Aditi’s New Passion: Making the Internet More Healthy and Safe

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June 17, 2019

Video Conference
Lecture Materials

The following course in Total Quality is provided in its entirety by Atlantic International University’s “Open Access Initiative” which strives to make knowledge and education readily available to those seeking advancement regardless of their socio-economic situation, location or other previously limiting factors. The University’s Open Courses are free and do not require any purchase or registration, they are open to the public.

The course in Total Quality contains the following:

Lessons in video format with explaination of theoratical content.
Complementary activities that will make research more about the topic , as well as put into practice what you studied in the lesson. These activities are not part of their final evaluation.
Texts supporting explained in the video.
Evaluation questionnaire, that will grant access to the next lesson after approval.
Final exam for overall evaluation of the course.

The Administrative Staff may be part of a degree program paying up to three college credits. The lessons of the course can be taken on line Through distance learning. The content and access are open to the public according to the “Open Access” and ” Open Access ” Atlantic International University initiative. Participants who wish to receive credit and / or term certificate , must register as students.

Lesson 1: Quality

Quality assurance (QA) refers to the engineering activities implemented in a quality system so that requirements for a product or service will be fulfilled. It is the systematic measurement, comparison with a standard, monitoring of processes and an associated feedback loop that confers error prevention.

This can be contrasted with quality control, which is focused on process outputs. Two principles included in QA are: “Fit for purpose”, the product should be suitable for the intended purpose; and “Right first time”, mistakes should be eliminated. QA includes management of the quality of raw materials, assemblies, products and components, services related to production, and management, production and inspection processes.

Lesson 2: Quality Administration

A quality management system (QMS) can be expressed as the organizational structure, procedures, processes and resources needed to implement quality management. Early systems emphasized predictable outcomes of an industrial product production line, using simple statistics and random sampling. By the 20th century, labor inputs were typically the most costly inputs in most industrialized societies, so focus shifted to team cooperation and dynamics, especially the early signaling of problems via a continuous improvement cycle. In the 21st century, QMS has tended to converge with sustainability and transparency initiatives, as both investor and customer satisfaction and perceived quality is increasingly tied to these factors. Of all QMS regimes, the ISO 9000 family of standards is probably the most widely implemented worldwide – the ISO 19011 audit regime applies to both, and deals with quality and sustainability and their integration.

Video Conference

Video Conference
Lecture Materials

Lesson 3: Quality Management

Quality management system (QMS) can be expressed as the organizational structure, procedures, processes and resources needed to implement quality management. Early systems emphasized predictable outcomes of an industrial product production line, using simple statistics and random sampling. By the 20th century, labor inputs were typically the most costly inputs in most industrialized societies, so focus shifted to team cooperation and dynamics, especially the early signaling of problems via a continuous improvement cycle. In the 21st century, QMS has tended to converge with sustainability and transparency initiatives, as both investor and customer satisfaction and perceived quality is increasingly tied to these factors. Of all QMS regimes, the ISO 9000 family of standards is probably the most widely implemented worldwide – the ISO 19011 audit regime applies to both, and deals with quality and sustainability and their integration.

Lesson 4: Process Monitoring and Measurement

Process management is the ensemble of activities of planning and monitoring the performance of a process. The term usually refers to the management of business processes and manufacturing processes. Business process management (BPM) and business process reengineering are interrelated, but not identical. Process management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, techniques and systems to define, visualize, measure, control, report and improve processes with the goal to meet customer requirements profitably. It can be differentiated from program management in that program management is concerned with managing a group of inter-dependent projects. But from another viewpoint, process management includes program management. In project management, process management is the use of a repeatable process to improve the outcome of the project. ISO 9001 promotes the process approach to managing an organization.

Video Conference
Lecture Materials

Lesson 5: Strategies and Procedures Quality of Service

A customer may or may not also be a consumer, but the two notions are distinct, even though the terms are commonly confused. A customer purchases goods; a consumer uses them. An ultimate customer may be a consumer as well, but just as equally may have purchased items for someone else to consume. An intermediate customer is not a consumer at all. The situation is somewhat complicated in that ultimate customers of so-called industrial goods and services (who are entities such as government bodies, manufacturers, and educational and medical institutions) either themselves use up the goods and services that they buy, or incorporate them into other finished products, and so are technically consumers, too. However, they are rarely called that, but are rather called industrial customers or business-to-business customers. Similarly, customers who buy services rather than goods are rarely called consumers

Lesson 6: Total quality management

Total quality management (TQM) is the organization-wide effort to install and make permanent a climate in which it continuously improves its ability to deliver high-quality products and services to customers. While there is no widely agreed-upon approach, TQM efforts typically draw heavily on the previously-developed tools and techniques of quality control. As a business phenomenon, TQM enjoyed widespread attention during the late 1980s and early 1990s before being overshadowed by ISO 9000, Lean manufacturing, and Six Sigma

Lesson 7: Iso 9000

The ISO 9000 family of standards is related to quality management systems and designed to help organizations ensure that they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders while meeting statutory and regulatory requirements related to the product. The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and available through National standards bodies. ISO 9000 deals with the fundamentals of quality management systems, including the eight management principles on which the family of standards is based. ISO 9001 deals with the requirements that organizations wishing to meet the standard have to fulfill

Lesson 8: Lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing, lean enterprise, or lean production, often simply, “Lean”, is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination. Working from the perspective of the customer who consumes a product or service, “value” is defined as any action or process that a customer would be willing to pay for. Essentially, lean is centered on preserving value with less work. Lean manufacturing is a management philosophy derived mostly from the Toyota Production System (TPS) (hence the term Toyotism is also prevalent) and identified as “Lean” only in the 1990s. TPS is renowned for its focus on reduction of the original Toyota seven wastes to improve overall customer value, but there are varying perspectives on how this is best achieved. The steady growth of Toyota, from a small company to the world’s largest automaker, has focused attention on how it has achieved this success.

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Lesson 9: Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a set of strategies, techniques, and tools for process improvement. It was developed by Motorola in 1986. Six Sigma became famous when Jack Welch made it central to his successful business strategy at General Electric in 1995. Today, it is used in many industrial sectors. Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes.[5] It uses a set of quality management methods, including statistical methods, and creates a special infrastructure of people within the organization (“Champions”, “Black Belts”, “Green Belts”, “Yellow Belts”, etc.) who are experts in the methods. Each Six Sigma project carried out within an organization follows a defined sequence of steps and has quantified value targets, for example: reduce process cycle time, reduce pollution, reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction, and increase profits

Lesson 10: Zero Defects

(or ZD) was a management-led program to eliminate defects in industrial production that enjoyed brief popularity in American industry in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Quality expert Philip Crosby later incorporated it into his “Absolutes of Quality Management” and it enjoyed a renaissance in the American automobile industry—as a performance goal more than as a program—in the 1990s. Although applicable to any type of enterprise, it has been primarily adopted within supply chains wherever large volumes of components are being purchased (common items such as nuts and bolts are good examples).

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Curso GRATUITO de Auditoría Administrativa

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June 17, 2019

Video Conferencia 1 – La función de la Auditoria Interna en la Entidad

Este curso de Auditoría Administrativan y otros cursos abiertos son brindados en su totalidad por la universidad Atlantic International University (AIU) como parte de la “Iniciativa de Acceso Abierto“. Esta iniciativa es consistente con la Misión y Visión de la universidad.

A través de esta iniciativa, la universidad Atlantic International University (AIU) busca eliminar las barreras que existen actualmente en el acceso a la educación, información y trabajos de investigación. La universidad AIU le da mucho valor e importancia al conocimiento y aprendizaje de los individuos y espera que este curso pueda tener una gran repercusión en las vidas de nuestros estudiantes y la humanidad en general alrededor del mundo, quienes tienen la inclinación natural hacia la búsqueda de nuevo conocimiento. Esperamos que este curso y otros cursos gratis, disponibles por parte de esta iniciativa de acceso abierto, permitan el avance y actualización a quienes lo deseen.

El curso de Auditoría Administrativa contiene lo siguiente:

Audio-lecciones con las que se explica el contenido teórico.
Textos e imágenes que respaldan lo explicado en la lección.
Examen final para evaluación global del curso.

El curso de Auditoría Administrativa puede formar parte de un programa de titilación abonando hasta tres créditos universitarios. Las lecciones del curso se pueden llevar en línea através de estudio a distancia. Los contenidos y el acceso están abiertos al publico en función de la iniciativa “Open Access” o “Acceso Abierto” de Atlantic International University. Participantes que desean recibir crédito y/o certificado de termino, deben registrarse como alumnos (Conocer mas de AIU Acceso Abrierto).

Lección 1: La Función De La Auditoria Interna En La Entidad

En primer lugar debemos subrayar la falta de cumplimiento a las normas básicas y fundamentales en materia de control interno, pero por otro lado está la ausencia de amplitud de conceptos en cuanto al patrimonio a proteger, y de los métodos e instrumentos de análisis a ser utilizados por los auditores internos. Al igual que en el control de calidad, la falta de planificación y prevención es la norma en muchas empresas en lo relativo tanto al control interno, como al accionar de la auditoría interna. Por ello no es de sorprenderse ver a los auditores tratando de analizar que es lo que salió mal, porqué, y que hacer para evitar su repetición, cuando lo correcto es actuar preventivamente, y de acontecer algún hecho perjudicial no quedarse en los aspectos más superficiales sino profundizar hasta llegar hasta la causa-raíz, tratando de desentrañar de tal forma las razones que llevaron al sistema a engendrar dichas falencias.

Muchas empresas han dejado de existir como producto de sus falencias en el control interno, y en la falta de una auditoría interna que evalúe eficazmente la misma. La falta de buenos controles internos (no meramente normativos, sino aplicados) no sólo han dado lugar a estafas o defraudaciones (sea esta por parte de ejecutivos, empleados o clientes), sino también a graves errores en materia de decisiones producto de graves errores en materia de información. Ahora bien, cuando de custodia de activos o patrimonios se trata, la auditoría interna tradicional pone todo su acento en los activos físicos, derechos y obligaciones de las empresas, dejando desprotegidos activos tan valiosos como lo son los clientes y sus niveles de satisfacción, el personal y su capital intelectual, y la calidad de los bienes y servicios producidos por la empresa.

Video Conferencia 2 – Estructura del Departamento de Auditoría Interna

Lección 2: Estructura del Departamento de Auditoría Interna

Las funciones de una auditoria interna deben quedar enmarcadas dentro de la organización de una empresa en una unidad que, por su situación jerárquica le permita la consecución de sus fines. El nivel donde deberá quedar la unidad departamental de auditoria interna reunirá las siguientes características:

• Jerarquía suficiente para poder inmiscuirse en cualquier unidad administrativa de la empresa

• Que el tipo de funciones de dicha unidad sea relacionado con la dirección, control y coordinación

• Que tenga suficiente autoridad sobre los demás departamentos

Funciones a Desarrollar:
• investigación constante de planes y objetivos
• estudio de las políticas y sus prácticas
• revisión constante de la estructura orgánica
• estudio constante de las operaciones de la empresa
• analizar la eficiencia de la utilización de recursos humanos y materiales
• revisión del equilibrio de las cargas de trabajo
• revisión constante de los métodos de control

Video Conferencia 3 – Comité de Auditoría

Lección 3: Comité de Auditoría

Los comités son uno de los recursos más comunes de las organizaciones. Ya sea que se les llame “consejo”, “comisión”, “fuerza de tarea”, “equipo”, “equipo autodirigido”, “grupo de trabajo autodirigido” o “grupo de trabajo autónomo”, su naturaleza esencial es similar. Un comité es un conjunto de personas encargadas como grupo de un asunto. Esta característica de acción grupal es la que distingue a los comités de otros recursos organizativos, aunque, como se vera, no todos los comités implican la toma grupal de decisiones. Un equipo también consta de personas que trabajan a favor de un propósito común. Los comités son una realidad de la vida organizacional. Aunque se les ha criticado enormemente, cuando las reuniones son conducidas debidamente y sirven para el propósito indicado, pueden resultar en mayor motivación, más atinada solución de problemas y mayor producción. También es muy cierto, dado que el grado de autoridad concedida a los comités es muy variado, priva gran confusión sobre su naturaleza. Las funciones que cumplen las personas en los comités son muy específicas. Algunas buscan información, otras las proporcionan. Algunas intentan alentar a las demás a contribuir, otras son seguidores.

Video Conferencia 4 – Auditoría Administrativa

Lección 4: Auditoría Administrativa

1.- Planes y Objetivos.- Examinar y discutir con la dirección el estado actual de los planes y objetivos.

2.- Organización. a) Estudiar la estructura de la organización en el área que se valora. b) Comparar la estructura presente con la que aparece en la gráfica de organización de la empresa, (si es que la hay). c) Asegurarse de si se concede o no una plena estimación a los principios de una buena organización, funcionamiento y departamentalización.

3.- Políticas y Prácticas.- Hacer un estudio para ver qué acción (en el caso de requerirse) debe ser emprendida para mejorar la eficacia de políticas y prácticas.

4.- Reglamentos.- Determinar si la compañía se preocupa de cumplir con los reglamentos locales, estatales y federales.

5.- Sistemas y Procedimientos.- Estudiar los sistemas y procedimientos para ver si presentan deficiencias o irregularidades en sus elementos sujetos a examen e idear métodos para lograr mejorías.

6.- Controles.- Determinar si los métodos de control son adecuados y eficaces.

7.- Operaciones.- Evaluar las operaciones con objeto de precisar qué aspectos necesitan de un mejor control, comunicación, coordinación, a efecto de lograr mejores resultados.

8.- Personal.- Estudiar las necesidades generales de personal y su aplicación al trabajo en el área sujeta a evaluación.

9.- Equipo Físico y su Disposición.- Determinar si podrían llevarse a cabo mejorías en la disposición del equipo para una mejor o más amplia utilidad del mismo.

10.- Informe.- Preparar un informe de las deficiencias encontradas y consignar en él los remedios convenientes.

Video Conferencia 5 – Auditoría Operacional y Financiera

Lección 5: Auditoría Operacional y Financiera

1) Fase de Diagnóstico La fase de diagnóstico persigue la obtención de un conocimiento genérico de la actividad objeto en auditoria Dentro de la fase de diagnóstico se puede distinguir las siguientes:

a) Elaboración Plan de Trabajo de Auditoria Administrativa, que comprende una estimación del tiempo y de los recursos necesarios para llevar a cabo esta actividad

b) Técnicas de Recogida de Información: En ellas se recogen las siguientes actividades a realizar La Investigación Documental, La Observación, El Cuestionario y La encuesta.

c) Elaboración de un Diagnóstico Integral: Esto quiere decir que la auditoría operativa no debe de centrar o limitar su estudio a una variable considerada esencial. Se debe tener en cuenta las distintas variables organizacionales, la evolución histórica y proyección de futuro, el entorno ñeque se desenvuelve, las pautas sociales establecidas en las situaciones estudiadas y otros factores relacionados con la conducta humana.

d) Elaboración de un Diagnóstico con una Proyección Psicosocial: esto requiere evaluar variables de carácter cualitativas como el nivel de motivación y de satisfacción de los empleados

e) Elaboración de un Diagnóstico con una Proyección Política: Esto comprende diseñar una estructura de relaciones de poder y grupos de influencia inherentes en la actividad analizada, detectando en su caso las relaciones de carácter conflictivo.

f) Realización de un Diagnóstico Participativo: Se trata de que el analista o auditor realice su actividad de manera transparente e invite a los miembros de la unidad Auditada a participar en el proceso de definición de problemas y soluciones. Esto significa que el auditor operativo no es el que define los problemas y las soluciones de la unidad sino el que ayuda a clasificar y a concretar los problemas con los soluciones que siempre han estado en la mente de los miembros de la unidad auditada.

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Learning in a Museum

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June 14, 2019

By Althea Need Kaminske

This past week I had the opportunity, along with Megan Sumeracki, to talk with docents about how they can use the science of learning in their work. As educators, docents face an interesting set of challenges when teaching visitors about their collections. Namely that they have a limited amount of time with visitors. Not only do they have a short amount of time with visitors, that time is typically during a single visit. As beneficial as retrieval practice, spacing, and interleaving are – it’s difficult to really see the benefits of those within the span of a single afternoon. So we focused on ways they can make the most out of the time they have with visitors by using dual coding, elaboration, and concrete examples. Since we have already talked about each of these strategies a great deal at the Learning Scientists (check out Megan’s recent blog on dual coding), I will briefly summarize how each of these are relevant in a museum setting and highlight some of the conversations we had around each of these strategies.

By their nature, many museum exhibits already combine both visual and verbal information for visitors. However, an understanding of dual coding can help museums in making existing texts, explanations, and visuals more effective. Allowing visitors time to read important texts before describing the exhibit, including labels or accompanying text to visual displays, and integrating images into lengthy passages to aid in understanding are all ways to take advantage of dual coding.

One of the questions we received after our talk was to clarify what we mean by visual and verbal as opposed to visual and auditory. This question gets at how we process information in different modalities. Dual coding means that it is easier for us to process and remember information that is presented both visually and verbally. It’s fairly obvious what counts as visual information – paintings, photographs, moving pictures, etc. However, the verbal component is less straightforward because texts and writings are clearly verbal, but they are presented visually. Of course, verbal information can also be presented auditorily in form of someone speaking or an audio clip of some sort. So which is it? Is verbal information visual or auditory? The answer has to do with how we process verbal information, not how it is presented.

Whether we read a text, talk out loud, or quietly think to ourselves, we are using an inner voice to help us process the verbal information (1). It’s hard to read a text and listen to someone else talk over the text because both reading and listening to verbal information require us to use our inner voice. So while a text or a piece of writing may be visual, we process it more like auditory information in our mind. For a more in depth explanation of how we process information see my previous post on working memory.

Summer Bucket List Free Printable

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June 11, 2019

The temperatures are rising and summer is almost here! If you have school-aged children, you may be wondering how you’re going to fill those long summer days once the final bell rings. Or maybe you want to check off some sites you’ve been meaning to visit around town.

This free summer bucket list printable can help you make the most of your summer days.

You can either write your list directly on the printable, or have it printed at a photo lab and place it in a frame behind glass. You can write with a permanent or wet erase marker directly on the glass and wipe it off with a wet cloth when you’re ready to make a new list.

For personal use only.

I’m a Disabled Teenager, and Social Media Is My Lifeline

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June 11, 2019

I’m a Disabled Teenager, and Social Media Is My Lifeline

No one knows that I can. I can “get it.”

Of course, people don’t see that. I struggle with impulsivity. My physical clumsiness makes it hard for me to maintain appropriate facial expressions and tone of voice. While I easily grasp abstract concepts, I often can’t convert them into tangible, step-by-step actions, making it difficult to communicate gracefully. Even the untrained eye notice these challenges, and they confound my social faux pas as a failure to understand or share other people’s expectations.

I’m depleted. Every day at school, I isolate myself from most of my peers: it’s a matter of time before they make these assumptions, before they postulate how my brain works. On social media, though, I’m a completely different person. I’m dynamic. I’m assertive. I’m people-oriented.

Many claim that social media distracts teens from meaningful, genuine interactions. My experiences, however, are the total opposite of that. Cultivating my own space on the Internet helped me thrive outside the pigeonhole. Namely, I use my blog to explain the real reason why I act the way I do. Even though not everyone will understand, I know some people will, and it gives me tremendous hope.

I know I’m not the only one. For many disabled people, social media gives them access to a social life and community involvement in an otherwise inaccessible world¹. Not only does social media give me the platform to correct assumptions, people don’t assume things about me in the first place, because it’s a level playing field. For example, when I Tweet, my addled movements are replaced by various emojis and reaction GIFs, which gives me a vaster palette to express myself.

Furthermore, I’ve learned to extend the conversation on disability from my own personal circumstances to the broader issue of ableism. Don Tapscott, a media consultant, remarked, “[Teens] didn’t grow up being the passive recipients of somebody else’s broadcast.”² This definitely resonated with me. I used to feel alone, not seeing girls like me on the magazine covers, but not anymore. In a click, I can create my own media where people with disabilities are seen and heard, rather than pliantly consuming the media that routinely devalue people with disabilities.

Are learning experiences only for an LXP?

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June 11, 2019

Are learning experiences only for an LXP?

The other day, I was thinking about Apple. I remember the days of the Macs in the 90’s. While they were a software company – operating system wise, they also sold hardware. Then, they sold mp3 devices. Next, came iTunes, which went from just music to e-books, movies and eventually podcasts. Wait, oh, yeah, iCloud. Now, they have dumped iTunes and split into three different streams of content for purchase, yet still sell hardware and oh yeah, an operating system. Oh, and tablet covers, and accessories.

The point is they do more than just one thing. So, where do you place them? Hardware? Software? Consumer Goods?

Let’s look at Amazon. They started out with books. Now, they have their own planes. They also have brick and mortar bookstores. A grocery chain, and uh, with those planes, what is to stop them from starting delivery services not just for their own products, but going up against UPS or FedEx?

I could go on, but they, and Wal-Mart, Tesco and many others, all provide goods, but they also provide

an experience.

Which leads me into the learning experience approach that so many LXPs bank on, as a key cornerstone to their platform. It is as though, only they (LXP) can provide such an experience and that any other type of learning system doesn’t.

This “experience” angle is intertwined with the whole mantra of a Learning Experience Platform as if that is something so unique, so different than say an LMS, which as a result, provides such experiences.

I respectfully, disagree.

Who Drives What?

Let’s remember that it isn’t the fault of the LMS, for how it is being used. Some LXPs (okay, many) and even newer LMSs, love to pitch their brethren as “traditional”, or “rigid” as though it is because the system was started more than a decade ago (when was long term a bad thing?), or because it offers folks required/compliance training/learning.

Here is the thing though. It is not the system that is driving this approach, it is the driver themselves – i.e. who is overseeing the LMS.

Just as I can use my LMS for non-required training content, offering employees, customers or both, free courses and materials on personal and professional development (which I did, when I ran training at numerous companies), so can I provide proprietary training/learning courses (again, been there, done that) and even required compliance content too.

I as the person overseeing the entire training for the company, had the full power to decide what was pushed out to the customers, employees or a combo of both. Association members as well.

Who drives a car?

Until self-driving ones are out in full force, it is you or another human. And how they drive, if it isn’t you, can be all over the place. Maybe you have zero patience and drive like Speed Racer. And maybe that Uber driver drives like an 85 yr old who barely can see over the wheel.

The point is someone is driving and thus, you can’t blame the car for that experience. Nor, do you say to yourself, “This experience being in the car with Sara, is enough to make me want to experience Disneyland in the summer on half-off price day.”

Experiences are for everyone

LXPs will often note that they are more than just courses – they offer resources – workbooks, materials, audio, video, even podcasts (starting to appear but as links to podcast sites for the most part). The implication is that this “experience” for knowledge is exclusive.

But is it really?

Couldn’t you do this in any type of learning system, regardless if it is an SEP (Sales Enablement Platform) or LMS or learning platform or even know talent management systems, where learning is a component?

The answer is yes.

There are LMS vendors who offer resources via 3rd party providers, just as the LXPs offer. Now it may not be the same 3rd party providers, but they do exist.

And each system offers knowledge as the takeaway. In fact, right now, there is knowledge being acquired right here on the post. Thus, I can pitch this blog offers a learning experience, with knowledge as a benefit.

Many folks are becoming more and more confused with the differences between an LXP and an LMS, and I can totally see why.

LXPs as noted in a previous post are offering feature sets more and more like an LMS, and LMSs are offering feature sets like an LXP. Now, think about that for one or a few seconds.

If you are an LXP, pitching that you are not like an LMS, why are you then adding functionality that matches what an LMS offers?

Wouldn’t you go in the opposite direction? If an LMS is static in your mind, with things such as required or assigned content, then why as an LXP, are you now having features for required channels/playlist of content, or assigned playlist/channels or even solo pieces of content?

How is that different than someone using an LMS for the same thing?

There are now a couple of LXPs that offer event management and components of mentoring (the majority still don’t). One LXP says they have classroom management, although in the demo I viewed, I didn’t see it – maybe it is invisible to all of us, except them. I must have lost my X-Ray plastic glasses I could buy in the 70’s comic book back cover.

Let’s then Recap here

You are an LXP. You push that you are not an LMS because of required/assigned training/learning. You are fluid, and an LMS is not (according to you and most of the LXP market). You are learner-centric, but an LMS, again according to you is not.

All of this pushes the “experience twist”, according to LXP vendors.

Let’s Compare

Assigned content? All learning systems can do this, regardless if they are an LXP, LMS, SEP, etc.

Learner-Centric? All can do it – it totally depends on who is overseeing the platform – from a client perspective. If I am using my LXP to include required/assigned learning, how is that learner-centric? I thought the whole point of learner-centric was for the learner to drive the learning/training – not the client (i.e. administrator or manager, for example).

You can’t say you are learner-centric if you assign content. Just as you can’t say you are the best movie ever made, but are straight to video i.e. video streaming today!

You can’t push that you are the only type of system that enables learning experiences, when you know deep down that isn’t accurate. Or perhaps, you haven’t thought about it in such a manner, because you are unaware that LMSs can do the same exact thing.

Amazon offers a buying experience. So does, Wal-Mart, Tesco, and even Apple. They have those stores for a reason (although some folks are now griping about that buying experience and not in a good way).

Can an LXP be an LMS or an LMS be an LXP or a hybrid of the two?

The answer is yes and again, in a previous post the ubiquity is happening at a faster rate, than I surmise many analysts thought. I’ve read some analyst postings where they clearly missed the big picture. They saw and thus wrote about an LXP being the whole learning experience and never saw that crossover was inevitable based on the approach and entire feature set.

That isn’t to say that an LXP matches 100% with an LMS or vice-versa. There are still differences between the two, but from a learning environment and administration standpoint it is becoming blurred.

Content wise. Ditto. Content capabilities – Ditto. Video management? Ditto. And I could go on.

Skill management right now is slightly on the LXP side – but it is not universal in terms of the functionality – as in not every LXP has every skill management function that exists on the market (available that is). But, not every LMS has the exact same features either, but many either do or are close.

There are LMSs who do not offer a content marketplace (which is not a reseller marketplace per se). And there are LXPs who only have a few 3rd party content providers, and not the minimum of ten, which I see as a must for an LXP.

Side-Bar

Just a quick item regarding content marketplaces. They might be called an exchange, or some other term, but they have the following

3rd party content providers (could be courses, videos, documents, audio files, images, workbooks, combination of all, podcasts, etc.)
The client (i.e. whoever bought the platform) buys the content – which can be from one partner or dozens.
The client chooses how many seats of the content they want to provide to their end users.
They the client, does not resell the content to the end users. They give it to them for free (but now a few vendors are tweaking that, which only adds to confusion).

The Dirty Little Secret

Many LXP vendors want an audience that LMS vendors as whole (not all mind you), have as clients. Those multi-tenant customers (aka extended enterprise). Oh, how they want them. They want the customer training/education component which you get via the multi-tenant angle (even if you are not yet have multi-tenants – i.e. parent- child relationship).

But in order to really get them, they need to add a feature that overwhelmingly they do not have? What is that you wonder?

E-commerce.

And multi-tenant capability (I know a few LXPs that have this though).

Which, gets us back to supposedly uniqueness of the LXP as compared to an LMS. Just as there are LMSs who do not have e-commerce and thus target only employees, so the LXPs as whole follow this mantra.

But, that secret of many LXPs wanting the customers as a percentile that is more than minuscule is desired.

The challenge is that many LXPs client base wise, are being used as an add-on and bolt-on to an existing LMS, so sure you can offer the customer education/training aspect, as long as the client is offering the content for free.

Wait, there’s more

Most LXPs do not have a built-in authoring tool, nor do they accept you building a course in a 3rd party authoring tool and uploading it into their platform. Most LMSs do, as a whole.

But, again, this is starting to change. Instilled, from LTG, has the Gomo authoring tool as part of the LXP. Learn Amp allows you to upload content from a 3rd party authoring tool, just as EdCast does as well.

If from an experience side of things, wouldn’t I as the client, want to have that experience of uploading content I built via that 3rd party authoring tool to be in my LXP?

Have you seen some of those videos out there? They have zero navigation – no Table of Contents, thus that static angle comes back in full swing to the LXP. Just as in the case of the LMS – but with both types of platforms it comes back not to the platform, but the client, who built the course or uploaded the video.

Bottom Line

Knowledge is not exclusive to an LXP.

It’s available in all types of learning systems.

Nor is a learning experience.

It’s available in all types of learning systems.

You can’t pitch the two as being unique and only to you,

When you are yourselves trying to mimic the exact same thing

you say your not,

An LMS.

Or the driver.

E-Learning 24/7

A career in law: Not just for the ‘special few’

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June 11, 2019

A career in law: Not just for the ‘special few’

Ever entertained the idea of a career in law? You’re not alone. Thanks
to our favourite courtroom dramas, a career in law is a common aspiration – yet
at the same time, it’s so easily dismissed as a ‘pipe dream’. Law takes great
focus and commitment, leading to the perception that a career in law is reserved
for a ‘special’ kind of person.

While the former is true, the latter is not. Available online through Open Universities Australia (OUA) is the University of New England’s Bachelor of Laws – a course that we’re proud to offer to anyone, no matter their academic history. It’s the same degree as you’d study on campus, requiring the same level of focus and dedication, but it also makes a career in law accessible to anyone who has the drive to put in the hard work.

What is the Bachelor of Laws?

The Bachelor of Laws, also known as ‘LLB’ (the qualification in its
abbreviated Latin form) is a 4-year course, which will set you on your way to
becoming a practicing lawyer, or set you up for a career that relies upon
strong legal knowledge. Whatever path you travel after graduation, knowledge of
the law can offer you a highly rewarding career, both emotionally and
financially.

What will I learn?

Not only will you learn about the fundamental areas of law, but you’ll dive into communication – learning how to form a sound argument, opinion or piece of advice, to present to audiences both in and outside of the legal system. You’ll also learn how to:

Conduct research and evaluate data
Problem-solve
Understand different perspectives
Practice law ethically
Examine policy
Develop habits for on-going learning to keep your knowledge current

It’s the perfect way to gain essential knowledge, and ready yourself for specialised study, or immediate employment in general legal work.

How difficult is the study of law?

Law is a demanding area of study, but it’s likely to be within your
capability if you’re willing to dedicate yourself.

In terms of time, students typically spend 15 hours or more per week on coursework, depending on how advanced their law knowledge is, and familiarity with university-level study. Reading is a heavy component of the course, and while reading law-related texts can prove difficult at first, you’re sure to gain speed and confidence as time goes on.

The academics at UNE have an award-winning reputation for quality teaching, so you’re never far from support if you fall behind, especially as an online student. You’ll also find your tutors and peers on the discussion forums in your learning management system (LMS), where you’ll be a supported member of your ‘virtual class’. UNE also has a great Academic Skills webpage, packed with resources to help you if you ever get stuck.

How do I become a lawyer?

If you’ve got your sights set
on the role of solicitor, barrister or legal practitioner, you’ll need to
undertake a course of professional legal training (PLT), after you’ve completed
the Bachelor of Laws. This training typically runs for around 6 months full
time, or the part-time equivalent. Due to variances between jurisdictions, you
make be able to take an alternate form of training – so it’s best to make an
enquiry to the admission authority in the state/territory that you intend to
practice in.

Where else can the degree take me?

Having a law degree puts you at a great advantage, even if you’re not
reaching for a career as a lawyer. Every industry is subject to the law, and most
companies offer law-based roles. That’s the beauty of it – you can take your
degree anywhere, quite literally.

What you’ll also gain is some highly valued transferrable skills that can benefit you, even if you veer away from a legal career. These skills include:

Analytical and strategic thinking,
Confidence with public presentations
Persuasiveness of opinions
Strong research skills
Ability to teach, counsel and collaborate

Can I fit study into my life?

Online study doesn’t limit the quality of education or your learning
potential, but it does give you the freedom to reach your goals at your own
pace. If life is jam-packed, take one subject at a time, or put your studies on
hold for the study period while you get back on top of things. It’s fully
flexible, so you don’t have to watch your dream career pass you by.

How do I get accepted?

The Bachelor of Laws is open
to anyone, with any academic background. However, because of the demands of the
course, students must first complete 4 core subjects before being officially
accepted into the full degree program: Introduction to Legal Systems and Methods, Law in Context,
Criminal Law
and Law of Contract 1 (with minimum GPA of 4.2).

These subject count towards the degree, so there’s no extra time required on your road to graduation. If you’ve got prior education that is relevant to this course, we can help you apply for credit.

If a career in law is where you see yourself, the UNE Bachelor of Laws is the perfect start – equipping you with the knowledge you need, without requiring you to drop everything in the process. You’re in control of your own learning experience, and ultimately, the career you step into.

To express your interest in this course, or any that we offer – fill out the form on this page, and we’ll put you in touch with a friendly student advisor. Or instead, explore our extensive catalogue of courses from universities across Australia.

New on FutureLearn: Unlimited, set your timezone, and FutureLearn for Business

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June 11, 2019

Learn more with Unlimited

We know how busy life can be, but we also know you can achieve anything with the right flexibility. That’s why we’ve created Unlimited – a new way of learning. Unlimited gives you access to hundreds of short courses and the freedom to complete them at your own pace over a year, for a one-off annual fee of £209. Check out this blog post to find out more about the benefits of Unlimited.

Explore learning at work with FutureLearn for Business

Effective learning at work and for work is really important. That’s why we offer FutureLearn for Business. Employers can work with us to create bespoke courses, offer employee training, and lots more. Want your employer to pay for your learning? Find out more.

Set your timezone for a more personalised experience

You can now set your timezone on your settings page. Just choose your timezone from the drop-down list on this page. Having the correct timezone set on your account will allow you to see course start times and assessment deadlines in your local time so you don’t miss any key milestones.

Changing your time zone on FutureLearn

Find out more information about key dates for a degree

Now you can find more of the key information you need to apply for an online degree on FutureLearn. On degree pages, you’ll now see multiple degree application deadlines and start dates. Check it out on Deakin University’s Cyber Security online degree.

Screenshot of the start dates of a degree on FutureLearn

Share your FutureLearn portfolio

FutureLearn portfolios allow you to create a digital presentation of the skills, competencies, achievements, and action plans that you have developed – all with opportunities for reflection. They are centred around you and offer a more personalised form of learning. They can also be a great way to show your potential and support you when transitioning between institutions, stages of education, professional development, and evidence for accreditation.

If you have created a portfolio as part of a FutureLearn program or degree, you can now share your portfolio with anyone using a new sharing link. You can turn this feature on or off at any point, allowing you to demonstrate your skills to others and get feedback on your work.

You can find the portfolio sharing link at the bottom of the portfolio page. Portfolios will be linked to through steps during your learning journey, and are visible on the program page.

This is what it looks like if you have portfolio sharing turned off:

This is what it looks like if you have portfolio sharing turned on:

Category
Making FutureLearn

Ready Player One: Get Set for an Exciting Career in Gaming

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June 11, 2019