing jobs online with different companies.

With these credentials, you could potentially end up with better job prospects and higher salaries, especially when guided by a digital marketing mentor who can provide tailored advice and insights. If you’re looking to develop a business of your own, you’ll get the necessary tips you need to know in order to formulate your own marketing strategy. We hope this overview of the Digital Garage platform gives you some insight into how its courses work.

If you have questions, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments below. If this guide was helpful, do share it with your friends. Have fun learning!

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The post Is Google Digital Garage Worth Ding? appeared first on Tricky Enough.

The ultimate aim of education is the betterment of humanity since the past. Schooling and education have been an uncompromised aspect of society and irrespective of the class segments, the demand for quality education has been at the forefront since then. With the growing competition, educational methods have undergone a huge transformation as the demand grew enormously.

Universally, education is divided into two formats. Primary and secondary. Primary education takes care of essential learning abilities right from age 6 to 12. This includes identification of colors, shapes, language learning and symbols, arithmetic computation, and problem-solving skills. This kind of learning benefits the child to learn with greater ability and boost confidence for further studies.

The secondary education starts from teenage, that helps in understanding life skills, and enhancing perception and personality in terms of educational aspects. For example, personality parameters for primary education differ from those in secondary education because the foundation of the latter turns out career-oriented and much emphasis is given on the choice of career based on the scores of previous grades.

On this backdrop, education is getting smarter and smarter as the educational landscape is widening. It is now defining the art of specialization and skill set with proper tags.

Hence, this post will help you understand the importance of smart education and learning techniques with some insights.

Technology Penetration Vs Technological divide…

It is no doubt that the SMART technology has defined clarity and approach in the education sector. While the teaching costs have risen up, the technological transformation brings innovation to the table. An example of a perfect transformation would be not only providing iPads or online sessions but giving alterations to the teacher’s role as well. For this, initially, the tutor needs to be highly adoptive of digitization with a clear perception of outcome for students while learning at a digital pace.

This kind of change seems unimaginable at first, as the markets experience a slow adoption of digital learning in emerging countries. While the markets are fully digitized, the education sector is technologically reforming at a moderate pace. At present, the adoption rate in the U.S. market is around 80-85% while those as compared with Indian markets go up to 30-35%.

Therefore, the speedy adoption of technology-based learning can help gain the markets a full advantage of the digital divide.

Technological Variation…

Until now, it is clear that technology plays a vital role in bridging the gap. There can be numerous examples of how technology is changing the education sector!!

This implies students develop conscientiousness while choosing the type of educational platform that offers all-round learning about the concept in the real-time. To be certain, various platforms offer DIY techniques and practice sessions instantly after a particular topic is finished.

But, this happens on a school level, does the same happen at the higher education level?

Yes!!

Colleges have transformed with cloud technologies to provide online learning platforms to their students. For example, several colleges and institutions have provided open access libraries for students that allow them to browse the virtual library. Many universities have already stared with massive online courses (MOOC). Courses under this category are usually free, although depending on the nature and duration of a specific course, small fee stands applicable.

The intention of such platforms is to provide a flexible model of education to working professionals that wish to enhance their skill set or upgrade their domain knowledge. Additionally, these courses have received a huge response from the corporate sector in the past few years.

Technology Owners, Students, or teachers?

On the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, online learning is gaining huge momentum as there are no early signs of reopening of schools. Also, the school shutdowns and remote learning have stimulated the need for digital learning platforms, big time!

Recently, Mckinsey & Company published the article “New Global Data Reveal Education Technology’s Impact on Learning” in June 2020, to share significant insights on whether technological dependency should be continued even after the re-opening of schools. The article also included survey results that were obtained under the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) published in December 2019 and facilitated by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

To understand the cognitive behavior of 15-year-olds OECD deploys PISA every three years that derive collective data sets for cognitive analysis. For example, in 2018, around 350,000 students from more than 45 countries participated in the technological survey to understand the intensity of technological intent in schools. Some of the following questions were asked to teachers;

• The intensity of technology used?
• Any positive impact on student learning based on technological inclination?
• The standard amount of time spent on using devices for homework and classrooms, and,
• The variation of technology in different countries and regions?

The test result states that the results were best when the tutor is using the device. For some subjects such as math and science, there were lower outcomes when the devices were exclusively used by students. 

The details drawn from PISA attract some limitations (that are not covered in this post) yet it gives some insights. For example, despite the fact, it draws single-point observational data to derive a correlative study over causation, the assessment is useful in terms of gauging the level of understanding and implementation areas of ideas. The sample tests can also resemble the factual findings based on ground reality.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Education…

Smart education and learning emphasizes on adaptive learning and drives the production of customized content for learners. This enables the students to learn at their own pace and develop effective learning styles. Moreover, students are empowered with software access to various platforms that encourage self-learning abilities.

On the contrary, software tools for learning and various learning models are constrained to offer flexibility with maximum potential. At times, the learner might find it uncomfortable to continue with the succeeding session. Therefore, to fulfill this dire need, artificial intelligence and software framework facilitates efficiency to the learners. Cloud technologies provide basic features to fulfill scalable solutions for AI deployment.

Simply put, AI is changing the educational dimensions for students to allow outreach for wider possibilities with enhanced learning.

Quickly, let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages

• Smart education and learning are forming a concrete base under educational technology and trends. It enables the learner with the longevity of resources and retains the study materials even in offline mode.
• There will always be a high demand for digital tutors based on positive reviews and feedback from students.
• Maximized learning and broadening of self-perception based on access for a wide repository of online resources. Enhanced learning offered through interaction between tutor and learner in real-time thereby resulting into a better clarity.
• Learners get a chance to enhance other related core areas of their own field.

Disadvantages

• Although the ongoing adoption of the SMART approach in the education sector seems high, there are a few concerns that remain unaddressed such as fluctuating bandwidth, geographical divide, and level of technological penetration. There can be pioneers, followers, and trailing markets for smart education and learning operating with different demand and supply scenarios.
• Apart, several countries continue to follow the traditional patterns of learning despite digitization. However, this establishes the fact that traditional learning models continue to influence positiveness since tutors and learners can interact face to face.
• The cost of technology, talent, operations, and resource management is high to keep them running and average performing educational startups succumb to fierce competition in the smart education and learning industry.

Conclusion:

Heidi-Hayed Jacobs once stated, “Teachers need to integrate technology seamlessly into the curriculum instead of viewing it as an add-on, an afterthought or an event”, stands true. In the feat of gaining knowledge and widening the perspective, the embedding of technology in education can reinforce quality learning. Therefore, the objective and pursuit of smart education must be to fulfill the learning gap and enhance the learning capacity.

The post Everything you need to know about Smart Education and Learning appeared first on Tricky Enough.

E-learning is one of the most trustworthy platforms when it comes to learning. Ed-techs like Vedantu are always dedicated to making learning fun and simple for students to enjoy studying and much as they enjoy playtime. The online learning platform collaborates with creative content and path-breaking technology to come with learning solutions that are in tandem with today’s competitive education space. Indian education scenario has been quite stringent for years, not being very adaptive to the latest trends in the system. In such a case, being an early initiator of online LIVE tuitions was not that easy. Making students understand how online learning can be better than physical coaching centers was a challenge in the beginning. However, Vedantu NCERT Solutions leaders worked hard each day to bring quality and 100% accuracy in its offerings and worked towards the challenge tirelessly. Over the years, E-learning earned a reputation unmatched by any other learning platform.

In online learning, various subject matter experts are well-versed in the latest syllabus, exam patterns and have years of teaching experience in different mediums. They are perfect to hone students to achieve academic excellence. Students can gain the confidence they need to perform better in exams. And this is what they can get from our exceptional team of tutors. 

The fact that learning online is more cost-effective and time-saving adds to its popularity. This allows students to indulge themselves more in other extracurricular activities that are necessary for their overall development.

The online teaching methodology is fun, hence, no student finds studying stressful and boring. Apart from excelling in exams, our focus is to expand each student’s knowledge boundaries. All this could have been achieved with a smart, present-day technology called WAVE a patent by Vedantu Innovations. The LIVE Interactive Video training facility was developed by a passionate team of techies who came up with this technology that made it possible for students to connect with our brilliant in-house teachers virtually. It eliminated the need of being physically present to learn and now students can clear all their subject-related doubts in the comfort of their own homes.

Benefits of E-Learning

The advantage of learning with expert subject professionals is manifolds. Following are some of the benefits of using our learning technology and well-curated study materials:

1. Learning at Comfort of Homes: With online learning, one thing can be assured that you do not need to travel distances to learn a particular concept of the chapter. Our course content is planned in such a way that you will be provided with all the needful study materials including solved previous year papers, important questions, textbook solutions, revision notes, etc. Just a simple register will help you to enroll yourself for LIVE Online Classes and clear all your doubts easily.

2. Cost-effective: Online learning services are accessible to every student and are cost-effective as it saves the cost of time, traveling, and spendings via various mediums. Many Ed-techs provide each and every study resource absolutely free of cost so that everyone can avail themselves and get good results in exams.

3. Efficient Revision: The expert teachers associated with various organizations are well-versed in the latest syllabus and exam pattern.

4. Time-Saving: Online learning eliminates the need for traveling to physical coaching centers, especially when the exams are approaching and it is crucial to effectively use time.

Usually, in online study portals, the progress of students is not always available for tracking purposes. With the newly built live platform of Wave, comprehensive reports of a student’s engagement level during a tutorial session, are available to be tracked. This, in turn, helps parents to keep track of their child’s progress. Additionally, this helps the teachers and mentors to comprehend and analyze the performance of each student during a tutorial session. Artificial intelligence and machine learning models and algorithms are turning the experience of eLearning into a custom-built one, thereby, helping students to achieve better results.

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The post Make Learning Fun and Hassle-Free With E-learning appeared first on Tricky Enough.