[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" overlay_color="" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" padding_top="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" padding_right=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="yes" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="tabGdpr " id="" background_image_id="" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" border_radius_top_left="" border_radius_top_right="" border_radius_bottom_right="" border_radius_bottom_left="" box_shadow="no" box_shadow_vertical="" box_shadow_horizontal="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" background_type="single" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_blend_mode="none" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_type="regular" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0" last="no"][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""] This article talks about Moodle alternatives. As per Wikipedia, “Moodle (acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is one of the most popular ‘free’ software e-learning platform (Learning Management System), or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). As of June 2013, it had a user base of 83,008 registered and verified sites, serving 70,696,570 users in 7.5+ million courses with 1.2+ million teachers.” So, yes, the stats shows the tremendous amount of user base and faith Moodle has built in the last 15 years of its conception. Moodle is used by various kinds of users: Corporate organization who is looking to train its employees Training or eLearning companies that want to sell courses to learners directly via ecommerce or to corporate customers Schools, colleges, educational institutions that wants to move its content online for self-study Associations or non-profit organizations that want to train their members The needs of all these organizations are different and the way they would use an LMS would be quite different. Moodle is a system that tries to be everything to all of these organizations and that is where the problem lies. The key aspects to consider are: IT/Programming resources, funds and time on hand to manage a system like Moodle from an IT administration point of view Time for administration of the system – the user interface and front end Amount of customization that is required to make the system work for your needs If you are an organization or an institute or a person with a dedicated IT/programming team to sort everything for you without any constraints of time, resources, budget etc. then an LMS which ‘freely’ downloadable and up and running on your server is a very good deal. You can tweak Moodle till you know exactly what you need. But what if that is not the case? What could be a Moodle alternative? If you are an L&D department or a training company and you are responsible for every aspect of LMS setup, maintenance and administration; then you must think again. Moodle is actually not that free as it claims to be. What is actually free is the license part. The famous saying “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”, relates very well. So how can Moodle be an exception when every other item on your wish list for LMS comes with a cost!! Let’s look at some obligatory and probable cost connections with Moodle. Here is the Moodle review: 1. You have to pay for the server and its maintenance. 2. The look and feel of Moodle is not particularly appealing to the learner, so you have to consider customizing it. There comes the cost for customization (development & maintenance). 3. You may want to hire a vendor to do this for you, or you may want to deploy your existing resources on this. But in any case, it adds up to the expenses. 4. Consider the increased cost of infrastructure—your organization will grow with time, and so will the number of learners. Larger the number of users more the space needed on server. 5. Also, to use free open source technology requires skills and expertise which normal IT resources do not have. So, you may need to hire such talent– and pay them, of course. All said and done, it’s not that Abara LMS won’t cost you all this. But we can help you to analyse what you actually need, how to get it right the very first time and how you can plan your budget effectively. Hopefully you would be able to identify the probable advantages and disadvantages of Moodle for you. Let’s dive in to a straight point to point comparison between Moodle and what Abara LMS has to offer. Moodle Abara LMS 1. Precisely an Academic LMS meant for Schools and Colleges to administer training and manage delivery of training to students using an Instructor. eLearning is a part of the entire flow. Abara LMS is meant for online training and training companies to deliver online training to adult learners in the absence of an Instructor. eLearning is the whole point. 2. It is a massive system with 100s of features. A lot of which is not required by most users. It is ‘multiple things for multiple people’ so it may not be exactly what you need and it is tough to just keep what you need. It requires extensive customization and testing to turn specific features on and off. Basic system with focus on online delivery of eLearning. We can customize and add/remove what you need. Built for you; as per your requirements. 3. Students are the typical users and therefore, they have no choice but to deal with the system provided by the college/school. Designed mainly for adult learners who expect simple, uncomplicated user interfaces so that they can come in and complete their training. 4. Complicated user interface which needs administrative training to use. On an average, you will spend more time performing basic administrative tasks. Simplified user interface, little or no training required. A regular user can work with the system and perform all administrative tasks. 5. A separate administrator may be required who has experience with such system. Additional costs may be involved to keep this person on a full time or part time basis. Even a business owner can administer this site themselves. A person with basic computer experience would be able to administer the site. 6. Separate costs for customization, may need to hire an outside vendor to do this. Our staff takes care of customization when the customer buys the LMS, so no need to look for another vendor. 7. Additional resources needed for ongoing support. We have support plans in place, so no need to look outside. 8. Need to buy storage space from a separate hosting company. We provide an option to take care of hosting at our end itself. 9. Confusing for the learner: spoils the main purpose of eLearning, which is ease and interactivity. The pleasant look -feel and the ease of operating helps to keep the learner engaged throughout. 10. Enhanced dependency on PHP developers (from the open source community). Difficult to switch vendors and also since it is open source, no single person can take responsibility for the system. One company develops and supports the system with full responsibility to support the system. 11. Upgrades to the system can be drastic; integrating patches and upgrading the system is complex. Controlled environment since one company developed the system which means assurance of systematic patches and upgrades. 12. Open Source like the Android System. Multiple versions and multiple upgrades can be confusing for users. Controlled, solid like the iOS environment. 13. Upgrading nightmare. Once Moodle is customized even slightly, upgrading the version of Moodle and migration of customization from your version to the new version is a nightmare.A lot of vendors are very enthusiastic about deploying Moodle but almost all Moodle vendors privately hate customization. They may do it but when you need to upgrade versions, a lot of them will avoid it like plague. Since the system is built in-house, we keep in mind that we will have to offer upgrades to our customers. We consider the pros and cons as our product road-map evolves.We can help you migrate or upgrade the system in a systematic and controlled manner.We can customize the system but we will let you know if there are some customizations that are too drastic and may take you off the product road-map or increase the cost of migration/upgrades. 14. Complicated code base. Often if you want to customize, you have to rely on Widgets and Extensions. These also require to be customized and can make the system patchy. Simple code base. We customize to your need, maintain separate code base and upgrade, Add-on features for you. 15. In-built reports are complex and creating custom reports is also complicated and expensive because of the sheer breadth of the system. Massive testing is required. We have specific in-built reports which are simple to retrieve. We can customize reports easily and also present it in a user friendly manner. 16. Branding and getting your organization’s look and feel in Moodle can be another monetary affair. Branding for providing Abara LMS as a service (SaaS) does not incur any cost. 17. Moodle needs in terms of resources, time and effort to make it a success from an administrative point of view. The back end stuff will definitely eat into your time to focus on your employees and/or customers.If you need moderate to fairly extensive training just to run your LMS, something is wrong! A simple easy to use, hosted system where you don’t have to deal with IT headaches, UI issues and administrative challenges will allow you to focus on the objective of why you need an LMS in the first place – to make your training easier to manage. But still some organizations want to use Moodle as it is due to budget or time constraints; or may be due to limited insight of what they think of LMS and what LMS is. Moodle can work well as a content management system (CMS) for launching the eLearning content but when it comes to embracing the training life cycle of an employee in a corporate setting, or to sell your training there are a lot of potholes yet to be filled. A report by Elearnity – “Insights into Corporate Moodle” is an in-depth analysis of what you cannot expect from Moodle for managing learning in your organization. This report is available free of cost at http://www.elearnity.com/ekcMoodle.html. As a corporate organization or a small training company, you need to look at the “BIG PICTURE”, everything you plan to do have to have a direct or indirect contribution towards a common goal. To manage the learning cycle well, an LMS which is in-harmony with what you actually expect with no “virtually free tags” or “hidden ownership costs” is extremely critical. It is also important that your LMS blends well with your expectations and does not disappoint you at the times of ramping up. Dealing with lot of customization and a vague idea of expected/unexpected expenditure can hamper the long-term vision you have with a goal to enhance the learning experience of your employees or your customers. Parting words, YOU as a business would want an LMS that, 1. Easily up and running, backing with total ownership. 2. Security assurance with a backup plan. 3. Learning environment suitable for adult learners. 4. Easy reporting and analytical tools. 5. Transparent pricing – know what you are paying for. 6. Smooth operation with a competitive SLA. When looking for Moodle alternatives, select an LMS that is designed and built for corporate training. Abara is designed for a dynamic corporate training environment allowing you to quickly make changes, additions, and edits. To know more, get in touch at contact@abaralms.com. Content Source: eNyota Learning [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Boost Social Learning in 11 Easy Ways

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" overlay_color="" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" padding_top="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" padding_right=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" center_content="no" last="no" min_height="" hover_type="none" link=""][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="tabGdpr " id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Social learning is a cognitive process that lets people discuss learning objectives and enables them to share their perspectives. It’s an easy way to help peers understand better by breaking down complicated points into a language that they comprehend. This not only improves the learning efficiency of the people but also acts as a catalyst for organizational transformations. Social learning helps employees connect better with each other, which, in a way, repairs broken links of complete communication of vision and values within the organization. It makes learning a continuous process even when the employees are not undergoing any formal training and keeps them engaged and motivated to improve their knowledge and skillsets. A Learning Management System plays a vital role in engaging your employees and boosts social learning with improved interaction. Here is how you can up the game of social learning through an LMS in 11 easy ways: 1. Public News Feed Amy Jo Martin once said “Social media is the ultimate equalizer. It gives a voice and a platform to anyone willing to engage.” Today, the need to engage learners has led the news feed to become an extremely important feature of any social platform. This allows learners to express their views by sharing, liking or commenting on their industry-specific articles. Through an LMS, the admins can create surveys, polls, etc. to engage learners based on topics of their interest in the industry. 2. Discussion Groups Creating topic-specific discussion groups within the LMS provides a platform to your employees, who are brimming with innovative ideas but don’t have a platform to share. Such discussion groups can provide a productive space for like-minded employees, such as tech nerds or process-oriented people who wish to simplify steps in the administration department. These groups can later help in building training courses that are focused on relevant topics. 3. The Live Chat Functionality The live chat feature enables learners or employees to connect with each other internally and gives them the space to discuss issues and clarify doubts that they may not want to present in front of a crowd. This works best for bringing your employees/learners together and resolves issues related to the communication gap. Adding other users and having group conversations can make it easier for them to interact with each other and exchange knowledge and views. 4. Ask the Experts ‘Ask the Experts’ is a social learning functionality that can be used in an LMS to help learners find answers to topic specific issues/queries. The subject matter experts become the go-to-section that welcomes learners to clear their doubts and resolve their problems on a real-time basis. As these doubts, problems, and issues are addressed and resolved, these can be stored for future use and reference for employees encountering similar problems. 5. Content Analysis and Feedback/Comments Providing a comment section or a feedback form at the end of any training or course material can help learning managers or course developers to focus on areas that need improvement for providing efficient and effective training to the learners. Simple comments like ‘thank you’, ‘this was helpful’ or, ‘XYZ was not properly explained in the course’ are of great importance to improve training programs for your learners . Learners can also flag content that is irrelevant or outdated. 6. User Generated Content An LMS can act as a platform for learners to share their work-related videos, research documents, or industry updates through their mobile devices. This user generated content can help other learners with videos of their sales demos, market research, and planning sessions, etc., thereby, creating a huge bank of training material for all learners. 7. Social Media Integrations Integrating social media icons for learners to share their progress or achievements on social platforms can boost their performance. With this, they can share their professional success with their personal network. Basically, it’ll give them a moment of pride for growing in their professional career. 8. Gamification Showing progress of learners through badges and leaderboards is an effective way to engage learners. Gamification and social learning go hand in hand to ensure that learners are engaged and motivated at regular intervals. Moreover, earning badges and achievements creates a healthy competition among peers to improve performance and boost engagement. 9. Learners’ User Profiles A majority of social platforms ask users to add their job title, email, etc. This allows learners to add their skills, work related interests, and their professional achievements on their LMS profiles, which can allow them to be a part of projects that best suit their skillsets. 10. Badges for Learners’ Performances Badges in an LMS allow managers to communicate and share constructive feedback with their team members. Giving away badges to top performers is an effective way to acknowledge the efforts of a team member and demonstrate the reason why they earned it. These praise badges drive learners to bring out their best at work. 11. Being Social is Being Responsive In a world where our day starts with looking at mobile devices, it is a necessity for an LMS to be mobile responsive in order to boost social learning. A large part of learning takes place on such devices and, irrespective of where they are located, the information should be accessible to all learners at all times so that they can participate in important discussions and seamlessly share their perspectives. Hence, utilizing the social functionality of an LMS to the fullest can reap great results in terms of learner engagement. To know about the social features of Abara LMS , explore our features section or get in touch with us today![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]