LearningZen.com's API Update

We are very pleased to announce the availability of LearningZen’s Application Programming Interface (API).  We’ve been working hard during the past few months to create this new feature and we are excited to let our community know that it is finished and ready for use. 

What is an (API)? 

Put simply, an API is a process in which computer systems communicate directly with each other.  This communication does not need to include human interaction and usually does not include any visual web pages.  APIs are usually created to allow the automated sharing of content and data between communities and computer applications.  For instance, APIs allow photos to be shared from sites like Flickr and Instagram to social network sites like Facebook.  Also, any time you log into a site that asks for your Facebook account so that you can post information back to Facebook, you are using a Facebook API. 

That’s great, but what can LearningZen’s API do for me?

Our API enables a number of really useful things, the most important of which is called “Single Sign On” (SSO).  OK that is another acronym, but SSO just means that users already logged into one web site can navigate to another web site without having to create an account or log into the second site.  This part of the API automatically and securely creates accounts on LearningZen based on information passed to it from your existing web site.  So, if you already have a human resources or employee management system, it can “talk” to LearningZen in a way that will automatically create LearningZen accounts and give them the appropriate rights to see certain courses, be an author, etc.  Using the API in this way can save your portal administrators and managers a lot of time creating users and assigning them to groups. 

The LearningZen API also gives you a way to limit your students’ interactions within LearningZen and isolate them to the course taking experience.  You can send your students over to LearningZen, directly into taking a course you specify, and then when they are finished with that course, they will be returned to your company’s web site or portal. 

Finally, the LearningZen API includes functionality to publish LearningZen portal information to one of your existing company systems.  For example, the API can publish your LearningZen course catalog to your own system.  This is useful if you want to present your catalog of LearningZen courses right on your own internal web site and then direct people over to LearningZen to take those specific courses.  This would be another way for you to direct certain employees to certain training.  The API also publishes students’ course completion history, which can be useful if you track course taking progress in your own HR system. 

How do I learn more about the LearningZen API and get access to it?

Please contact our sales department at 1-877-850-1214, option 1 for API pricing information.  The process of implementing the LearningZen API will require a little bit of time from your IT or web development staff to they enable your system to talk to LearningZen’s API.  Purchasing the API access includes several hours of our technical staff’s time to work with your technical people as they configure and set up your system. 

We really appreciate our LearningZen customers.  We are so proud that we are making online training easy and affordable and none of this is possible without our amazing customers and learning enthusiasts. Have a great day!

The Trouble with Training

If you search the internet for “lack of training” you will see thousands of disaffected employees talking about one of the core reasons they hate, and even have left their current job.  According to the American Society for Training & Development, “41% of employees at companies with inadequate training programs plan to leave within a year versus 12% of employees at companies who provide excellent training and professional development”.  That’s some troubling data.

The average cost to replace an employee starts at around 50% of annual salary and can be as much as 200% in some industries according to about.com’s Darrell Zahorsky.  So with that said, why aren’t bells and whistles being sounded in every small to medium sized business (SMB) CEO’s office about the training challenge? The truth is - historically there haven’t been a lot of options for the SMBs navigating the challenging and treacherous waters of business success for organized training programs.

 The Fortune 500, with their deep pockets has long invested in training, knowing the value of the investment.  According to Michael Porter “industries that spend the most on employee development and training are typically the most competitive in every developed country in the world”.  But let’s face it, SMBs don’t have a ton of excess cash on hand even when they are in expansion mode and the market has been oddly void of low cost training solutions that harness the power of today’s technology.

SMBs make do with “peer to peer” training, annual training seminars, training reimbursement programs, and antiquated paper based training systems. Many have no formal training programs at all.  Some survive; many more would survive and even flourish if they could overcome the high costs of employee turnover with a low cost and effective training program.

With the advancement of technology one would think that affordable online training platforms would have hit the SMB market addressing this need, but the Training and Development marketplace is still chasing Fortune 500 dollars. In their desire to protect market share amongst the cash cows with deep pockets, the industry has created intricate barriers to block entry for competition, and unwittingly locked out millions of potential clients through utilizing an overly complex and outdated content compliance standard (SCORM), which facilitates high instructional design fees, and expensive complex software packages. Frankly, the current Training and Development marketplace doesn’t think there is enough money in the SMB market to service it, so it keeps things complex to protect the business elite.

The SMB market deserves better. The corporate Training and Development market needs to evolve at a faster pace, reduce costs, and become more inclusive. This can only be done through breaking down the industry barriers that created a market of complexity and confusion, and start to service the market place with simplicity and clarity. In reality, most SMB’s can create effective, low cost, easy to use training solutions if they were given a platform in which to do so. Training your people does not need to be rocket science.  So for those of us at LearningZen.com we say give the people (SMBs) the tools to control their own content, people, and processes, and let the training revolution begin!

Back From ASAE 2011

The sales team at LearningZen.com has returned from the ASAE show in St. Louis. MO! A multitude of associations visited our booth and learned how LearningZen.com can offer them an easy to use, low cost online training platform. If you missed us here or want to learn more about the revolutionary online training platform click here to see a 3 minute online product demo.

We wanted to recognize a few people who helped us out this weekend. Mr. Larry Thompson of the Missouri Athletic Club was as gracious a host as you could ever hope for. The fine folks at Pappy’s BBQ made sure the team stayed satiated with plenty of delicious food and some of the best ribs we've ever tasted! We also wanted to recognize the entire staff at ASAE for putting on one of the best run conferences we’ve ever been to!

If you stopped by our booth at the ASAE Show and left us a business card, stayed tuned about our random drawing for an iPad 2.

How to Create Effective eLearning Content

In my time at LearningZen.com I have created a variety of courses from The Swine Flu (H1N1) to Customer Service in the Restaurant Industry. Along the way I’ve learned about what works, and what doesn’t when building courses. Here are a few of the most important things I’ve learned about creating content for online training:

1.) Use a variety of media options. Using an online training system allows you to make your course content come alive. Make video tutorials and post them via YouTube, import an interactive PowerPoint presentation. Spice up the text you do have with images, diagrams, and charts to help explain things. Use flash animations, or import a voice recording in case someone would prefer to listen than read.

2.) Utilize the option of pre-tests and post-tests. By testing how an individual responded initially and comparing it to the information gained through the course you can prove that the knowledge transfer took place – and isn’t that the ultimate goal?

3.) While the content may seem like the most important aspect of a course, the same attention should be paid introducing the course to a learner and in the review. The introduction and course description should let the learner know what to expect from the course while the review should appropriately summarize what they should take away from it. People aren’t going to remember every little detail from the content so it’s essential to highlight the key points.

4.) Think about your language. I tend to write very conversationally. While you should be able to present your information professionally, think about your audience – Would you be engaged in the course if you were the learner? Would you understand the information that is being presented?

5.) Use a platform that is user friendly. It should be easy for everyone to navigate and intuitive to use.

These are just several of the things that I keep in mind when creating an online course. LearningZen.com has been an ideal platform in regards to creating effective eLearning. It's easy to both create and take courses, and offers virtually every media enhancement possible. You can either create new content, or import your existing content. Also, not only does it gives the ability to utilize pre-test and post-tests but gives student metrics and reports.

2011 ASAE Show

Greetings Everyone, I hope that the summer has been treating you well, wherever you may be! While the LearningZen.com has been making plenty of time for play, we've also been incredibly busy at work; adding enhancements such the manager role in the portals and more detailed student reports. With the help of many of our clients, our backlog is continuously growing and we are grateful for the members who share their ideas and help our platform become to grow and become even better.

We are currently gearing up to attend the Center for Association Leadership's 2011 Annual Meeting and Exhibition in St. Louis, Missouri. The ASAE is comprised of over 22,000 association executives and industry partners. The ASAE helps these professionals by providing resources, education, ideas and advocacy to enhance the power and performance of the association and nonprofit community.

LearningZen.com ow-cost, easy to use, invaluable online training solution. By utilizing the cloud you can increase membership, and better educate your communities. To learn more, check out our demo!