Can you find Germany on a map? What else do you know about this European nation with about 83 million people?
4 health careers in hot demand
With expenditure on health projected to double in the next 40 years, it’s no wonder health has become one of the fastest growing industries. But which careers are in highest demand? Keep reading to find out.
1. Aged care worker
Topping every list in the country, communities are crying out for aged care workers. If you want job security, this is it. The Australian population is getting older. And as a result, the demand for aged care workers shows no sign of slowing down.
Not only are job opportunities abundant, but there are a range of jobs in the field. You could consider hands-on nursing support in an aged care facility, or working with private organisations visiting elderly members of the community.
With a number of higher education courses in dementia studies launching in Australia, there’s never been a better time to start a career in this field.
2. Registered nurse
While many registered nurses work in hospitals, job opportunities for those in this field extend beyond the walls of wards. These days, nurses are in need in medical clinics, care facilities, correctional facilities, schools, within the military and even in patients’ homes.
If there’s one area of healthcare you’re more interested in than others, nursing allows a range of specialities. Through Open Universities Australia (OUA), registered nurses can specialise by studying with leading Australian universities online. Why not take a look at the Graduate Certificate in Emergency Nursing with Griffith University, the Master of Clinical Nursing with Australian Catholic University, or the Master of Mental Health Nursing with Southern Cross University? All of these courses are available to study through OUA.
3. Social worker
As the unsung heroes of the healthcare system, social workers are facing a desperate shortage of trained professionals. In fact, most states of Australia are seeing an increasing demand.
Social workers help individuals in times of crisis. They advocate for people who are experiencing social disadvantage by linking them to critical health services.
Working with people of all ages and from all walks of life, social workers can specialise in treating children and adolescents, working in clinical settings or in family dispute resolution.
If you consider yourself a good communicator who can listen and resolve conflict, you’d be well suited to this field. And considering the shortage, it’s an ideal time to explore your options in the profession through OUA. You could look into the Diploma in Community Welfare and Wellbeing with the University of New England or the Master in Social Work with Griffith University.
4. Dental hygienist or hygiene assistant
An ageing population goes beyond the mobility of people – teeth are affected too. With so many Australians reaching old age, we need dental hygienists and assistants to take care of senior smiles.
Elderly patients aside, the boom in dental and orthodontic treatments has added pressure to the industry – with predictions that these roles will become some of the fastest growing in healthcare.
Think of a dental hygienist, and you may conjure up an image of the person who passes you a plastic cup to spit in. But the truth is, hygienists do so much more.
Hygienists help dentists treat patients, assist with teeth cleaning, fluoride treatments, scaling and removing stains. What’s more, they play a key role in educating patients on good dental hygiene and preventative care.
Considering launching, or shifting your career to align with the health boom? Wise move. Through OUA, you can study health online with leading Australian universities.
Browse and compare a range of health courses right now. Need help deciding on the right one for you? Fill out the form on this page, and a friendly student advisor will get in contact. You can also reach them on Messenger, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or SMS. They’re here to help with your future health career.
From the Kitchen to the Help Desk: Arthur’s Story
My name is Arthur and I’m from the state of Massachusetts. I completed the Google IT Support Professional Certificate, and today I work in IT as a level 1 Systems Engineer. I spent the last 12 years in restaurant management and did not have any professional IT experience before I was offered my new job.
I’ve been interested in IT for about 20 years. I was always the person people called to fix hardware, software, and networking issues, but I wasn’t able to get a job doing these things because I had no professional experience. In the fall of 2018, I heard radio commercials for the Google program while I was at work. I was intrigued, so I signed up and by December I had finished the whole program. I enjoyed working on the labs and logging into virtual machines to do the coursework. The instructors were thorough, and I felt like I was set up for success.
I decided to switch from restaurant management to a career in IT for several reasons. My wife and I were expecting our first child while I was taking the classes, so I decided to move into a career that I was passionate about. I was an excellent restaurant manager, but I excelled at it without any passion. It was just a job. I was on call around the clock, and I could never take time for myself at home. I wanted to be able to provide a better life for my family while giving myself a better life, too. I thought if I could be great at something I don’t care about, imagine how I might do at something that truly interests me!
I began talking to an IT recruiter and ended up landing the first job I interviewed for!
When I started to apply for jobs, I listed the Google IT Support Professional Certificate on my resume. The recruiter I was working with helped me fine tune it to emphasize the most important skills I learned. I highly recommend someone changing fields to work with a recruiter.
I enjoy my new job because I get to help people with their technical issues. I can now leave work at the office and enjoy time with my son!
When I worked for the restaurant, I had to work during the holidays. Today, I don’t have to miss spending time with my family anymore.
Do You Seek Out New Experiences? Or Stick With the Things You Know and Love?
Find all our Student Opinion questions here.
Imagine it’s a Saturday night and you’re picking out a movie to watch. Do you choose one that you’ve never seen before? Or do you turn on one of your tried-and-true favorites?
In general, when given the chance, do you like to try new music, foods, movies, video games, places and other experiences? Or do you tend to stick with the things you know and love?
In “The Unexpected Joy of Repeat Experiences,” Leah Fessler writes about why novelty might be overrated:
Scrolling through Instagram can quickly convince you that everyone’s life is more interesting than yours. During a particularly adventurous week on Instagram Stories recently, I saw water skiing in Maui, hiking in Yosemite and swimming with wild pigs in Bermuda. Wild pigs!
Impulsively, I started Googling flights to new places. Then I ordered pho from the same Vietnamese place I eat at every week and … felt bad about not trying somewhere new.
This fear of missing out is rooted in a common psychological tic: Evolutionarily, we’re disposed to find novel experiences more exciting and attention-grabbing than repeat experiences, according to research published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. It’s basically fight or flight psychology — our brains can’t process all the stimuli around us, so we evolved to pay attention to new, flashy and potentially dangerous things more intently than familiar things, which we’ve seen enough to know they’re not dangerous. What’s more, words like “repetition” and “repetitiveness” — unlike “novelty” — tend to be associated with more negative emotions, said Michael Norton, a professor at Harvard Business School.
“Classic research shows that when we think about upcoming experiences, we think about variety,” said Mr. Norton, who specializes in consumer behavior. “If I ask you right now to select a yogurt for each day next week, you’ll pick your favorite flavor — say, blueberry — a few times, but you’ll mix in some strawberry and peach. Because who wants to eat that much blueberry yogurt? Over the longer term, though, as the original experience fades in time and memory, repetition can become more pleasurable.”
He added: “We’re simply more boring than we’d like to admit.”
The article continues:
Some previous research has painted a negative picture of repeat experiences, citing that doing the same thing twice can feel inherently less valuable. But Ed O’Brien, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, wondered whether behavioral science misconstrued hedonic adaptation, and people actually underestimate how positively they react to repeat experiences. Many of us happily listen to our favorite song on repeat, he noted, or rewatch favorite movies and TV shows. This repetition was the whole point of purchasing music or film before the age of Spotify and Netflix. This conflict is why Mr. O’Brien launched a series of studies on the topic.
“There’s a general belief that if you want to seem like an interesting, cultured person, the best thing you can do is to showcase that you’re open to new experiences,” he said. “That may be true, but I think we take for granted the other value of really digging deep into one domain.”
To test this hypothesis, Mr. O’Brien and his team exposed all participants to the same stimulus once in full (various stimuli were tested, including museum visits, movies and video games). Next, some participants were asked to imagine repeating the experience, while others actually did repeat the experience.
Counter to previous research, Mr. O’Brien found that across the board, repeat experiences were far more enjoyable than participants predicted.
“Doing something once may engender an inflated sense that one has now seen ‘it,’ leaving people naïve to the missed nuances remaining to enjoy,” he wrote in the study.
In other words: You’re far more likely to enjoy something the second time around than you think.
Students, read the entire article, then tell us:
Do you tend to seek out novel experiences — like reading new books, trying new foods or listening to new music? Or do you prefer to stick with the things you know and love? Why?
If you like repeat experiences, what is one thing — whether it’s a song, movie, food, place or anything else — that you have experienced over and over again? What have you gotten out of repeating this experience?
If you like new experiences, has this article convinced you that repeat experiences could be enjoyable? If so, what is one experience that you would like to have again and why?
Which do you think is more valuable: trying something new, or digging deep into one experience by doing it over and over again? Why?
Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
Lesson of the Day: ‘Fed Up With Deaths, Native Americans Want to Run Their Own Health Care’
Find all our Lessons of the Day here.
Lesson Overview
Featured Article: “Fed Up With Deaths, Native Americans Want to Run Their Own Health Care”
The Indian Health Service, which provides government medical care to 2.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives, is widely judged to provide substandard care. Some tribes have tried models of self-determination and are creating and controlling their own hospitals.
In this lesson, students will learn about the history of the Indian Health Service and the many problems it faces. Then they will further investigate an alternative model of care in Alaska based on self-determination.
Warm Up
Look at the statistics below, detailing life expectancy in the United States by race and ethnicity. What do you notice? What do you wonder? What story do you think these statistics tell?
57 years — Native Americans in South Dakota
75.4 — African-Americans
76.9 — Native Americans
78.9 — Whites
83.3 — Latinos
87.1 — Asian-Americans
Sources: Geography of Opportunities Report (PDF) and The New York Times
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the article, then answer the following questions:
1. What happened in 2016 when 6-month-old James Ladeaux’s mother took him to Sioux San Indian Health Service Hospital? What does this experience reveal about the issues that patients have faced at Indian Health Service hospitals nationwide?
2. Who took over Sioux San hospital’s operations over the summer? What are some of the positive outcomes of this change? What are some of the difficulties that have arisen?
3. The article cites several studies that relate to Native American health care and the Indian Health Service: vacancies of medical positions, death rates for preventable diseases, health care spending per patient and life expectancy. Which of the findings from these four studies did you find the most striking or interesting? Why?
4. What are the origins of the Sioux San hospital? What purpose was it built for and how did that change over time? How have longtime patients reacted to recent attention to the conditions within the hospital?
5. What has happened to tribal members who have sought health care services outside of the Indian Health Service? What did Dr. Brook Eide, an emergency room doctor, say about his experience treating patients who went outside of I.H.S. for health care?
6. Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma and a member of the Chickasaw Nation, said, “My personal feeling is that if you are a tribe it is better to run your own health care system.” In the article, what are some examples of tribes running their own health care systems?
7. Charmaine White Face, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is not certain that the change in management is a good idea. What are some of her concerns?
Going Further
Watch this seven-minute promotional video from the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium that shows the history of its health care system and how its programs try to respond to community needs.
Do any of the services offered through the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium feel as though they respond to needs or concerns that were raised in the article? In the video, the consortium gives specific reasons it offers certain food, preventive care and education services. What values seem to be important to its health care system?
Did you notice anything in the video that you think might be relevant to other tribal communities considering whether to create their own approach to health care services?
What opportunities and challenges do tribes face when considering whether to take over their own health care systems?
Love You, Bro
What do you think this image is saying? How does it relate to or comment on society or the world today? Can you relate to it personally? What is your opinion of its message?
Tell us in the comments, then read the related essay to learn the story behind this illustration.
Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.
Word + Quiz: hanker
hanker ˈhaŋ-kər verb
: desire strongly or persistently
_________
The word hanker has appeared in five articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Feb. 1 in “A Canadian Preacher Who Doesn’t Believe in God” by Catherine Porter:
The thrice-married reverend has also driven a deep rift into a progressive church considered as Canadian as maple syrup. In 2015, a public letter she wrote sparked so much ire, the local jurisdiction of the church launched a review committee to examine her beliefs.
… For years, Ms. Vosper seemed to hanker for a “heresy trial” in her op-eds, public statements and books. But the church, which has made “inclusivity” a core principle, would not be goaded, even after Ms. Vosper publicly announced she was an atheist in 2013.
_________
Top 10 LXPs for 2019-2020
Vacillation. It is quite a strong word and one that I admit I have thought about the past few weeks. The reason is well, a bit of odd, in that for my rankings, I post them for the upcoming year (after all the Top 50 Rankings are for 2020, and come out in January). For the LXPs of 2019, the post was in late 2018.
You could argue easily that we are in 2019, and thus the rankings should reflect the year 2019, since the qualifications, etc. are from 2019, and knowing (well I do) some changes in the space with a few vendors in 2020, their will likely be a couple of key players that make an impact in 2020, because of there rollout (i.e. new, but has done other things in the e-learning industry) or they are switching over to an LXP, formally an LMS, or they are rolling out their own LXP (they already have an LMS too).
I know some vendors will think quickly of a Big Dog that must be in the rolling out part, I can tell you, that the Big Dog you are thinking about, is wrong.
Back to debating.
Which is how I decided to go with Top 10 LXPs for 2019-20, since this will serve part of the Top 50 rankings for 2020, in that there are a few LXPs from these rankings that will appear in the 2020 rankings, and the data is built upon 2019, which thus a vendor could easily say in the marketing, Top 10 for 2019 too.
At the end of it all though, to me at least, is that you are going to see who I list as the Best of the Best is this growing segment in the Learning System space.
A couple of Quick Notes
- Rankings are based on data captured over the course of the past 10 months, certain functionality which is essential parts of an LXP, such as content curation, recommendation engine (prefer algorithm, but not required), playlists/channels, and of course content, were weighted higher, than say, a vendor who has event management (which a couple have).
- LXP Template as part of the process.
- Two vendors are IMO, Digital Learning Platforms, and should pitch themselves like that, although one I know won’t because heck they prefer not to call themselves anything besides their name. The LXP industry has a couple of mega problems that for whatever reason, they are ignoring, and then gripe when as a result of one of those problems they start seeing themselves compete against LMSs.
Problem A
LXPs target folks in L&D as their primary audience. The whole push for the LXP space from day one, was “learner-centric” for soft skills or personal/professional development. Well, if you add “Assigned” as an option which many have, and more are on the way, how is that learner-centric?
This, in turn, leads to Problem B
Ubiquity. They are becoming more and more of an LMS. They will counter by saying our customers do not want an LMS, but hey, we are adding features like an LMS, because our audience is asking for it (those folks from L&D who are using their LMS for only regulatory/compliance and/or assigned learning). They forget that the whole other audience, of Training, and that anyone on the planet, can use an LMS for personal/professional development too. LMSs were built for the latter, not for someone to use it as compliance only.
I’d add a third problem, which is not the vendor’s fault, rather it is folks like ATD and others, who have seminars, where the speaker pitches the amazing of LXP, doesn’t know the entire segment, the differences that exist or non-exist, but gets folks pumped up for going to an LXP.
People then seek them out, expecting this wonder solution, and then start to ask for features in an LMS, because, wait for it, that is all they know. On top of that, you have vendors in the Learning System space, who are not LXPs, but will push they offer learning experiences (on their web site, in their marketing) and even a couple say their system includes an LXP, which honestly, means they have a content marketplace – that BTW is not an LXP.
If you want an LXP or a DLP, these are the ones that you should check out.
FindAnLMS and The Rankings
The very cool thing is that most of them are on my learning system search engine, FindAnLMS, 100% free for everyone, by the way. I added a new feature just for the launch of these rankings within FindAnLMS, it is our personal concierge program, 100% free for everyone.
Personal Concierge takes the pushy salesperson out of the equation but having the vendor(s) reach to you, to provide you with additional information, insight, thru a personalized and dedicated experience.
The Power is in your fingertips, due diligence has never been easier. Best of all, the FindAnLMS concierge program is now included with every system on the search engine. All you have to do is search, uh for the system(s), not the program. : )
One last note
To be in the rankings the vendors were not required to be in FindAnLMS, nor did they pay any fee or anything like that. The rankings are based on the analysis. Who they have as clients, not a factor. Whether they are brand new for 2019, or been around since 2016, not a factor.
Before we dive into the rankings, as you examine the vendors and say to yourselves, “okay, I am going to compare them to an LMS”, I’d say, “don’t.” What I will say, is that any of these vendors can be either the main component of your HUB or a component of your HUB.
Can you have multiple LXPs in your HUB? The answer is yes.
And Now…..
The Top 10 LXPs (DLPs too) for 2019-20
We go in reverse order to add excitement. Please, feel free to share your butter cookies with me this holiday season. And now, back to the rankings.
#10 THRIVE (View details – including web site, contact info, save as a favorite, and listing of functionality, and other insight thru FindAnLMS) – THRIVE is a newcomer in 2019, and right out of the gate it packs a nice set of features and capabilities. Big wins – UI/UX on the learner side is fluid and fresh.
Playlists (they may call them something else) are straightforward, and not only can you see recommended content (a standard feature in an LXP), but also select playlists shown by topic of interest – via filters. On the learner profile page area, you can see skills, topics of interest for that learner, a little bit about themselves, what groups they belong too, among a few other items.
Their content side is a bit cumbersome depending on how much content is presented, besides “their content”, they have other options including “saved” and “favorite” and for those folks who think learner-centric is required, “mandatory” is an option too.
Outstanding notification capability including SMS (yes!), mobile apps with on/off synch. (YES) – apps are in iOS and Google Play. They have the majority of the standards for an LXP, with a few nice wrinkles. Definitely, someone to watch for 2020.
#9 Percipio by Skillsoft (View details – including web site, contact info, save as a favorite, and listing of functionality, Craig’s Take and other insight thru FindAnLMS)
Product Review HERE
The UI/UX on the learner side is really quite good. Personally, I like it, enough there without being too much, and trust me, there are plenty of vendors who think that “white space” is a dangerous word, err words.
The system does come with IBM Watson, so that is a nice advantage, and extremely rare, like finding a diamond under your seat, in the industry.
Skills management is solid and something that I hope they improve upon, but it works.
Playlists are solid, especially the filter options, and although I think 500 channels (you do not have to use or have them all) is a bit too much, okay, a lot too much, I guess it depends on how much usage, folks are tapping into; the content curation is nice.
LXP standards are all there to be seen.
#8 Absorb Infuse – (View details – including web site, contact info, save as a favorite, and listing of functionality, Craig’s Take and other insight thru FindAnLMS)
Absorb you say? Wait, I thought they were an LMS vendor. Well, they are, and they have another system, an LXP, called Infuse. The UI and UX follow the pattern of very modern and fluid, easy to follow and use.
Yes, you can skin it to match your look and feel (you can with most LXPs too), and yes, playlists follow the same horizontal look as everyone else, but the learning path is vertical, in its design, and that is well, different.
The system is quite good with its machine learning and offers a content marketplace. If you like or even love gamification, Infuse offers a bit of that, including a leaderboard and your current rank, and how many points you need to get to the next rank. This appears on your learner home page along with your playlists.
Certification management exists, skill management is solid.
#7 Coorpacademy – (View details – including web site, contact info, save as a favorite, and listing of functionality, Craig’s Take (coming this week) and other insight thru FindAnLMS)
A favorite of mine in the 2019-19 rankings, and a Top 10 learning system for 2019, this LXP continues to deliver. Feature-rich with all the LXP standards you expect, including strong content curation and a huge content marketplace with lots of content to choose from.
Mobile includes apps in Google Play and Apple iOS, and offers some cool game-based learning aspect with “Battle cards”. Gamification exists too with a leaderboard and points.
Data visualization on the administration side is fantastic. One of the best I have seen in the LXP space. A lot of data to see, all wonderful and nice.
The one downer to the entire system and one I have repeatedly told them is a bad idea, is that it is only xAPI for content. No other course standards are accepted.
#6 Instilled Digital Learning Platform. (View details – including web site, contact info, save as a favorite, and listing of functionality, Craig’s Take and other insight thru FindAnLMS)
They call themselves an LXP, but I’m here to tell you, they are a DLP. For folks who say, “they are a video learning platform”, I say, “Hogwash.”
Product Review HERE.
This is a very nice system, rolling out in mid-2019. The power to me is what you can do with videos, but if you have content built-in any 3rd party authoring tool that accepts all the course standards including xAPI. (The only standards it does not work with is PENS and CMI-5).
On the video side – Playlists are quite tight. Video editing is quite slick, and wow there is a lot you can do. Bookmarking on the learner side is available, you can ask questions, leave comments/notes next to the video too. Auto-transcription is a huge victory, and yes, you can edit it.
The system comes with the Watershed LRS, which adds just a whole new level of data visualization to the equation.
Content curation is very nice too.
UI and UX for the learner side are slick. The admin side, is a bit wonky, at the moment, but that is partially due to some navigation aspects, that I surmise they are working on resolving.
#5 Linkedin Learning – They call themselves, uh, yeah, okay, not sure. A learning platform, or some other moniker that works for them. In reality, though, they are a digital learning platform, and you can easily slide them into the LXP, sans the availability of an extensive content marketplace, it is basically them, and Blinklist and uh, that’s about it.
The content is both a mix of old – via Lynda.com and new, via Linkedin Learning. There are big fans of the content, but personally, I find it hit or miss. That said, this is a strong digital learning platform to consider.
Product Review is HERE.
Content curation is very strong including the playlist options. Machine learning is quite good, but I’ll admit, that I am not a fan of crowdsourcing playlists, whereas in this case, for recommending it is every one that is on the system, as in the LL Platform and not just your end-users.
I have no problem if a vendor wants to offer the full crowdsource experience (again, for every company that is on LL Platform, which goes beyond “crowdsource” some vendors use to refer to only employees at said company), as long as they make it optional, rather than here it is, and enjoy.
Trending by role, for example, is based on everyone who uses LL Platform, not just the folks at your company. Now on the back-end (Admin side), you will see just for your employees.
The administration side is pretty straight-forward. This is not a system for data visualization nor extensive metrics, because it does not exist.
Skills management is super strong. I’d say, perhaps the best out there, because it leverages a lot of data that comes from Linkedin itself.
I never could get an answer from Linkedin on the number of dead accounts that exist, nor how they can assure that the data is fresh since you are relying on people who may never update their job role for example, and which in LL job role data is utilized within it.
UI on the learner side is good, but some folks might feel a bit overwhelmed.
#4 Juno Journey (Coming soon to FindAnLMS) – Another relatively new LXP on the market, that goes from having one of the coolest front – think journey like thing, too many feature sets you have come to expect in the LXP market.
Skills management is elite including the ability to have proficients listed (and can be edited by the administrator/manager). UI/UX on the learner side is good, admin side is solid. For Playlist fans, you can create your own playlist (an LXP standard), share it with others (most LXPs do) and others can subscribe to it (not a common standard).
Sort of gives the early stage of Spotify from that regard and I wish more vendors dived into that angle of subscribing to end user’s playlist, so when they update, you see the updates, etc.
One nice feature in their robust machine learning is the ability to can scan documents, courses, content, audio and video files and produce text results in a transcript or similar items. This is a relatively new machine learning feature in the learning system space, so it is nice to see it as part of the platform.
Video management could be better, and the system does not use mobile apps i.e. via Google Play or Apple, rather they go the Progressive web app route. While I like PWAs, from a consumer standpoint, it is better to leverage the native apps, especially with on/off synch (and yes it can be done via a PWA, but it is not a simple process, and most folks are used to seeing “apps”).
Juno is one system to watch. A disruptor in the making? Well, when you are talking about a content marketplace with 36 providers, including the well-known and lesser but still very nice content ones, yeah, I’d say that.
Disruptor Alert.
The Top Three (The suspense is killing me)
#3 Degreed (View details – including web site, contact info, save as a favorite, and listing of functionality, Craig’s Take (coming this week) and other insight thru FindAnLMS)
I’ll say it right out of the gate, Degreed has improved in the right way. I love the bookmarklet capability, where you can just drag the bookmarklet to your browser header bar and off you go to capture pages, etc. that you find on the web and place back into the system.
From a standard feature set, Degreed has them all. On the Learning Environment side, the system has nearly ever feature, that I have on my template. Skills management is quite robust, a strong suit for them, although by far one of the coolest components Skills Ratings is an additional-fee. Personally, I think that is a mistake.
Machine learning is very good, but they continue to do the biggest irk of them all, where you have to “complete” the content for the algorithm, which defeats the entire purpose of why WBT (e-learning was created in the first place) and secondly, if it is learner-centric, and my interest is only how to view pivot tables, and the content includes seeing labels, why do I have to complete it? Without doing so, what you will see in your recommended is skewed.
Of course, the complete is simply clicking complete, but that opens a whole new can of worms, since it means, well, nothing.
They do the same when it comes to viewing articles. The data shows it viewing an article, but there is no way to tell how long someone was on the site for example, in other words, the data is me clicking the link.
Besides a couple of hiccups (namely those, and the lack of on/off synch for their native mobile apps), there is plenty to like here.
Analytical data is solid and well-rounded. Data visualization could be better, especially for a system at this level, but most people will find it more than sufficient.
Well, they advertise a huge marketplace, be aware that again, as with any marketplace, most are fee-based, and while you can bring in freebies such as TED, it is still heavily skewed towards fee-driven (as 99% of the marketplaces in the learning system space are).
Learning Paths are very nice. UI/UX is good. For fans of assigned learning – good news, they offer it. Playlists are easy to use, and well placed on the learner side. NexGen is good, but frankly, they should be a tier 3. Right now, more in line with Tier 2.1.
#2 Learn Amp – (View details – including web site, contact info, save as a favorite, and listing of functionality, Craig’s Take and other insight thru FindAnLMS)
By far one of the most robust LXPs on the market, and yet still under the radar in the segment. Targets the SMB/SME audience, which I really like, because so many vendors ignore the less than 1,000 employees, let alone 500 employees, and focus only on the upper mid-market and Large Enterprise. Can you go that route with Learn Amp, absolutely, but for those the under 1,000 crowds, here is one system that actively seeks you out.
UI/UX on the learner and admin side is quite good. One of the first LXPs to offer classroom management functionality (which is beyond rare) and event management (extremely rare). Content curation is quite good, playlist options are nice too.
The content marketplace is a plus too. The system comes with an LRS but has yet to maximize its full potential with the analytical side of the house. Still, there is more than enough for most people to find worthwhile. Data visualization exists too. This is a very extensive system, but if there was a minus, they still do not have any mobile native apps (on the roadmap for 2020).
Accepts most course standards including SCORM.
If you are someone who says, you know I wish I could find an LXP that can be a standalone without ever to buy an LMS, well, good news, because Learn Amp is that LXP.
Drum Roll – Number One… One..One… (please use your own sound effects, I am)
#1 EdCast (View details – including web site, contact info, save as a favorite, and listing of functionality, Craig’s Take (coming this week) and other insight thru FindAnLMS)
Powerful, yet potent. Rejuvenated, yet relaxing. A place to take the kids! In all seriousness, this is a very robust NexGen LXP, that will deliver what you want. Playlists are very good, strong content marketplace, lots of API integrations (many LXPs have this option too), UI/UX is quite good on the learner side.
The administration side is solid but needs a few tweaks, and I’d argue isn’t as strong as the rest of the platform.
Machine learning is very good, and if you ignore the marketing spin they overuse too much, you will see a system that delivers what you want it to do.
They are the only LXP to have over 98% of the functionality in my LXP Template. Which, you know to me, is very impressive.
Bottom Line
There they are.
The Top 10 for 2019-2020.
Vacillation
Resolved.
E-Learning 24/7
Test Student Blog
There is nothing more exhilarating than being around people who exude the energy of endless possibilities. These kinds of people are needed in our lives if we wish to see what is attainable. When we surround our environment with people who believe in the harshness of life we are drained of energy and vitality. Therefore, the choice is really up to us – do we want to reach the stars or do we want to stay on the ground constantly looking up secretly wishing that we were among the dazzling jewels that grace the heavens. A strong, positive and resilient attitude will help elevate you to unimaginable heights.
In life attitude is everything. Check the people around you and observe their attitude barometer – negative or positive – and if the results are negative then you may need to look at your own attitude and make certain adjustments. Usually people mirror our own unconscious feelings and attitudes about life that we perhaps are not acknowledging head on. Remember, your attitude determines your altitude. That’s why its so important to be choosy about who we do spend our time with. I believe that we do become what we think about, and who we surround ourselves with every day strongly influences what we think about or become. A positive attitude is not about displaying a phony smile, a happy face and a perky disposition. It is simply a way of responding to life in a manner that allows us to accept the duality, the contradictions, the contrasts of our experiences. A positive attitude enables you to make a difference in the world around you because when you are able to see things in a positive light, you help to influence and shape other people’s attitude as well.
What is attitude anyway? It is the mental state or position you take regarding your life and affairs. This means its not what you think but how you think it. Your attitude forms every event in your life, whether you realize it or not. Out of your attitude comes your enjoyment of life and gratitude for all your blessings. Out of your attitude also comes your disappointment and anger at how things have turned out. Out of attitude also comes the feeling that no accomplishment will be ever be good enough or that you are not good enough. Everyday, your attitude is challenged by other people and by external factors. How will you react? Will you allow adversity to stop you from moving forward? Will you allow a negative person to ruin your day, make you lose your cool, or force you to give up on your dreams? When such temptations come knocking on your door, stand at the door of your mind and declare powerfully and silently, “No one is home”. In other words, cease to engage.
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Author : oldnametest Kamlast |
On Coursera, Courses now Start Every Day
MOOCs started out with a structure parallel to college classroom courses, with a start date and an end date, and specific deadlines for assignments/homework. Usually, these courses were offered once or twice a year, similar to university courses.
Unlike on-campus students who are required to prioritize their learning, most online learners fit their courses around their existing work, family, and social commitments.
Providers began moving to a model where courses are available more often. Back in 2016, Coursera moved to a flexible session-based model – wherein courses are now starting on a regular schedule (monthly/bi-weekly) and learners can carry over their progress to the next session if they fall behind.
According to Coursera, this approach was better than the self-paced model because it allowed for more community interaction. But now, for a majority of MOOCs, the community is no longer a major selling point.
In an investigation by Class Central, we found that most Coursera courses show a start date that corresponds to the day you visit the course page. Out of the 3,800+ courses currently listed on Coursera, over 90% follow this pattern.
Only around 270 courses follow the old flexible session-based model while the rest are finished or haven’t launched yet.
