23 Feb 2023

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Why is manufacturing elearning needed?

The manufacturing industry has been progressing at a rapid pace. Manufacturing elearning is required today because technologies are always evolving. No company can afford to be left behind.

Hence, the workers have to be trained via manufacturing elearning because they need to have skills to survive. When they don’t know how to operate a certain machine, it can lead to a lack of confidence. It can also cause injuries to workers while operating machines, like stabbing in the skin through sharp parts or electrical shocks. Apart from that, due to manufacturing elearning a company does not lose workers because they know how to handle machinery.

Classroom training is ineffective in manufacturing because it involves workers being absent for a long time. When so many people are a part of synchronous classes and are attending them, this means there is no one to manage the production. But this is not the case with asynchronous learning, where many workers are not absent from production.

Moreover, the companies have to follow Good Manufacturing Practice(GMP) compliance requirements; otherwise, they can face the consequences. When they don’t, the FDA can ensure that no products are sold. If the FDA decides to do that, the company loses all its production costs.

Consequences of Contaminated Food

The Food and Beverage industry must be careful that food is cooked with clean utensils. It is because if the food contains bacteria, it can lead to illnesses.

The Center for Disease Control has estimated that in the US, 3000 people expire every year from diseases caused due to dirty food. In addition, food recalls can damage the company, which has spent so much on its production.

In cases such as these, F&B companies suffer losses of millions. Therefore, manufacturing elearning is crucial to prevent such extensive damage. Recalls of food batches have even been common in the case of meat and poultry products, especially since 2013. In 2021, the FDA recalled the packed onions from the market after they were linked with salmonella infection in some states. Recently, peanut butter batches were called off from the market because 4 out of 5 people complained of illnesses after consuming it. After testing, a salmonella strain was found in them. Hence, the packaged food should be stored in proper materials and at the proper temperature before the sale.

Precautions for Companies

Hence, the companies must train workers to follow the GMP standards, which have been imposed for a wide range of industries such as cosmetics, medical devices, food, and drugs. In addition, the companies must ensure that the packed food is free from dangerous substances such as glass, plastic, and metal, unfit for consumption.

For example, in the food industry, manufacturing must ensure the products are stored safely. There should be no contamination caused during storage. The company has to maintain compliance standards during manufacturing and even supply. When the food products are transported, there is a high risk of infection caused by improper storage conditions like high temperature. Proper temperature is necessary when the processed food is transported because salmonella flourishes at a temperature between 8-45 degrees Celsius. Any presence of water in processed food can also cause the growth of these bacteria.

Consumers can’t always predict whether a food product is safe; it does not indicate so on its package, but it can be contaminated. The following precautions can protect companies from such adverse consequences:

Clean machines for packaging:

Since the food products are packed through machines, they must be cleaned regularly. If they are not, problems can be caused by dirty food. Hence, the plant employees must be trained to clean machines and maintain a schedule. The cleaning records should also be maintained, so no problems are caused later if any inspection happens.

Extra care should also be taken when the food is being packed, like the workers should have washed their hands because if they have not, especially after excretion, it can lead to contact with feces that contain salmonella. For this purpose, packaging equipment should be washed regularly to avoid contamination of processed food with feces.

Use of stainless steel in packaging

Therefore, stainless steel is now preferred for the storage of food. It does not absorb any microbes present on its surface and edges or in it. So, irrespective of the food in a stainless steel basket, there is no risk of bacteria getting into it.

This is because stainless steel containers are cast with an antimicrobial coating. In addition, stainless steel is also used for cooking because it can tolerate high temperatures and does not melt. This is a very big benefit because plastic can melt while cooking. Apart from that, in high temperatures, the bacteria present on the container’s surface also die, making the surface more bacteria-free.

10 Feb 2023

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Why is leadership training important to prevent burnout?

Leadership training is essential in today’s world, where employees suffer from burnout.

The leaders are the only ones who can prevent employees from losing interest in the job. Burnout was not only a factor of the pandemic but also has been there afterwards.

The leaders can detect when an employee starts losing interest in the job. They also start making mistakes at work because they are no longer keen to work. The employees in such situations need support from the leader, who must understand their condition. He must give them sick leaves, so they spend some required family time and bounce back from this stage.

Leaders should be emphatic:

It is traditionally regarded immature to express emotions anywhere except at home.

However, in the office, it’s the leader’s job to see that the organization creates the right culture, which includes providing emotional support to employees.

A good leader asks about the well-being of employees every day or as frequently as he can. This includes that employees are made to talk whenever required. When leaders listen to employees, they must show empathy and take decisions as if they were in those situations.

Due to leadership training, when employees have compassionate leaders in the organization, they have the courage to talk about their feelings, preventing burnout. Whenever an employee faces a problem, instead of scolding him for having a negative attitude, the leader should listen to him compassionately.

When the problem is rectified, the employee feels like he is part of a company.

Employees must be encouraged to open up with colleagues also about their emotions.

Encourage employees to share knowledge:

Employees should not be called after work hours when they are at home. That is their personal space, and it should not be disturbed. An employee might not always have to work overtime, but this situation can’t be avoided when there are deadlines.

Hence realistic workload goals must be set for them. The workload should be distributed evenly among employees, which is an easier way to handle work. Some employees also might be facing difficulty in doing their work, which is better to train them.

However, for that, a culture of jealousy should be avoided because it’s the senior’s job to train the juniors.

Have a reasonable number of working hours:

Leaders must also ensure that they can have a healthy workplace in the company. Employees must be given leaves. Their working hours must be normal also, and they should not be asked to work overtime. Analytics has proven that employees who work at least 50 hours per week suffer from burnout. But these problems can be avoided when employees are not called to offices but have remote work.

Remote working is the best way to prevent burnout because employees get access to family hours. If a company does not have a stringent need to is employees work from offices, remote work must be allowed or at least hybrid work.

As a result, their commuting time is avoided, and they don’t get burnout.

A company must prefer quality over prefer quality to quantity. If an employee’s work quality is deteriorating because he is handling too many projects simultaneously, that means limiting the workload. Employees must know what is expected of them and perform accordingly rather than overworking. The risk of not knowing their goals increases with the number of hours employees work in a week.

Employees could be asked how they could complete tasks because they have better knowledge of their work. They might have creative ideas to complete work on time without getting overworked.

The companies must also avoid rigid work schedules:

It’s because every day working 9-5 can prove to be monotonous for employees. They should have flexible working hours when they control the number of hours worked.

The company’s focus should be on the advancement of employees; hence they should be encouraged to use learning apps. These apps could be for learning new skills useful at the workplace.

Have a learning culture in the company

Work should not be boring for employees, which happens when they cannot understand it. When managers understand employees’ problems and their difficulties, the employees feel supported. Such managers can help employees handle tough jobs by helping them get apt training. Hence, every big organization has a learning academy today which prepares elearning courses for employees to upskill them.

Leadership training can help employees cope better when a manager continuously checks with his employees. When a manager is oblivious to how employees feel, the latter feel isolated and can quit.

17 Jan 2023

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What are the challenges in a VILT course?

VILT might be a cost-effective proposition for companies because so many employees don’t have to be assembled at the same place. They get taught virtually, and anyone can come other than arranging a venue for them. Apart from not arranging a venue, the organizations are also saved from the hassles of arranging accommodations for traveling students and teachers. This is advantageous for the company.

There is also a work-life balance for employees because their time to travel to the training venue is eliminated. They can easily attend the training from any place.

But since the employees are logged in from their homes, they can also get distracted by family members. There could be guests arriving at their homes and children who want their parents’ attention.

These are the ways in which the problems of a VILT session can be mitigated:

Onus on teachers:

So it’s the teacher’s responsibility to ensure employees concentrate completely during VILT sessions. The trainers can ensure that the employees turn their cameras on during work. If they don’t, they can be during other activities during the session.An employee can mute himself, turn the camera off, and do something else while attending the session.

The trainers can also ask employees questions to know whether he is present or not. The trainer should also include games and polls so that the learners don’t feel bored in the sessions. Instead of lecturing the learners, the documents should be used in teaching them. They can be explained with the help of a whiteboard where the teacher can draw on them. This way, the learners feel engaged throughout the session.

Another way is to use infographics that contain the information in brief. Even animated videos shown during a webinar/VILT session are a better way to get the learner’s attention.

VILT should not be long sessions because this way, the learners’ attention can deviate.

Hence it’s better to have short sessions.

A trainer must be best prepared for the session and know the learners’ first names. If the trainer feels that the learner is not paying any attention, then he should be asked to explain all the concepts to the whole group. This is known as the teach-back option.

The organizations also have much software, allowing them to easily manage employees for such webinars. They can notify them in time and also schedule the trainers.

Companies’ Responsibilities:

VILT allows you to deal with a colossal workforce living in distinct parts of the world. They can’t reach the venue at the same time due to traffic and other constraints. But can definitely attend the webinars.

However, VILT does not do away with the difference of time zones, and learners have to attend the session even if there is a night in their country.

If the learners don’t feel they have the best possible concentration during a certain time interval, they can watch the recorded session.

Although the learners might be willing to take the lessons in different time zones, this may lead to a compromise in their quality of work due to lack of sleep. Hence it’s the company’s job to ensure that such learners can log in late for work if they have attended a VILT at night.

If still, it’s not feasible, then the company must be willing to provide housing arrangements for those who have to travel to another time session.

Conduct sessions in the UCT (Universal coordinated time):

It’s also better that sessions are conducted in different time zones for both kinds of participants. The native and the foreign participants should have VILT sessions conducted at their convenience. This is only possible when the participants are willing to collaborate with one another.

Instead of using the IST or the EST for holding such sessions, it’s better to use the universal coordinated time. Using such time is better because it does not mean sacrificing any sleep for both kinds of participants, i.e., those living on either side of the equator. Therefore, attending sessions per the UTC is feasible for all participants.

Also, all participants should be ready for the VILT session because if they are not, it means explaining things to them. This means wasting the valuable time of the other participants who might have to leave for a business meeting after attending the VILT session.

27 Dec 2022

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What is the future of elearning in 2023?

Elearning will see a big change in 2023 because it will tremendously involve virtual reality now. So far, elearning has been used in a linear format with hurdles.

In this format, the learners must attempt a quiz before reaching the end of the module. Such tests are important to ensure whether the users have learned anything. After every 3–4 modules, there is a knowledge check to verify whether the learner has absorbed anything. When the learners are unable to clear any quiz, they can’t proceed to the second lesson consisting of more modules and hence have to go through the first lesson all over again. Including such tests can only ensure that learners can be trusted with work because they have completed a certain elearning assignment. In the future, following trends will be a part of the L&D:

Classroom training will be extinct:

Self-paced training will be the need of the hour because the employees prefer to work and learn from home. This has also become easier with so many elearning authoring tools becoming available so that the learning can be designed as per the course’s difficulty levels. Therefore, elearning is the need of the hour, and the days of classroom training are over.

If there is a problem with the computer, the employee can access the learning courses rather than sitting idle and zoning out. The scope of zoning out is even more in classroom training, where the environment is noisy, and not everyone can focus.

Necessary implementation of elearning due to a hybrid work culture:

We have embraced digital literacy since a long time now. Employees have started realizing that being digitally literate is no longer just a privilege but a necessity because companies are using hybrid work ways. Companies are now shifting to using more digital technologies at work, due to which employee training is also necessary.

Companies had to adopt a hybrid work model in 2022 despite the pandemic taking a backseat because the employees were not willing to rejoin the offices. In fact, they were leaving their jobs when asked to come to the workplace. 49% of employees consisting of millennials were not ready to rejoin offices, and the companies had to shift to a hybrid work approach because these people form a majority of technical employees.

When the employees don’t have any knowledge of the new software used to facilitate a hybrid work model, the companies can suffer. Hence, empowering employees is the only way before companies.

This is a serious problem because the employees seek those opportunities which provide them with growth opportunities. When the employees can’t get the knowledge they need to perform and grow in a job, they can quit. Every large-scale organization is providing employees with learning opportunities, either through an external vendor or a tie-up with an elearning partner that prepares the course. If the companies don’t focus on training the employees and retaining them, they are very much capable of doing it on their own.

Use of immersive technologies in elearning:

In 2023, extended reality(XR), which involves using AR, MR, and VR, will be used more. It’s because, in the coming year, employee experience will be at the center of learning. Employee training will be done using this technology for all kinds of industries.

In fact, since customer training has taken so much importance in these years, XR will be used for this purpose too. This kind of technology is useful when teaching people about dangerous jobs because it does not involve inflicting any harm. It is also less expensive, unlike actual equipment, getting used to training people for jobs such as operating flights.

Spread of gamification and mobile learning :

Moreover, mobile learning applications will increase because the consumption of mobile phones will enhance even more now. Even language learning applications are now using mobile phones.

Due to such easy accessibility of smartphones, gamification will assume increasing popularity in 2023. Games also provide a person with rewards, which is why people engage with them more to win points, which boost their pride also. It has been popular with people irrespective of age, a trend that will strengthen in 2023.

Immersive Games are getting used now to make people learn any foreign language. For example, gamers can see the background color of an environment change once they guess a new word. Since this involves a color change effect, the gamers are able to retain the word.

Cybersecurity training:

The elearning will become more employees centric in the future because employees are quitting jobs when not allowed to work from home.

With increased digitalization of processes, there will also be a high focus on cybersecurity training because the systems contain much more data than before. The entire customer and employee data is now present in a system that was not the case earlier. Hence, when a company’s systems are compromised, its servers can be used to get the payment information of customers.

Although employees will be trained in using digital processes, they will also be trained on how to keep the systems safe from any attacks. Due to this, cybersecurity training will form a major portion of elearning now. Companies can’t ignore the need for mobile learning solutions because they can be easily accessed by the work from home employees.

When its courses are not accessible in such a format, the work-from-home employees can feel that they are secluded, and the organization does not treat them as equal to the work-from-office employees.

Extensive focus on soft skills training for leaders:

Companies have to make employees stay and provide them with appraisal so that the former doesn’t bear the brunt of quiet quitting. It’s a troublesome scenario for a company when the employee is not willing to perform more than what is needed on the job. The employee has not resigned, but he is doing the least just in order to preserve his job and not be fired. In a Gallup survey that happened in 2022, 50% of the workforce was of quiet quitters.

Companies need productive employees who are willing to do more for them in times of recession rather than just stick to the job. Hence, when the company invests in the elearning of an employee, it’s a win-win situation for them because the employees feel associated with the organization.

Companies will also have to focus on leadership training so that they can prevent this trend of quiet quitting. Employees must get a positive environment at a workplace where the seniors are willing to listen to their problems genuinely. In that case, they can expect them to stay longer rather than leave at the first opportunity. So, leadership training, which ensures employees have positive and compassionate experiences at the workplace, is necessary.

19 Dec 2022

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What are the major hurdles in rapid elearning development?

Rapid elearning is as good as classroom training. Every course can be taught through rapid elearning these days.

Therefore, rapid learning solutions are so necessary for every company, but they are not delivering the best results because of wrong output. Hence, there needs to be careful planning by the business and elearning vendor before they are purchased by a company.

Although rapid e-learning reduces development costs by using authoring tools, it does not have the same quality levels as a professional e-learning course. Hence, a business should not sacrifice the quality levels when it comes to rapid elearning.

If there’s a need for games and formative assessments, they can be a part of such an e-learning course.

It’s because even if it needs communication, with social media, rapid elearning provides an opportunity for it, too, like classroom training.

That’s why rapid e-learning has replaced classroom-based training in every sense of the word because learners also don’t miss any opportunities for interaction. The ability to integrate social media platforms with a course depends on which authoring software is used by your vendor to develop the course.

If there is the question of whether the learners can test their theoretical skills or not, it’s possible through virtual reality simulations. Checking whether the learners can practically use what they have learned theoretically is crucial to many jobs like nursing and flying airplanes.

These are the following issues which a business needs to address to ensure that its rapid elearning output is of the desired quality levels.

Challenges in rapid eLearning content development for a business

No clear strategy:

It could also be because it has not communicated clearly with the vendor. The business can’t leave everything to the vendor and needs to provide feedback at every stage.

Rapid e-learning is not about completing deadlines when the vendor is just supposed to deliver, but about creating something useful for the business. And that’s where the latter has to play a major role too.

The problem can arise when the business does not prioritize the elearning project and nobody from the company is assigned to manage the project.

So, allocate specific people to deal with the vendor’s queries, and have a single point of communication. With a project manager in place, the vendor knows that he has to get in touch with the former.

Also, with the project being developed and executed in stages, the project manager must be ready to review the vendor’s work after every step.

Not enough resources:

The business might not have enough resources for the project to succeed. For example, although SMEs from a company can do rapid e-learning because it’s done on an authoring tool, they can’t produce professional output.

For that, taking instructional designers’ help is necessary because the rapid elearning module needs interactivities and quizzes to test a learner.

Subject-matter experts can use the existing gaming templates; they can’t tweak them to create what’s best for the company’s needs.

The same rule applies to the content templates, which must be customized according to the company’s color scheme. Without professional multimedia developers of an elearning vendor company, businesses can be clueless about how to do the same.

Their designers are experienced in using graphic designing tools such as Photoshop to redesign the templates as per the required colors. He can even drag and drop elements on the template to modify their layout for a different look.

Unacceptable deadlines set by clients:

Also, if a vendor is not happy with the deadline, he will not give his best. Therefore, make sure that the deadline is established after the consent of both parties, so to avoid hassles and half-finished output. In the worst-case scenario, the vendor does not want to have any communication due to lack of time.

Cons of not hiring professional eLearning content development companies:

Lackluster training:

The companies need to rectify their rapid eLearning when the employees are not doing their jobs properly. It is causing problems for the other employees also. The content needs to have a sense to it because if the employees can’t put all the pieces together, it can lead to a lack of coherence for them.

The companies also must have the need-to-know information included in the eLearning module because otherwise, the employees feel bored with irrelevant data.

Irrelevant content:

When the employees are made to remember too much data than what’s pertinent to perform their job duties, it means cognitive overload. They might end up forgetting the things necessary for their job duties. Hence, including not more than contextual information is quite essential for businesses that need elearning content development companies.

Unorganized content:

The learners also need clear directions through the elearning module. The businesses can’t assume that the learners know how to go through an elearning module. They might not know how to proceed to the next module. Hence, there should be narration in the video, which can include instructions on how to move through the video, including attempting the assessments.

There can also be subtitles in the video containing instructions on how to attempt quizzes or what the next slide contains.

Adult learners need a reason to learn something. They won’t be interested in training when they are not given any reason. Hence, there is a need to have sessions with mentors/leaders to explain to the learners the importance of how attending a training module can benefit them because it will fill their performance gaps. Hence, this is how organizations can attain the best results with rapid elearning development.

Hence this is how organizations can attain the best results with rapid elearning development.

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