1.TH306 - Using Social Software to Make Blended Learning a Success ASTD TechKnowledge 2014 The Educe Group #astdtk14 #blendlrn

2. Introductions Brandon Williams is an Associate for The Educe Group, where he is currently guiding learning management system implementations for organizations varying in size and spanning multiple industries. While he has spent time evaluating new learning technologies in the space, he has also worked extensively with collaborative learning strategy and the technology to execute this strategy within Educe. Prior to joining Educe, Brandon coauthored and produced a training program that affected national compliance and sales audiences at Amerigroup Corporation. Brandon has also served as the system administrator for cloud-based Customer Relationship Management platforms for seven years in addition to implementing hosted learning and performance software. Over the course of his career, he has supported recruitment programs for internships, leadership development programs, and full-time employment positions. He has extensive experience in cloud technology and the strategy required to implement and maintain that technology. He has gained valuable experience both through business development for professional services organizations and as a consultant working directly on HCM strategy and system implementations. He has focused on learning management and social/collaborative technology within companies ranging from 2,000 - 55,000 employees, but he has also consulted organizations on a variety of other critical business processes (system localization, performance management systems, mobile workforce issues etc.). Brandon grew up in a remote region of the Appalachians and graduated with honors from the College of William and Mary; he currently lives in DC and works in Bethesda. 2 3. IntroductionsIve always been a nerd and love learning, so now I implement systems that help people grow and develop in the workplace. 3 4. Objectives for TodayFollow @BdotW and/or tweet your questions to #blendlrnOnline Portion Blending in Social Learning (industry examples) Instructor-led Portion The Educe Solution (case study) Social software for employee onboarding and beyond Process identifying, implementing, adoption, metrics Key Elements of Blended Learning Success Post-Class Assessment Wrap / Qs & As4 5. Blended Learning at 40,000 FeetWeb-based/online training or pre-recorded session5 6. Case Studies TELUS Virgin Media Bechtel Kaespersky Poll6Follow @BdotW and/or tweet your questions to #blendlrn 7. Success Stories: TELUS TELUS is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada with 13.2 million customer connections. TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video. Source: Dan Pontefract, Sr. Director and Head of Learning and Collaboration at TELUS*7 8. Success Stories: TELUS TELUS Switched from 90% instructor-led to 60/40 for the year High costs for hiring external trainers 20% savings in flipping model Model supported learning through formal, informal, and social Included networking, blogs, wikis, videos, communities, and collaboration sites to foster knowledge sharing Flip cameras for field techs8 9. Success Stories: Virgin Media Virgin Media provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom; it owns and operates its own fiber-optic cable network, the only national cable network in the United Kingdom. They service approximately 4.8 million cable customers. Source: http://gigaom.com/2012/02/13/the-lessons-ofvirgin-medias-flexible-working-initiative/ 9 10. Success Stories: Virgin Media Pilot of 5,000 users aimed to increase productivity/agility and decrease email overload/inconsistent materials Notable gains for B2B provisioning group touches many divisions for certain processes, so creating a community to share the information more effectively in one place served to break down divisional silos. Unintended results: Participants in the pilot showed a six percent higher engagement-index in the firms annual engagement survey 10 11. Success Stories: Virgin Media Adoption of system itself involved blended learning Not all people are primed to adopt certain technology the same way or at the same rate Their approach included 1:1 training, videos, and peer to peer assistance through communities Identified evangelists to engage the rest of the organization In line with best practices to encourage adoption of social software organization-wide11 12. Success Stories: Virgin Media One of the big successes during the pilotwas the amount of people who started to self-help and help others.12 13. Success Stories: Bechtel Bechtel is the largest construction and engineering company in the United States; as a global leader in engineering, construction, and project management, it operates five global business units and executes projects around the world (including the Hoover Dam, BART, and the largest airport in the world in Damamam). Source: Aniruddh Mukerji, Manager of Learning Technology 13 14. Success Stories: Bechtel Boots on the Ground CoP for safety/compliance Piloted with two members at a single location and grew to 500 across 50 Access to relevant content at time of need; immediate value and compelling content on day one Calling/emailing experts only helps a single person Experts get bombarded Marketplace of questions and answers Practitioners from project sites and experts together Share knowledge to be stored for later use14 15. Success Stories: Bechtel Mobile access to consume/develop Objection: Community Moderation Most platforms have ability to flag inappropriate or inaccurate content As of report, Bechtel had only taken down 2 posts out of 300 Adoption encouraged by specific planning Safety is a core value, and the responsible group is highly engaged15 16. Success Stories: Bechtel16 17. Success Stories: Bechtel17 18. Success Stories: Kaespersky Kaespersky is a Russian multi-national computer security company that develops secure content and threat management systems for over 300 million users worldwide and more than 250,000 corporate clients globally ranks; they rank fourth in the global ranking of antivirus vendors.18 19. Success Stories: Kaespersky Objective: constant learning Needed also to be able to measure collaboration and engagement among team members Traditional LMS: monitor compliance through certification Benefits: Decreased travel costs (virtual classroom and blended learning) Also able to eliminate unnecessary/duplicate training called out by community19 20. Success Stories: Kaespersky20 21. Questions For YouFollow @BdotW and/or tweet your questions to #blendlrnDo you have an official on-boarding process?If so, is all training web or document based? Or, do you have an instructor conduct all of the training? If so, is your instructor in person or do you conduct virtual training? 21 22. Blended Learning Recap: On-line Web-based/online training or pre-recorded session Accessibility New hires provided access to content on day 1 Current employees can self-pace based on full time work Spans time zones/availability; engages and decreases cost By tracking in your LMS you canWhat are some pros and cons of training online? Prevent ILT registration until completion Add background/supplemental materials to ILT Create follow-up after instructor interaction 22 23. Blended Learning at 40,000 FeetWeb-based/online training or pre-recorded sessionInstructor-led training or face to face interactionKnowledge assessment and evaluation23 24. Educe Case Study Company Background/Challenges Our solution Process From assessing organizational readiness to encouraging adoption to maintaining an effective solution. The Blend24 25. Educe Environment implementHR technology adoptperformancecontent developmentplansmall businesssocial networkingtalent= employee locations25consulting servicesdevelop vendor selectionlearning 26. Educe Environment commercialregulated retailhealth caresmall businessglobalfinancialpharmaceuticalgovernmentcompliance = employee locations = client locations26hospitality US-basedmanufacturing 27. Challenges: Onboarding and Engagement Week-long boot camp with Partner or Principal Expertise Dispersed Office Locations Document repository of past projects and product information Product knowledge sessions:Geographically Dispersed Periodic deep-dive Twice yearly meeting including OJT experienceClient Travel Educe All emails Limited Connectivity Vendor WBTs Mentorship Program27 28. What really got the ball rolling In 2012, we got our first batch of new hires straight out of college. A year later, we began growing at a more rapid pace than ever before in our 10 year history. No longer were we able to build on prior consulting or implementation expertise. With a growing virtual team of experts combined with a fresh batch of bright young Jr. Consultants, the we knew we would have to do something different than traditional training modules launched from an LMS or boot camp sessions. We were going to have to focus our strategy and software on creating an open, collaborative environment for all employees regardless of geographical location or level of experience.28 29. Educe Objectives: Not Social Speed of response + empowerment = Accelerate the effectiveness of our team Improve access to organizational knowledge Reduce use of email as a method of knowledge exchange Reduce dependency on experts Reduce new hire onboarding time Improve onboarding experience29 30. Our Solution: EduceConnect30 31. Implementation Steps 12Seed Data3Consider Search Strategy- use lessons learned from other initiatives4Find Your Experts- enables everyone to be a contributor - changes as employees gain experience531Understand Organizational ReadinessDeploy a Soft Launch- set achievable objectives - understand challenges- consolidate existing data - provide examples to be followed- ability to make corrections 32. 1: Understand Organizational Readiness Things to Consider: Start with a group that already collaborates, and secure buy-in with the experts in that group Launch with a limited set of functionality. Add on as adoption takes hold. Understand your organizational challengesThis has me written all over it.32- History of collaboration - Comfort with technologyI hope shes not looking this way 33. 2: Seed Data Things to Consider: Drive initial system use with a library resources that cant be accessed in any other system Demonstrate how the system will consolidate disparate information repositories Set an example for how you want data to be entered and tagged I have no idea when I last backed up my laptop33- What data has no home? - What repositories can be replaced?My email is over the limit again. Weve got to get this thing going. 34. Why will employees use it? Saves time Reduces rework Lessens dependence of geography Lessens dependence on standard work hours Lessens learning curve for new employees Motivates membersCall me when I can find something useful on this thing34Wow. She really just said that. 35. Informal Learning Activities + Methods ActivityMethodProblem SolvingIm receiving an error message anyone know what to do?Discussion, Chat; Workspaces; IssuesRequesting InformationDoes anyone have the most recent SoP template?Discussion, ChatSeeking Experience/AdviceHas anyone dealt with this situation?Discussion, ChatCreating Knowledge RepositorySharing links, files, tips and tricksResources; Discussion; Skills; ImpressionsVetting New IdeasCheck out the new mockups. All feedback welcome!Ideas; Ratings; DiscussionNetworking35ExampleIm going to ASTD TK14. Anyone else?Following People; Profiles; Workspaces 36. Model Ideal Entries36 37. 3: Consider Search Strategy Things to Consider: - Company Terminology - Existing ApplicationsStructure/ tag information to allow users to quickly locate what they need Think about SharePoint, document repositories, or other past experiences Avoid creating silos of information Consider pre-populating tags for people to select Think about how and when different audiences will use the system Vendor, year, document type, clientwe need as many tags as possible37 38. Tag Strategy User SearchFiltersAccess Experts and Assets Simultaneously 39. 4: Find Your Experts Things to Consider: Ensure all experts are findable Require all employees to complete their profile Employ competencies, certifications Encourage experts to post resources using various incentives or establishing contribution goals Expert39- Who are your experts? - Can this definition be expanded?ExpertExpert 40. Profile Management40SelfOthersContributions 41. 5: Deploy a Soft Launch Things to Consider: - Early Adopters - Current Company InitiativesNo need to create activities, use the real thing Focus on evaluating your process, not the technology Use the first phase to solicit feedback before structure becomes more complex Initial group will naturally aid the data input processThis is one of our top priorities this year.41 42. Adoption ProcessNewcomers explore the site and peruse existing resources and discussions42Make connections by following others; build own profileAdd links and files; leave ratings and impressionsEstablish appropriate level of governance 43. Existing Employees and The Blend Advanced product knowledge sessions/deep dive CoPs can track info added over time/software versions Able to limit group access to segment product lines etc. Reduce use of email as a method of knowledge exchange Allowed individuals to share and comment on best practices organization-wide for the benefit of others Full search capability increased adoption SME feedback = informal experts Immediate feedback across all levels increased adoption43 44. Assessment Completed online courses or read and acknowledged documentation Conducted ILT to provide additional face to face information and clear up questions Last step: assess to ensure learning has taken place In our case, we value our reputation far too much to have this come through in the form of client commentary Vendor Certification Mentor/Manager Checklists44 45. Assessment: Checklist45 46. New Hire Program and The Blend Before Read/understand product documentation without Q&A Everyone Vendor training andcontributes assessment Email exchange b/t multiple senior team members and interested consultant Wherever, whenever (based on availability) OJT training46After Can discuss product documentation w/ experts and follow Extensivecurrent IRL scenarios profile through issues Walk encountered during vendor training among cohort Review discussions of lessons 1st day learned access for by those who came before new hires as well as able to post questions and get feedback in real time 47. Outcomes 1Understand Organizational Readiness2Seed Data3Consider Search Strategy4Find Your Experts5Deploy a Soft Launch47- consolidated multiple systems into 1 application - designed a phased approach- provided guidelines for creating ideal entries- prepopulated tags to select from - allow employees to create new tags- everyone set up as a contributor- new hire onboarding - client-specific sites 48. Measurement Resourcing ResponseAdministrative TasksTime to DeploymentProduct Questions RFP InformationContacts Opportunity Response Client SatisfactionClient Issues Templates Time to Fly SoloTime to Expert 48Document Examples 49. MetricsSpeed of ResponseEmployee EmpowermentExternalInternal Average client response time decreased from 2-3 days to less than 1 hour Elimination of email distribution lists49Educe Group Confidential Employee retention still engaged from home office Time to deployment reduced from months to weeks Increase in overall collaboration 50. Questions For YouFollow @BdotW and/or tweet your questions to #blendlrnDo you use both web based/written and instructor-led sessions? Do you track any of this activity in an LMS? Do you use social/collaborative tools to facilitate interaction during this process? 50 51. Blended Learning Recap: ILT/AssessmentInstructor-led training or face to face interaction Face to face interaction could be Lunch and learns/brown bag lunches Yearly gatherings/State of the Union Or more traditionally Internal instructors/facilitators External instructor-led coursesWhat are some pros and cons of face to face training? Assessment of knowledge/understanding 51 52. Blended Learning at 40,000 FeetWeb-based/online training or pre-recorded sessionInstructor-led training or face to face interactionKnowledge assessment and evaluation52Social/informal interactions or mechanism for continued interaction 53. Questions for YouFollow @BdotW and/or tweet your questions to #blendlrnTo the Twitter machine!Have you seen this in the upper right corner of previous question slides?53 54. Takeaways: Key Elements for Success Recruiting Collaborative, self-directed, and eager to learn Millennial generation and tech expectations Cultural Assessment Blended learning requires a blend Shift happens, but it doesnt have to be negative Instructors who otherwise would have had to fly around the country can find new ways to interact online (virtual/WBT/social)54 55. Takeaways: Key Elements for Success (cont) Creating the Blend tools of the trade WBT/online Instructional design tools ILT/VILT Basic Standard Advanced Assessment Can be inserted at any point for knowledge check Social/informal CoPs, PLNs, etc.55 56. Blended Learning at 40,000 FeetInstructor-led training or face to face interactionWeb-based/online training or pre-recorded sessionKnowledge assessment and evaluation56Social / informal interactions or mechanism for continued interaction 57. Questions for YouDo you think social is core to the success of a blended learning project? As youre going down that path, how many are going to consider social components?57 58. Qs and As #blendlrn if we dont get to chat Educe Group Confidential 59. Thank you for your interest! Contact Us Brandon Williams Email: bwilliams@educegroup.com Twitter: @bdotw Your Feedback Counts! Your feedback helps ASTD continue to provide top-notch educational programs that help you stay on top of a changing profession. Evaluation forms for this session are available via the mobile app and at the following link: www.tkconference.org/attendees59