NexGen Learning System Grid 2018-19

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January 30, 2019

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Welcome. Welcome.

To the 2018-19 Learning System Grid, identifying the Leaders, Risers, Steady and Slow vendors for NexGen functionality.

For this year’s grid, an additional vendor was added per group (last year it was five per grid).

This was not an easy process, in that there has been a huge uptick in next-generation functionality this year, which is great, but saying NexGen doesn’t mean you really have it, nor does having NexGen functions mean you have the latest features or enough of the functionality to be truly defined as such.

When deciding on the NexGen Grid, I focused on several items, which included

a. NexGen Functionality Tier 2 (Not every vendor has all of these items, just a FYI)

b. NexGen Functionality Tier 1 (Should have at least 80% of it now, or I know it is on your roadmap to hit the 100% mark)

c. My LMS and LXP Templates, respectively. So for LMS and learning platforms, I compared based on the template (which is quite extensive) and the same for those in the LEP/LXP space (Sorry, I still think they should be LEP, so going back to LEP/LXP).

Notes

When looking at the systems, I focused on NexGen components and not the price of the system, nor the entire perspective of the system (with 15 point criteria – that is for the Top 50). Thus there are vendors who I would buy on the grid, just as there are those I wouldn’t buy, for a variety of reasons, that are not tied to NexGen functionality.

For example, I like Thought Industries as a customer training LMS, but the platform is missing items for NexGen, which is surprising because it has the modern UI, which folks would thus assume, oh, it must be NexGen.

On the flip side, Grovo is by far one of the most overrated systems on the market, especially with the assumption that it must be “forward thinking” and thus have NexGen robustness. I used to be a fan of the platform, but their “micro-learning” platform isn’t such a big deal, any learning system can accept micro-learning, and well, I just do not see the whole, “wow” factor for them.

I held off listing links to each of the vendors because you can find all the leaders and risers in my FindAnLMS platform, thus you can compare them, see their functionality, visit their sites, contact them, schedule demos and more. Most of the Steady Grid is in FindAnLMS, and yep, even one in slow Grid. And yes, it is 100% free to search, compare and use.

But I am NexGen – aren’t I?

As a vendor you may say to yourselves, “Hey we have 100% of NexGen Tier 1 and 40% tier 2, how come we are not here?” My retort, because those on the grid have a higher Tier 2 percentile, are more agile and forward thinking (based on observations over the current year).

How many did you look at?

500 for the 2018-19 Grid. As in 500 Learning Systems. Could I have gone 1,000 or 1,200 or 1,300? Sure. But I cut off at 500, looking at systems known and not so well-known. I included LEP/LXPs as well, as they are adding more NexGen functionality.

NexGen Tier 2

A couple of points here. I didn’t weight PWA as equal to many of the other features. While PWA is a very good alternative to having native on/off mobile apps, I understand that it is something that just a lot of vendors will not do, and I get that.

Nor was digital badging at a high weight either. I still see it as a NexGen Tier 2 function, but one that is more likely by 2020.

Machine Learning aka AI (albeit they are not really the same thing, but folks tend to think so)

I did score higher for vendors who have an open algorithm, which means that the admin can change the weights for the algorithm, and thus folks do not have to complete a piece of content. They do not get access to the code, mind you, just the algorithm provides the flexibility, otherwise, the vendor is telling you, they know more about your training or L&D then you – I really dislike that philosophy.

Everyone is a Winner

That is something to say when you provide training or L&D to your employees and customers. It is something you tell the kids after they get destroyed in a baseball game or soccer match.

But, in business, well, at least for this grid, not everyone is a winner. I mean, I think three out of the four grids identify wins in so many ways. The Slow Grid, uh, not so much – unless that is your goal, “NexGen Technology? What’s that?” – And then post a photo of Sputnik as your logo.

Now The GRID for 2018-19

gridpage

Leader Grid

theladers

Cornerstone Learning Suite, Fuse, Litmos by SAP, eLogic Learning, SumTotal Learning Management, Growth Engineering

I will say that this year, Cornerstone, Fuse and Litmos were separated by mere points, very close. Not check the stubs close (sorry Florida), but close.

Leader Rankings – top three

Litmos by SAP
Fuse
Cornerstone Learning Suite

Again, super close.

Cornerstone made a huge jump as well and regardless what some folks might think of the system, and I admit, I still think they are an HCM overall, they have hit a homer with NexGen functionality. They still have challenges with that admin side though (but that is on my report for learning systems – not yet out – until 2019).

Litmos was second in last year’s NexGen Grid on the Leader side. Lots to like here. They are strong in Tier 2 NexGen. Best Learning Ecosystem on the market, total Tier 2 power component. Has added LearningTech to the ecosystem too. Video management is tight. Has machine learning, with AI components.

Fuse is a new entry. I really came away impressed overall with their NexGen functionality, although I equally believe that as whole the system still needs a few of this and that. But again, this is about NexGen.

eLogic continues to be in the leader grid – the second year in a row, and the same for Growth Engineering.

eLogic is 100% on Tier 1, and at 70% with Tier 2. They allow each learner to have their own theme (first vendor to do so). Video management is great. Coaching is in the works. Mobile is great, with on/ off synch, native apps. They are on pace to deliver in Q1 2019 a new skills component, but as of right now, they have a very solid competency piece (just a side note).

Growth Engineering is still a very good system, lots of NexGen functionality. A big minus though is the lack of Tier 2 – Ecosystem in terms of a content marketplace, although that is in the works for them. I love the mobile Knowledge Arcade which is very cool and tied to the LMS, but not a fan that to use it – in terms of adding content to it, you need Genie their authoring tool. If they can find a way to change that, huge win. Still, if you want NexGen, this system delivers as a whole.

SumTotal Learning Management (Formally known as SumTotal Learn) jumps over from Steady to Leader in just one year. A major accomplishment, and while I have zero proof here, to me, Skillsoft is a key factor in this IMO.

I have known SumTotal for a long time, and I can say, that this latest version of the product is by far the best version. Please be aware that I did not compare folks success/failure based on consumer feedback on whatever, but will say, that my support mobile app that SumTotal now offers is quite good and should be used by every administrator with the SumTotal Learning Management system (it is also available with their other mods too).

One big miss though is the lack of auto-detect Frames Per Second, and deep learning (but it is on their roadmap by the end of the year, and in watching them over the past year, they are hitting their roadmap, so I am confident they will deliver.

Risers Grid

risers

CrossKnowledge Learning Suite, coorpacademy, EdCast LXP, Spoke, Eurekos, Docebo

In last year’s Grid, Docebo was in Steady, so going from there to Risers is a win in my book.

CrossKnowledge Learning Suite scored quite well. The big minus though is they charge for their mobile app (they are not the only one who does this BTW), but still you can’t be NexGen megastar by charging for a mobile app. Especially when your app has on/off synch, knowledge reinforcement capabilities, native apps in iTunes and Google Play and can do a lot.

Rocked in Tier 1 and Tier 2 – scored high with learning ecosystem, outstanding Admin analytical data capabilities, auto-detect frames per second (big). In fact, they scored 100% with video management. Has machine learning, content curation, coaching.

EdCast LXP delivers a lot here, especially with machine learning, content curation, and coaching. I loved their mobile apps with on/off synch and knowledge reinforcement tool. Has an LRS too, which is Tier1, and a nice win. The ecosystem is a work in progress.

coorpacademy LEP equally does quite well across the board with NexGen. They scored 100% in video management (auto-detect frames per second, add the assessment to a video/within a video, video streaming – all LEP/LXP does this as a whole). With Tier 1, they scored 95% (missing the notepad angle, which in hindsight in NexGen Tier 2). Tier 2 around 50%. Big wins with Coaching, Content Curation and Deep Learning (the term that will replace machine learning eventually).

Docebo, hit is strong with the social playlists – which a lot of vendors do not have, and it is a Tier 2. The challenge for Docebo and many others is that innovation is still not fully there (I’m not blaming them here, it is a challenge in the entire industry as a whole). While they were the first vendors to have one-click for a course marketplace, I am waiting for more.

Nevertheless, they are a worthy NexGen system that folks should explore.

Spoke is a definite riser. They are missing machine learning, but that is in the works I’ve been told. Video management includes auto detect frame per seconds and video streaming. They have content curation, coaching, LRS too. Watching them over the past few years, I’ve seen a lot of great capabilities. Minus is the lack of mobile apps, including on/off synch. Still, they are someone to watch in the coming year.

Eurekos isn’t someone you may have heard of, but perhaps you should. Video management scores 100% (yes, the video in a quiz, and auto-detect is part of it). Coaching, content curation, Tier 2 ecosystem is all there. But they are another vendor who has yet to adopt the mobile on/off synch and native apps aspect (And to my surprise, there are a lot of vendors in the space who haven’t either). Still NexGen worthy – robust.

Steady Grid

Steady

Unicorn LMS, Workday Learning, Degreed, Saba, Torch LMS, Learn Amp

Unicorn provides a lot of nice functionality, and Minds-I (now included as part of the platform – is itself the best Knowledge Reinforcement Tool on the market – great product), but as a whole Unicorn is in the steady section. Oh, 100% on video management for those wondering.

Workday Learning does a few nice things, but still is missing the whole package. I mean yes, they have a cool UI with the “Netflix angle”, however, they are missing a chunk of the learning ecosystem that exists in Tier 2, which really is baffling to me. The miss of having 3rd party content marketplace is a surprise. Has machine learning though. They are my 2018 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde winner.

Degreed scores well in so many categories and their skill ratings is really nice, and definitely Tier 2. Video management though is mixed, they have it, but lack auto-detect and quiz/video contained within. Admin analytical data is nice, could be stronger IMO, but still, NexGen exists. Mobile is there, but again, they lack on/off synch. Oh, and they still have a closed algorithm.

Saba’s machine learning is fantastic, but they haven’t really pushed the envelope beyond that powerhouse of a component. I sit on the fence with them. They do some nice NexGen things, but others ehhh. Yeah, they were close to the Jekyll and Hyde thing, a close second. So, runner-up there!

Learn Amp, ranked #1 LEP/LXP for 2019, is on their way with NexGen. Lots to enjoy here, especially content curation, content marketplace, learning ecosystem. Machine learning is yet to exist, but on its way, along with some very innovative skill rating mechanisms. Mobile is a miss.

Torch LMS is a very solid NexGen LMS, but a minus to me is the lack of mobile apps, let alone seeing the value of having mobile apps period. I understand their perspective, but it is just a bummer. Anyway, solid and steady.

Slow Grid

weak

Mind Tickle, Panopto – Video Learning Platform, Thought Industries, Linkedin Learning, Grovo and SuccessFactors.

SucessFactors is a two-time winner, err, I mean at the bottom of the grid. Which I am still trying to figure out why they haven’t fully embraced NexGen across the board. I am looking only at learning here, and not HCM, but even then to be honest, it still struggles in terms of wow factor, but I digress.

Mind Tickle! – had some very nice NexGen last year, but has slipped.

Linkedin Learning, an overrated system in my book, that is sort of a hybrid LMS with LEP/LXP components, really is not a full NexGen system.

Grovo already noted.

Ditto on Thought Industries.

Panopto – very forward thinking – years ago. Not sure what happened, especially for a video learning platform.

Honestly, there could be a lot of vendors in the slow grid, so if you say, “hey my system should be here, cause they are slow to new learning tech”, I hear you. I could only have six, but there is always next year!

Bottom Line

This year’s Grid was quite tight in terms of those who landed on it versus those who did not. Again, if I expanded to 10 in each grid, then who knows – maybe you would be on that grid (if you are not).

You can download the Grid HERE.

The big takeaway for me though is that NexGen has come along way. And I anticipate a lot more forward-thinking functionality in 2019.

Especially in the areas of skill capabilities, video authoring and marketplaces with learningtech.

Grid up for a wild

Ride.

E-Learning 24/7

Bonus – A list of all the vendors in FindAnLMS, always 100% free to use.

This is Your Child’s Brain on Video Games

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onlinefreecourse

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January 30, 2019

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This is Your Child’s Brain on Video Games

he following is a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how gaming impacts a child’s nervous system.

Source: Romolo Tavani/Fotolia

On the eve of his big sister Liz’s high school graduation, nine-year-old Aiden sits with his parents and relatives at a celebration dinner, bored by their “adult” conversation and irritated at all the attention showered upon Liz. He can’t wait to get back to his video game! Before dinner, Mom had (annoyingly) called him away to join the family, and then she got mad when he spent a few minutes getting to the next level and saving his game. So many people in the house make him restless; he squirms uncomfortably and drums his fingers on the table, waiting to be excused.

Finally, he is allowed to escape the dinner table, and he settles into a corner of the living room couch to play his Nintendo DS. For the next hour or so, he is completely oblivious to the company in the house. Although he’s already played much longer than his mother likes, she lets him continue, knowing these family situations are a little overwhelming for him. And besides, the game keeps him occupied. What’s the harm? she thinks. It’s just for today.

However, in the meantime, a perfect storm is brewing. As the play continues, Aiden’s brain and psyche become overstimulated and excited — on fire! His nervous system shifts into high gear and settles there while he attempts to master different situations, strategizing, surviving, accumulating weapons, and defending his turf. His heart rate increases from 80 to over 100 beats per minute, and his blood pressure rises from a normal 90/60 to 140/90 — he’s ready to do battle, except that he’s just sitting on the couch, not moving much more than his eyes and thumbs. The DS screen virtually locks his eyes into position and sends signal after signal: “It’s bright daylight out, nowhere near time for bed!” Levels of the feel-good chemical dopamine rise in his brain, sustaining his interest, keeping him focused on the task at hand, and elevating his mood. The intense visual stimulation and activity flood his brain, which adapts to the heightened level of stimulation by shutting off other parts it considers nonessential.

The visual-motor areas of his brain light up. Blood flows away from his gut, kidneys, liver, and bladder and toward his limbs and heart — he’s ready to fight or escape! The reward pathways in his brain also light up and are reinforced by the flood of dopamine. He is so absorbed in the game, he doesn’t notice when his little sister, Arianna, comes over until she puts her chubby hand on the screen, trying to get his attention.

“DooOOON’T!!” he shouts and roughly shoves her out of the way. Arianna falls backward, bursts into tears, and runs to their mother, who silently curses herself for letting Aiden play this long.

“All right, that’s it. Time to start getting ready for bed. Get your pajamas on and you can have a snack before you go to bed,” she says, pulling the DS out of Aiden’s hands and turning it off in one fell swoop. Aiden looks at his mother with rage. How dare she ruin his game because of his stupid sister!

“Fine!” he shouts, runs up the stairs, and slams his bedroom door. His primitive brain is fully engaged now, turning him into an enraged animal ready to fight off all challengers. He rips all the sheets off his bed and then throws his lamp on the floor, providing a satisfactory crash and shatter. Thinking about how wronged he’s been and filled with visions of revenge, he kicks the wall a few times and then pounds on his bedroom door, putting a big hole in it.

Downstairs, his relatives sit in quiet shock and murmur to each other how they’ve never seen him act like this. Dad runs up the stairs to contain his son. Calmly, his dad holds him in a bear hug from behind, waiting for the rage to subside.

As the dopamine in his brain and the adrenaline in his body begin to ebb, his rage loses its focus. Now, the pent-up energy takes on a disorganized, amorphous form. Aiden feels like he can’t think straight or get himself together. While he spaces out, his dad helps him put his pajamas on and they go back downstairs. Stress hormones remain high, however, making it difficult for him to relax or think clearly. He seems a little confused, actually. His relatives look at him with a mixture of concern and love, but they also wonder why his parents let him “get away with” this kind of behavior. His mother intuitively knows that direct eye contact will overstimulate him again, so she approaches him slowly from the side, and rubs his back gently.

When his favorite aunt looks him in the face sympathetically, he immediately distrusts her intentions. Eye-to-eye interaction is interpreted by his primitive-mode brain as a challenge, and he starts getting revved up again. His mother intervenes, and takes him up to his room. She lowers the light, settles him into bed, and starts to read him a soothing story. His nervous system attempts to regulate itself back to normal, but it seems to still be held hostage by his hyped-up emotions. That night, after he does finally fall to sleep, Aiden awakens repeatedly with panic attacks — his heart races and blood pounds in his ears. He’s scared of the dark, and worried that his angry outburst has upset and alienated his parents. His mother, meanwhile, confiscates the DS and decides to take it with her to work on Monday. (She really wants to throw it in the trash, but it was expensive!)

The following morning, the fight in Aiden has subsided, but the aftermath leaves him in a fog, listless, weepy, and exhausted. He experiences an increased craving for sweets while cortisol, the stress hormone, drives his blood sugar up and down erratically. It will take weeks before his body, brain, and mind return to some sense of balance.

Meanwhile, his mother reaffirms her commitment “to get rid of those damn video games.”

____________________________________________________________________

Perceived Threat and the Fight-or-Flight Response

Does Aiden’s story sound familiar? Why would a seemingly normal, loving child become so enraged and difficult after playing video games? Though his response may seem extreme, there’s actually a completely natural explanation for Aiden’s behavior.

Playing video games mimics the kinds of sensory assaults humans are programmed to associate with danger. When the brain senses danger, primitive survival mechanisms swiftly kick in to provide protection from harm. This response is instantaneous; it is hardwired in our genes and necessary for survival. Keep in mind that the threat does not have to be real — it only needs to be a perceived danger for the brain and body to react.

When this instinct gets triggered, our nervous system and hormones influence our state of arousal, jumping instantly to a state of hyperarousal — the fight-or-flight response. These feelings can be hard to shake off even after the provoking incident is over and the threat — real or perceived — is gone.

In medical school, our instructors referred to this state as “running from the tiger,” since during ancient times humans protected themselves from predators by literally fighting or fleeing. Today, we still need this rapid stress response for emergency situations, and on a day-to-day basis mild stress reactions help us get things done. But for the most part, repeatedly enduring fight-or-flight responses when survival is not an issue does more harm than good.

When the fight-or-flight state occurs too often, or too intensely, the brain and body have trouble regulating themselves back to a calm state, leading to a state of chronic stress. Chronic stress is also produced when there is a “mismatch” between fight-or-flight reactions and energy expenditure, as occurs with screen-time. Indeed, the build-up of energy is meant to be physically discharged to allow the nervous system to re-regulate. However, research suggests screen-time induces stress reactions even in children who exercise regularly.

Once chronic stress sets in, blood flow is directed away from the higher thinking part of the brain (the frontal lobe) and toward the more primitive, deeper areas necessary for survival, causing impairment in functioning. With children, whose nervous systems are still developing, this sequence of events occurs much faster than it does for adults, and the chronically stressed child soon starts to struggle.

It’s easy to imagine how an exciting video game can cause hyperarousal. But in fact, numerous mechanisms act synergistically to raise arousal levels with all types of interactive screen-time. And contrary to popular belief, many of them occur irrespective of content. The figure below outlines some of these factors:

Source: Victoria Dunckley

Because chronic stress effectively “short circuits” the frontal lobe, a hyperaroused and mentally depleted child will have trouble paying attention, managing emotions, suppressing impulses, following directions, tolerating frustration, accessing creativity and compassion, and executing tasks. All of these effects are compounded by screen-time disrupting the body clock and hindering deep sleep. In fact, the effects on sleep alone can explain many of the mood, cognitive and behavior issues associated with screens, and also explain how screen effects can build over time, making them easy to miss.

When people say my strict screen-time recommendations—which are based not just on clinical experience and research but also on how the brain works—are “not realistic,” and that children “must learn to manage technology,” my response is this:

It’s not realistic to expect the brain to adapt to intense and artificial stimulation it was never meant to handle. It’s also not realistic to expect a child with still-developing frontal lobe to control their screen-time, whether that means managing how long they play a game, how they use or misuse social media, or how they behave afterward.

Parents need to learn the science behind how screen-time overstimulates the nervous system, how this manifests as an array of symptoms and dysfunction, and what that looks like in their own child. Learning this information can literally change the course of child’s life; it helps parents to make informed and mindful screen management decisions, and steadies them from being swayed by cultural trends and misleading headlines. It puts parents in the driver’s seat.

While the world may have changed, how the brain responds to stress and what it needs to thrive has not.

Now. Any questions? 😉

Adapted from Reset Your Child’s Brain: A Four Week Plan to End Meltdowns, Raise Grades, and Boost Social Skills by Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen Time

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Lifting the Poor Beyond Microfinancing

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January 30, 2019

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Consider Mary, who wants to open a nursery for plants. She has a beautiful garden and loves caring for plants. Now that her community is developing, she senses an opportunity to turn her hobby into a business, catering to both the desire for decorative plants and the need for herbs and vegetables.

She has the basic skills, the demand is there, and she could probably obtain a micro-loan.

But the probability of Mary turning her small plot into a real business capable of sustaining multiple families is slim.

In 2006, the banker Muhammad Yunus was awarded the Nobel Prize for inventing microcredit and microfinance, providing women with modest aspirations like Mary with small amounts of initial capital. His dream was to enable large numbers of people to rise above poverty through tiny loans to would-be entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for regular bank loans.

A decade on, it is becoming clear that his concept was revolutionary, but while it could lift some individuals out of individual dire poverty, it wasn’t helpful at the level of the community. Also, even those who were helped, weren’t helped to go far.

It seems safer to start small and grow. But the thing about starting small is that usually, it also keeps you small.

Staying alive, barely

If the business opportunity is good, someone bolder will make the move and seize the chance to scale it up. Even if they don’t, scaling up in the future is not necessarily easier than doing it in the present. And the fact is, the smaller the business, the greater its chances of failure.

The statistics on the survival rate of small business are known – they’re awful. Yet people remain sure that playing it safe requires slow growth.

Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir gave us a glimpse into what makes small business so risky and why scaling up is so difficult in their book titled “Scarcity: The New Science of Having Less and How It Defines Our Lives“.

A key insight is that when experiencing scarcity, Now always outweighs Later. An intuitive example would be that if you need to care for a child with influenza, you don’t go out to irrigate your plants and leave the child unattended for hours on end. If you need money for the doctor, you don’t spend it on fertilizers.

The very poor simply don’t have options. The better-off don’t need to choose as painfully between simple choices. We can hire a babysitter and irrigate and have enough left over to buy medicine and fertilizer. The hurdles it takes to make us fail are higher.

For the poor to succeed, they need space for error, space to overcome the small predictable needs of day-to-day life.

Giving them that space to overcome means first and foremost, recognizing that they need it. They the necessary buffers and “support wheels” need to be added to the various programs.

Say for instance a given vocational training program suffers from a high rate of dropouts. One reason could be that if a class or two are missed, catching up becomes impossible. Allowing people to retake the course, or simply having a backup teacher to help them make up missed classes, could easily resolve the problem.

Other helpful assistance could include a little bit more leverage on missed payments without downgrading one’s credit score, genuine solutions for child care, and monitoring applications that could serve as personal guides and help keep us on track to achieve our goals.

Know what you don’t know

Let’s assume Mary has access to a bit of land she could cultivate. But creating a business requires not only capital but skills: how to grow plants efficiently for the commercial market, how to market, how to sell, and finally, access to supply and delivery chains and financial management.

Few people anywhere have all these at hand, but people inexperienced in how business works, whether living in a remote village or an impoverished area of a big city, wouldn’t have any of it.

Not knowing what you don’t know makes acquiring knowledge all the more challenging. And for the extremely poor, hiring expert help – even if the need is recognized – is not an option.

A micro-loan may lift one family from abject poverty, but truly impacting poverty necessarily means scaling up.

Two points need recognizing. One is that to have impact at the level of the community, not the individual household, the aspiration needs to be to help build large businesses, not small ones. Two: eradicating poverty will take a lot more than mere access to capital.

reating sustainable change at the level of the community requires encouraging talent in multiple vocations, and creating access to high-level professionals as mentors. Bridging the gap of knowledge can enable small, poor and flimsy businesses to become solid and sustainable.

Building larger business attracts both capital and talent. This is no doubt part of the reason larger business are more sustainable than smaller ones.

A different model for bringing talent into smaller companies, for the sake of the greater good, is via combined human resources. One example is that a top-level retired CFO or human-resources manager could give such services to five or 10 smaller companies. As long as they are not competitors, their help would bring obvious added value, helping to create the kind of bigger businesses that help whole communities flourish.

From poverty to possibility: Microfinance in Africa

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January 30, 2019

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How can one cow transform a family’s life, health and financial condition? An organization founded by a U.S. sister started answering this question more than 10 years ago. Its slogan is “a hand up from poverty to possibility.” And that is exactly what is happening for many people in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and the Republic of the Congo. The MicroFinancing Partners in Africa mission statement describes its goal as an effort “to empower those living in extreme poverty.”

That may sound like an overly ambitious mission. Actually, it is simpler than you might think. M.P.A. founder Sister Toni Temporiti, C.P.P.S., described what she calls a “life-changing experience” that led to the creation of the project. In 2003, after decades of counseling individuals and families in the St. Louis area, she was granted a sabbatical and decided to go to Africa, where some of the members of her order had worked.

She joined a group of 21 young people called “the overland group” and drove from Egypt to South Africa, visiting 18 countries over seven months. The group camped out every night and after dinner would sit around the campfire and review the day. Women from nearby villages would join them. Almost every night, the women asked these visitors questions like “How far in a day do you have to walk for water?” Or “How do you decide every day what child to feed?”

Questions like these haunted Sister Temporiti. After returning to St. Louis, she found herself eating a hamburger at lunch and it dawned on her that the price of that hamburger could help an African family start a business. And the money to do this could be given to them as a loan, not as a charitable gift. The seed was planted for the M.P.A.

The price of that hamburger could help an African family start a business. And the money to do this could be given to them as a loan, not as a charitable gift.

Two years later she attended a conference of like-minded people in Nova Scotia, where she met Muhammad Yunuz, the founder of the Grameen Bank model of micro-lending. After earning a doctorate in economics in the United States, he had returned to his home in Bangladesh. One day, while he was teaching at Chittagong University, 41 women from the school’s neighborhood approached him asking for money. He gave a little to each woman, for a total of $27.

He advised them to buy a potato or two and sell them for more than they paid for. They repeated the process day after day and soon ended up with more and more money. And, Sister Temporiti emphasized, at the end of a few weeks, every one of the women paid back the original loan. Thus microfinancing was born.

After 30 years pioneering this model, Mr. Yunuz was awarded the Nobel Prize—not in economics, but for peace—acknowledging his own conviction that if people can work together and raise their standard of living, there would be no need for war.

At the same conference, she met Ingrid Munro, a retired U.N. delegate from Sweden. Ms. Munro had set up microfinancing programs in Kenya and became Sister Temporiti’s mentor.

Sister Temporiti eventually worked with Bishop John-Baptist Kaggawa of Masaka, Uganda, who had started the Cow Project. It works like this: A cow is lent to a farmer, usually a woman. The cow provides milk to feed her family and also some to sell to a dairy. Proceeds from the dairy sales are used for school fees and additional farm improvements. When the cow gives birth to a female calf, the family raises the calf for about a year, then it “pays forward” the young cow to the next qualified farmer and retires their “living loan.” The project became one of the first supported by M.P.A.

The increased family income enables children to attend school.

Many more such projects have been created since, including farming and produce and vegetable sales, grocery and dry good stores and bakeries—which sell their wares at affordable prices—and projects supporting other businesses serving people in poverty-stricken villages. The farms supported by the program also raise chickens, pigs and other animals, as well as grow soybeans, which can be turned into flour and milk—something of a cornucopia of food that was not available before in many of these African communities because of the cost of irrigation or fertilizer. A woodworking project has also emerged.

As Bishop Kaggwa puts it: “Miracles are happening here.”

With the money that accrues, the farmers not only provide for their families but become active as leaders of their community. They can strategize with their neighbors about improving their schools and community water sources, as well as other infrastructure issues.

Another benefit of the Cow Project has been the use of the cow manure, which serves to fertilize the barren land and to grow fruit and vegetables, some of which can also be sold. The manure is also the basis of a biofuel system that provides power for lighting and for hot plates used in cooking in the homes of participating families.

And it means that firewood will not be the only source of heat and some light. That not only helps the environment, it eliminates the time village women used to spend gathering firewood. Having light at night for working and studying is revolutionary for many families.

The increased family income enables children to attend school. Their required uniforms are made and sold by the village women, the children’s lives are transformed, and their families are offered a future they never dreamed of before.Microfinancing has brought much more stability to families.

Previously, some men, unable to get jobs in their villages and filled with shame, would desert their families to find work in the cities. When they found no employment there they became angry and desperate, many of the men resorting to alcohol to deal with their feelings.

Because of the microfinancing program, many of these men who had been forced to migrate have been able to return. Now each family member has a job: The fathers cut and chop the grass to feed the cows, dig drainage ditches and deep holes for the biofuel system, and, along with the mother and children, deliver milk to the dairy and manage the crops. The children also obtain water, and the mother cooks for the family and cares for their cow.

Eventually, the family creates a banking account, and any money matters must be decided upon by the whole family, no longer by just the father. The farmers not only provide for their families but become active leaders in their communities. Bishop Kaggwa reports, “The dream has worked.”

In addition to the Cow Project, M.P.A.’s partners in Uganda have developed two programs to support women. The Piglet Project is a living loan program specifically benefiting women who, either because of the youth of the mother at the time of her baby’s delivery or insufficient nourishment, have suffered an obstetric fistula injury during childbirth. The Safe Birth Project trains midwives and uses ultrasound and motorcycle-ambulances to improve access to prenatal care and hospital-level birthing services.

The M.P.A. also partners with a network of similar microfinancing operations with names like Jamii Bora, Caritas Maddo and Buwea (Bukoba Women’s Empowerment Association) throughout East Africa. The women of Buwea, for example, operate a soy farm, hiring their own members to plant, weed and harvest. They manufacture and sell soy flour and soy milk, which is an excellent source of protein and nutrition.

The proceeds from this project support the women’s revolving loan program, which offers small individual loans to women for home income projects such as raising and selling rabbits or tailoring. Buwea has grown from 127 members when M.P.A. first partnered with them in 2010 to over 800 members in 2017. They boast a 100 percent repayment rate on their loans.

Members of these various groups come from any religion or tribe. The motto of one of the groups is: “It doesn’t matter where you come from. . . . what matters is where you are going.” Meanwhile, other churches and dioceses other than Masaka offer significant support and involvement.

Much of the M.P.A. story so far is presented in two children’s books, written by Sister Temporiti with charming illustrations by a St. Louis artist and arts educator, Maria Allen-Koerner, with the stories told from the point of view of village children. One book is called (appropriately) Holy Cow: A Living Loan. The other one is One Potato Two: Small Loans, Big Change.

In 2016 the Partnership for Global Justice, a nongovernment organization at the United Nations, recognized Sister Temporiti with their Peace and Justice Award. She has also received distinguished alumna awards from both Washington University and Saint Louis University.

But perhaps her favorite tribute has come from the African families. As one of them phrased it: “Thank you. You have restored our dignity.”

Microfinance institutions are struggling for survival. Here’s why

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January 30, 2019

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Microfinance institutions are struggling for survival. Here’s why

Though the gap still exists, the likes of Axis Bank, HDFC Bank or RBL Bank are developing their own ecosystem to reach out directly to the poor for higher returns. There are pockets of oversupply squeezing growth potential for the pure-play micro lenders.

India has some 223 MFIs, including societies and NGO-run entities, and 168 of them are registered with Sa-Dhan, the association of community development finance institutions. There are 47 non-bank finance company-micro finance institutions (NBFC-MFIs) registered with Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), an industry body, covering 90% of the portfolio While the top 10 find it easier to get equity or bank loan, the smaller ones are always at a disadvantage.

INVESTOR BACKING
At a pan-India level, micro credit reaches to not more than 20% of the total households through a variety of channels, including banks and NBFC-MFIs. They have catered to some four crore households by way of 6.3 crore microcredit loans in a country of over 130 crore people, while World Bank estimate suggests that about 24%, or 28 crore, live below $1.25 per day on purchasing power parity.

Given the extent of financial exclusion, MFIs may have a few more years of opportunity left, but the fancy 50-80% growth rate may well be history. The key to even survive independently would be to get backing from the investors, which may be hard to come by.

“Selection of investors is critical for survival of MFIs. If you allow investors with a mere aim of achieving high returns to come in, you are in for trouble. History has taught this many a time,” says Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, managing director of Bandhan Bank, which was at the top in its earlier avatar as MFI and was backed by World Bank’s private investment arm, International Finance Corporation, since 2011.

Micro lenders also face policy barriers with their margin capped at 10%, while Equitas Holdings or Ujjivan Financial, which converted into small finance banks shedding their micro lender status, theoretically can lend at higher rates by virtue of being a bank. MFIs don’t have access to deposits which are low cost, putting them at a disadvantage to bank converts.

“It is obvious now that the regulator wants microfinance through banking channel,” says Vishal Mehta, co-founder of Lok Capital, a venture capital fund started in 2004 with a focus to invest in financial inclusion. “They have allowed NBFC-MFIs work as business correspondents and has awarded eight small finance bank licences to them. These are signals that the regulator, while valued MFIs’ work in providing the last mile connect, is more comfortable in dealing with banks.”

BANKS GAIN
As of June, banks are the largest provider of micro credit with a loan outstanding of Rs 38,486 crore, taking their share in micro-credit business to 36%, according to MFIN. Bandhan, the MFI-turned bank, with its Rs 21,400-crore loan portfolio, is a major contributor to this. The bank-led micro loan includes Rs 10,131 crore of indirect lending through business correspondent partnerships in FY17.

“This (working as business correspondent) is the best way to optimise capital and the only option for smaller ones that lacked it,” says HP Singh, chairman, Satin Creditcare Network. “When raising capital turns difficult, it’s better to grow your off-balance sheet exposure through banking partnership and survive.”

NBFC-MFIs as a group is the second largest provider of microcredit with a loan outstanding of Rs 32,820 core, accounting for 31% of the total industry portfolio, followed by small finance banks with Rs 28,634 crore and a share of 27%. NBFCs account for another 5% and non-profit MFIs for 1%.

The microfinance industry shrank 0.3% in the June quarter to Rs 1.06 lakh crore from the previous quarter. It is estimated that this loan roughly represents over 90% of the total industry portfolio, excluding self-help group-linked bank loans.

RAY OF HOPE
All is not lost for the micro lenders as there are still investors keen to fund them with both business interest as well as with charitable outlook. The micro lenders as there are still investors keen to fund them with both business interest as well as with charitable outlook. The NBFC-MFI industry has attracted equity worth over Rs 1,300 crore in the last few months despite demonetisation shaving off their business. That reinforces the importance as well as the attractiveness of the model.

“Things are not as bad as people think. MFIs deserve their place in the sun,” says Ratna Vishwanathan, chief executive of MFIN. “Mainstream banks only have limited appetite for microfinance. They are there when the going is good. We have seen in the past that in bad times banks just withdraw themselves.”

But the sector needs an equally demanding fresh equity of Rs 1,500 crore and debt funding of Rs 20,000 crore, going by a conservative growth estimate of 25% for FY18. Investors typically look for stable entities with strong growth potential, robust risk mitigating systems and procedures in place.

“The number of such NBFCMFIs is very limited now,” says Manoj Nambiar, managing director of Arohan Financial Services, which plans to list at stock exchange next year. “So, interest from investors is pretty high for this limited lot.”

Investor interest can cut both ways – help build business but at the same time overstretch to show growth that backfires. “The market today is not entirely empty like yesteryears,” says Bandhan’s Ghosh. “If MFIs want to survive in this new set of circumstances, they need to find new pockets of unbanked customers. Most importantly, MFIs need to invest in capacity building even if they aim to achieve a relatively modest 20-30% growth. Trying to grow beyond one’s means always proves disastrous.”

Vikram Akula, founder of SKS Micro (now Bharat Fin), on the developments in microfinance industry

ON BHARAT FIN’s PLANNED MERGER WITH INDUSIND BANK
Microfinance Institutions emerged to fill a gap. Banks were not lending to the poor. My larger goal was to bring the poor into the purview of the mainstream, as credit-worthy customers for the banking sector. MFIs did that first by borrowing from banks, then securitising loans to banks, then serving as business correspondents for banks. The logical next step was to become a bank or merge with a bank.

The RBI took a bold step by not only creating small finance banks (SFBs) but also payments banks. Such a network of differentiated banks have, and will continue to accelerate financial inclusion. Having said that, there is still a long way to go, and as such, there is still an important role for NBFC MFIs.

ON MFIs FUTURE AS A STANDALONE ENTITY
Certainly, in the long term, it appears that MFIs should either have a plan to merge with a bank or become an SFB. However, at present and probably in the medium term, there is still a gap in financial inclusion. NBFC-MFIs can help bridge this gap. Eventually, it would be good to see the RBI accelerate the next round of SFB licences so that all stand-alone MFINBFCs move under the umbrella of a bank either by becoming SFBs or merging with a bank.

Personas temen a la pérdida de empleo por la automatización

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January 30, 2019

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La población, en general, teme que la automatización conduzca a una significativa pérdida de empleos, mientras que mucha gente es escéptica de que las tecnologías impulsen la eficiencia económica, según una encuesta realizada en 10 países.

El estudio, realizado por Pew Research Center, reveló algunas variaciones entre los países encuestados, siendo Grecia, Sudáfrica y Argentina los que expresaron el más alto grado de certeza de que la tecnología desplazará la mano de obra humana.

Pero las mayorías en los 10 países estuvieron de acuerdo en que la automatización conduciría a una “definitiva” o “probable” gran pérdida de empleos. El porcentaje más bajo se registró en Estados Unidos con 65%, indicó el reporte.

La mayoría también coincidió en los 10 países en que será más difícil encontrar trabajo y que la desigualdad aumentará debido a la automatización y la inteligencia artificial.

(Lea: Automatización destruira miles de empleos)

Una pregunta con un gran rango de diferencias fue si la automatización resultaría en una economía más eficiente. En siete países la mayoría fue escéptica ante esta situación. En Italia sólo el 33% mostró ese punto de vista. Sin embargo, hubo tres países en los que la mayoría de los encuestados aceptó ese argumento: Japón (74%), Polonia (61%) y Hungría (52%).

Otra área en la que hubo variación es en la relacionada con el rol que juegan los gobiernos en la preparación de la fuerza de trabajo para el futuro. En Argentina, Brasil e Italia más de 70% dijeron que el sector público debería asumir ese esa responsabilidad, una visión que solo comparte el 35% de los estadounidenses encuestados.

“La gente está mucho más preocupada por el impacto que esto tendrá en los empleos que en la mayor eficiencia de la economía o en la creación de nuevas oportunidades de empleo”, dijo Bruce Stokes, director de actitudes en la economía global de Pew.

“El argumento positivo hacia esta gran tendencia económica no está teniendo resonancia, al menos en la gente que encuestamos”, dijo. “La gente no lo está aceptando sólo con que se le diga ‘no te preocupes. Será bueno para ti”.

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OUA Explained: Design your study path

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January 30, 2019

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One of the best things about studying online, is greater flexibility, which means greater ability to customise. Through Open Universities Australia (OUA), your study path is in your hands.

OUA brings degrees and subjects from universities across Australia into one spot, which means that you’re able to mix up your subject selection in unique ways. Pick subjects from multiple study areas, across multiple unis, to tailor to your goals and interests. This is easy done if you’re studying single subjects only, but even if you’re studying a full degree, there’s still room to customise.

Customising your degree

Depending on the structure of the degree you choose, in most cases, you can choose elective subjects from different study areas and universities. Your core subjects will come from the university that provides your degree (and your certificate at graduation) but a number of your electives can come from other unis that OUA partners with. It’s perfect if you’re struggling to decide on a degree based on subjects – you may be able to have the best of all worlds.

Find out more

To find out about how you can customise a degree, check out the degree structure section of your desired degree’s webpage, which will outline what’s possible within that program. But if single subject study is what you’re after, go explore our catalogue – any pre-requisites (requirements for entry) will be noted on each subject’s webpage.

To learn more about the online study experience, watch our ‘OUA explained’ video series. We’ll take you through aspects like the time-span of your studies, study loans, and the online study environment, to name a few.

Need to chat to a real human? Fill out the form on this page and a friendly student advisor will get in touch soon.

OUA Explained: Our open-door policy

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January 30, 2019

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If you don’t have a strong or extensive academic history, it doesn’t mean you can’t get into uni. That’s the beauty of Open Universities Australia.

We believe that everyone deserves a quality education, no matter who you are, or what has happened in your past. Through us, you’ll have the opportunity to study a university-level degree, or just single subjects if you prefer. Here’s how it works.

Single undergraduate subjects

If you want to study a degree, but find that you’re not academically eligible, it’s not the end of the road. You can become eligible by first studying single undergraduate subjects, and passing them. The majority of these subjects need no application – they’re open to everyone – so you can start studying today.

Once you’ve passed them, you’ll become academically eligible for the degree. As long as you also meet the residency and citizenship requirements, you’ll be accepted into the degree program, and become an official student of the university that provides it. We’ll be there to manage the administration of your studies*, right through until graduation.

Which subjects specifically?

On the webpage of the degree you’re looking to study, you’ll find the entry requirements, which outlines which subjects you’ll need to pass in order to become eligible for the degree. If you’re not clear on what you need to do, get in touch with a friendly OUA student advisor.

Pro tip: On our website, if you click the bottom corner of a subject box, you’ll get a list of degrees which contain that particular subject.

Find out more

You can learn more about the online study experience by watching our ‘OUA explained’ video series. We’ll take you through aspects like the time-span of your studies, study loans, and the online study environment, to name a few.

If you’ve got any further questions about how you can enter a degree program, fill out the form on this page and a friendly student advisor will get in touch for a chat.

*Some degrees are facilitated from start to finish by the provider university, including enrolment – but our student advisors can still give you helpful advice.

OUA Explained: How OUA works

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January 30, 2019

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You may have heard of Open Universities Australia, but what exactly do we do? How can we benefit you? We’re here to explain how OUA works.

Finding your ideal course

First things first – we’re not a university ourselves. Instead, we partner with leading universities across Australia – long-standing unis with top reputations – to bring you their degrees and single subjects, all in the one place. Whether you’re looking to study at an undergraduate level (usually for uni first-timers) or at postgraduate-level (usually for those with a degree already), there’s no need to sift through dozens of uni websites – you’ll find a huge number of options on our website for you to compare.

If you’re feeling uncertain or overwhelmed, we’ve got an awesome team of student advisors to help you figure out what you want to study, and how to plan it out. Uni jargon can be hard to navigate, so it’s great to have a real person to help you understand things like study terms, subject selection, entry requirements, and loan applications. Nobody said uni would be easy, but with our help, it can certainly be easier to get started.

So you’re enrolled – then what?

Once you’ve enrolled in study through OUA, you become an official student of the university that provides your degree or subject(s). They deliver your course, and provide your certificate at graduation – it’s the same course that an on-campus student would study.

But we don’t wave goodbye to you as soon as you’re enrolled. Our team of advisors will be there to help you manage the administration of your studies* – things like payment, results, exam bookings and re-enrolment into your next subjects. We’ll be there until the day you graduate.

Things to take advantage of

SINGLE SUBJECT STUDY:

Not everywhere can you study single subjects outside of a full degree, and only through OUA can you access a study loan to pay for them (if you’re eligible). Single subjects are a great way to ease into study, or to boost your knowledge or confidence in the workforce.

OUR OPEN-DOOR POLICY:

Most of the undergraduate single subjects on offer through OUA are open to anyone – simply enrol and start studying. If you want to study a degree, but don’t meet the entry requirements, that’s okay. These single subjects also serve as pre-requisite subjects, which enable you to become academically eligible to enter a degree program once you pass them. The subjects you complete may be credited toward your full degree, so you’ll already be ahead before you officially start.

STUDY CUSTOMISATION:

With OUA, you can mix up your subject selection across multiple study areas, even multiple universities. This allows you to truly customise your study, whether that be a full degree, or just some subjects to boost your knowledge.

You can learn more about the online study experience by watching our ‘OUA explained’ video series. We’ll take you through aspects like the time-span of your studies, study loans, and the online study environment, to name a few.

Find out more

We hope you’ve now got a better understanding of how OUA works, and how you can benefit from study through us. We encourage you to go explore our courses and resources, and if you need to chat, fill out the form on this page and a friendly student advisor will get in touch.

*Some degrees are facilitated from start to finish by the provider university, including enrolment – but our student advisors can still give you helpful advice.

Make a name for yourself with an MBA

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January 30, 2019

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If you’ve got a business vision, why sit back when you can take the lead? With a Master of Business Administration (MBA) behind you, you’ll be equipped and ready to make those vital decisions around management and strategy.

To become a great business leader, you’ll need to understand the worlds of the people you manage. Through an MBA, you’ll gain an all-round knowledge of key business areas, such as marketing, accounting and finance. To truly stand-out, you’ll also need to understand the local and international business landscape, and have the ability to make decisions that keep humans at the centre of your thinking. These skills are typically a focus of any modern, forward-thinking MBA degree.

The best thing you’ll gain is a new perspective – it’s when you critique and question the status quo, that you’re truly capable of making a difference.

Those who’ve gone before

The great thing about an MBA, is that it’s well-suited to the online learning format. Many students have succeeded in not only gaining their MBA online via Open Universities Australia (OUA), but using their learnings to make a name for themselves in the workforce.

Edward

For Edward – Project Manager at NAB – his MBA has not only meant excellent career opportunities, but the chance to be a role model. “Being a family man, I just want to show my kids that anything is possible when you put your mind to it”. At first, he was hoping just for a pass, given his competing work and family commitments, but he was surprised by the level of success he managed to achieve.

Edward smiling

Michelle

Michelle also works for NAB, having worked her way up the ladder without a degree. But there came a point of plateau, where Michelle realized she needed to expand and extend her knowledge through higher education. Because of her years of experience in the workforce, Michelle was able to enter an MBA straight off the bat. Ever since graduating, Michelle has been able to rise higher and now works as a Product Portfolio Manager. “The doors kept opening for me, and now I’ve worked in six roles across diverse areas of the business”.

Michelle smiling

Nessa

Nessa is currently studying RMIT’s MBA, online through OUA. “Leaders and managers in the past have talked about the importance of theory behind practice,” says Nessa of her choice to jump back into postgraduate study “so that was really the driver”. Nessa plans to continue her work in the public health sector, with the goal of becoming CEO of a local community health centre, where she’s able to play an influential role in improving the lives of the underprivileged.

Nessa in a meeting

Study your MBA online via OUA

An MBA can take you anywhere, into any industry – making it an incredibly popular postgraduate degree across the board. It’s quite fair to say, you can’t go wrong with an MBA, and OUA is proud to offer a number of them from leading unis across Australia.

Be sure to check out the MBA webpage for in-depth detail about choice, cost, and accreditation, as well as FAQs.

Get in touch

If you’re keen to step up your career, but find yourself questioning whether an MBA is right for you – contact a student advisor via phone or live chat for a friendly conversation, or fill out the form on this page to be contacted soon.

Taking the leap can be daunting, but when the doors start opening, you’ll be thrilled you earned your MBA.

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Personas temen a la pérdida de empleo por la automatización