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How DALL-E Mini Makes Those Viral Image Mashups That Are All Over Social Media

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How DALL-E Mini Makes Those Viral Image Mashups That Are All Over Social Media
How DALL-E Mini Makes Those Viral Image Mashups All Over Your Feed

If you’ve been on social media this week, you’ve probably seen the bizarrely specific melty images popping up on your feed: a court sketch of Godzilla on trial, George Constanza holding multiple cats, a spaghetti parade — just to name a few. These are the product of DALL-E Mini, an AI application that will generate nine (often unintentionally cursed) images based on combinations of words that users type.

Here are the AI-generated images that DALL-E Mini created for “learn to code,” for example:

DALL-E Mini AI image generator "learn to code"
What “learn to code” looks like, according to DALL-E Mini. 

The mashups can be delightfully deranged, which is why DALL-E Mini has taken off on social media. Naturally, there’s a whole subreddit dedicated to weird DALL-E Mini creations.

If you’re learning how to code (or just thinking about it), you might be curious what goes into building this type of technology. Here’s how — plus the programming skills that enable you to build a tool as viral (and nightmarish) as DALL-E Mini.

The story of how DALL-E Mini was built

Machine Learning Engineer Boris Dayma built DALL-E Mini last summer as part of a month-long competition hosted by the AI community Hugging Face and Google. Boris was inspired by a more sophisticated AI called DALL-E, which was created by the lab OpenAI.

Determined to build a similar model to the OG, Boris spent months digging into early DALL-E research, but “I still had no clue how I would do it,” Boris said in an interview with YouTuber Abhishek Thakur.

“As I went through the code, I got a bit scared,” Boris said. “There’s a lot of things that were implemented — it’s kind of complex.”

Per the competition guidelines, Boris and his team had to use Google’s framework JAX to program their DALL-E Mini version. None of them had experience using JAX, which incorporates Python and NumPy programs, so they had to learn from scratch. (If you’ve never heard of the Python library NumPy, our beginner-friendly course Learn Statistics with Python covers how to use it.)

“We had to make the architecture as simple as possible, and we had to leverage a lot of existing code, leverage existing models, and try to write as little as possible,” Boris said. “It’s an approach I always have: When there’s a problem to solve, always try to see is there already an existing solution. If there is one, just use it, and if it works good enough — that’s it, you’re done.”

Judging by the enthusiastic response to DALL-E Mini, the internet thinks it works just fine. In fact, so many people have been trying to spawn their own DALL-E Mini images that the site can’t handle all of the requests due to too much traffic. “We want to keep the balance between people being able to access it while also being aware of costs,” Boris told the UK news outlet i. (Conjuring up DALL-E Mini’s images takes a lot of computing power, which costs money.)

How DALL-E Mini works

DALL-E is complicated — even for machine learning engineers like Boris and his team. But to put it as simply as possible, DALL-E Mini is trained to recognize pre-encoded images.

Training DALL-E Mini involves passing batches of images and descriptions through a system of encoders and decoders until a pre-trained neural network (a programming model inspired by the human brain) is able to create correlation between images and text.

“The model can only be as good as the data set,” Boris said in the YouTube interview. In this case, the team trained DALL-E Mini on 15 million pairs of images and text, which is relatively limiting and explains the warped and weird images, particularly on animals and faces. A bigger dataset and more time to train could improve DALL-E’s yield in the future. The creators noted that the longer DALL-E Mini trained, the better the image quality got.

DALL-E Mini uses a seq2seq model, which is typically used in natural language processing (NLP) for things like translation and conversational modeling. (You can learn how to use seq2seq in our Text Generation course.) “The same idea can be transferred to computer vision once images have been encoded into discrete tokens,” according to an article written by DALL-E Mini’s creators.

How to get started in machine learning and AI

Want to learn more about the world of AI engineering, but don’t know where to start? Our beginner-friendly path Machine Learning Fundamentals will walk you through how machine learning models are created to find patterns in data. In Build Deep Learning Models with TensorFlow, you’ll get a taste of deep learning, which is a type of machine learning inspired by the architecture of the human brain.

Apply Natural Language Processing with Python will teach you how to create your own NLP tools and help you better understand how computers work with human language. And if you already feel comfortable with Python, head to our path Get Started with Machine Learning to have fun with AI and machine learning. You can also experiment creating chatbots through our Build Chatbots with Python skill path.

If you’re fascinated by data science’s role in these models, our career path Data Scientist: Machine Learning Specialist will dive into how to apply machine learning to data and optimize algorithms. And if you’re really vibing with these courses, don’t write off the different types of careers that you can get in data science. Who knows? Maybe you’ll use AI to build the next viral sensation.

Machine Learning Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

Machine Learning is an increasingly hot field of data science dedicated to enabling computers to learn from data. From spam filtering in social networks to computer vision for self-driving cars, the potential applications of Machine Learning are vast.

Stolen Art: Why We Need Repatriation

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Stolen Art: Why We Need Repatriation

This essay, by Serena Liu, age 15, from Parkway West High School in Chesterfield, Mo., is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s Ninth Annual Student Editorial Contest, for which we received 16,664 entries.

We are publishing the work of all the winners and runners-up over the next week, and you can find them here as they post.

Stolen Art: Why We Need Repatriation

The legacy of imperialism is scarred with suffering. After millions of deaths and treaties forged through blood, that’s not a particularly controversial statement. Yet in the softly illuminated halls of museum exhibits, Western countries flaunt their imperialist history by displaying plundered art.

A couple of years ago, I visited the Summer Palace in Beijing. Glazed towers rose above a lush forest, painted against the blue sky and the even bluer Kunming Lake. However, as my mother told me then, this complex was a shadow of the old Summer Palace, which was sacked by British and French forces in 1860. Led by the British commander Lord Elgin, pieces were taken to be auctioned, and the fallen palace was burned to the ground.

Now, regal scepters and shining jade from the old Summer Palace grace the Royal Collection and other British museums. Each unreturned artifact is a reminder of the century of humiliation that Western nations imposed upon China. As Chinese nationalism grows, this resentment festers in the already tense political relations between the East and West.

But the issue extends beyond China. In the world of art history, Elgin is an infamous name. Starting in 1802, Lord Elgin’s father and his men carved intricate friezes and metopes from the famous Athena Parthenon in Greece and shipped them to London, where they are now kept in the British Museum. The Greek government has since demanded the return of these artifacts, known as the Elgin Marbles.

If the Elgin Marbles were repatriated, they would be displayed in the Acropolis Museum. Here, in the exhibit where plaster molds of the Elgin Marbles stand in lieu of the real ones, soaring windows offer a panoramic view of the Acropolis. Only here, where the viewer is free to envision how these artifacts once decorated the Parthenon, can their full historical context be appreciated in all its antique glory.

However, some fear that repatriation would cause the downfall of encyclopedic museums. Referring to the Koh-i-Noor diamond, a gem taken from the Mughal Empire following the colonization of India, the former British Prime Minister David Cameron stated that “if you say yes to one you suddenly find the British Museum would be empty.”

But perhaps some museums should be emptied.

The British Museum’s founder, Sir Hans Sloane, funded his collection through imperial networks and backbreaking Jamaican slavery. In Belgium, the Africa Museum — where Congolese were once exhibited like zoo animals — was constructed with profits from King Leopold’s cruel Congo.

No matter what renovations are made, history cannot change. These museums, built on the foundations of colonialism, serve as modern shrines to oppressive imperial ideals, and refusing to return stolen art is an insult to all those who suffered under them.

Works Cited

Bernhard, Meg. “Belgium Confronts Ugly Colonial Past, but African Museum Changes Don’t Please Everyone.” Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2019.

Boissoneault, Lorraine. “The British Museum Was a Wonder of Its Time — but Also a Product of Slavery.” Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Oct. 2017.

Bowlby, Chris. “The Palace of Shame That Makes China Angry.” BBC, 2 Feb. 2015.

Nayeri, Farah. “Remembering the Racist History of ‘Human Zoos.’” The New York Times, 29 Dec. 2021.

Ouroussoff, Nicolai. “The New Acropolis Museum: A Dialogue With Antiquity.” The New York Times, 30 Oct. 2007.

Tweedie, Neil. “The Koh-i-Noor: Diamond Robbery?” The Telegraph, 29 July 2010.

High on Helping: The Dangers of Voluntourism

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High on Helping: The Dangers of Voluntourism

This essay, by Ketong Li, age 17, from Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Conn., is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s Ninth Annual Student Editorial Contest, for which we received 16,664 entries.

We are publishing the work of all the winners and runners-up over the next week, and you can find them here as they post.

High on Helping: The Dangers of Voluntourism

As an Asian student in the United States, I’ve faced my share of cringe-inducing cultural insensitivity and casual imperialism. But in the summer of 2020, ironically, I was guilty of the exact same.

A group of peers and I had traveled to Myanmar, ostensibly to create a musical to promote and preserve the Wa people’s artistic culture. The fact that none of us had any background in anthropology, musicology or production was strangely irrelevant. “Hi! I’m here to protect your heritage by publicizing your customs to the world,” I announced shamelessly to the Wa chief.

Welcome to the rapidly growing industry of voluntourism, which markets itself as a seamless blend of charity and leisure. Organizing trips for over 10 million people annually, voluntourism agencies reap billions from their clients’ good intentions. The seemingly benevolent nature of the activity has made it a top choice extracurricular for students who can afford it.

Unfortunately, most participants (including my past self) are blind to its disturbing consequences. In the words of a New York Times article, voluntourists assume that “simply by being privileged enough to travel the world” they “are somehow qualified to help ease the world’s ills.”

The idea that voluntourism is based in egotism, not altruism, may be a tough pill to swallow. But voluntourists’ actions are often fruitless due to the volunteers’ limited involvement and expertise. Put bluntly, many of these trips serve no purpose other than to pad resumes and fuel social media posts. It is up to universities, at whom much of this business is aimed, to point out explicitly how superficial — or downright detrimental — these efforts can be.

Voluntourism implicitly teaches students to develop a “white savior” complex toward the regions they visit. More insidiously, residents of host communities can become dependent on foreign influence — financial influence, that is, because none of the voluntourists’ other impacts typically last longer than their trip. As Pippa Biddle illustrates in the book “Ours To Explore,” once one group “[finishes] building bathrooms at a local school and [leaves] for home, the structures [will be] demolished to make way for a new project, built by a fresh set of volunteers.” She even documented how children in Uganda learned to “rub dirt on themselves before running toward arriving volunteers.”

Many students don’t realize that to better the world, they don’t have to leave their own neighborhoods, let alone their continent. While helping seniors set up grocery deliveries may not sound as exciting as building schools for impoverished children, it demonstrates what colleges really want to see, without the hefty price tag and overtones of imperialism. As I learned myself, all that matters is having a long-term positive impact — there’s no need to make a song and dance.

Works Cited

Bansal, Sarika. “Do No Harm: The Dark Side of Voluntourism.” Driving Change, 8 Dec. 2021.

Biddle, Pippa. “Ours To Explore: Privilege, Power, and the Paradox of Voluntourism.” Potomac Books, an Imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, 2021.

Kushner, Jacob. “The Voluntourist’s Dilemma.” The New York Times, 22 March 2016.

To Meme or Not to Meme

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To Meme or Not to Meme

This, in turn, begs the question: Can crises be memed?

The majority of meme content has been fueled by teenagers whose coming-of-age has been accompanied by generation-defining events. As the digital media strategist Joshua Chapdelaine said in an article for Teen Vogue, memes create the “perfect vessels for high-anxiety moments when words may be difficult to find.” Processing emotions through unprecedented times can be complex, but memes alleviate that difficulty through their ability to transcend emotional boundaries.

Moreover, memes allow teenagers to openly participate in discussions regarding political and social developments. With their less intimidating nature, memes ease the process in which opinions are shared and formed. “As the memes and their narratives travel and spread, they help shape the larger cultural narrative … just as all memes, from toxic to wholesome, help create cultural narratives,” writes Aja Romano in Vox. Accessible by anyone, memes serve as the youth’s entry into becoming well-informed citizens. At a time of undeniably high sociopolitical tension, it is crucial that youth are aware of global issues; memes facilitate exactly that.

Despite seemingly lacking sophistication, memes are effectively raising awareness for a teenage audience. Just as the generation before had political cartoons, today’s youth have memes to engage in political discourse. Through this revolutionary method of communication, memes are shaping the way teens interact with the world.

Works Cited

Colombo, Charlotte. “Westerners, Please Stop With the Memes and Hot Takes on the Ukraine Crisis.” HuffPost, 7 March 2022.

Colombo, Charlotte. “Memes and War: Why People Turn to Jokes During Times of Crisis.” Teen Vogue, 3 March 2022.

Phelan, Hayley. “Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin and the Insidious Meme-Ification of War.” The New York Times, 26 March 2022.

Romano, Aja. “Reckoning With the War Meme in Wartime.” Vox, 25 Feb. 2022.

Teenagers in The Times: May 2022

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Teenagers in The Times: May 2022

Here is the May edition of Teenagers in The Times, a roundup of the news and feature stories about young people that have recently appeared across sections of NYTimes.com. It is the final edition of this school year, but the feature will be back in the fall, and will publish on the first Thursday of every month.

For ideas about how to use Teenagers in The Times with your students, please see our lesson plan and special activity sheet, both of which can be used with this or any other edition.

My College Students Are Not OK

“Late assignments, failed tests, sleeping in class: Welcome to the pandemic-era university,” writes the author of this Opinion essay, a professor of first-year writing at a university in Texas.

Accused of Cheating by an Algorithm, and a Professor She Had Never Met

The student, 17, was flagged for “acting suspiciously” during an exam in February.

Students Protest Covid Lockdowns at Elite Beijing University

Authorities moved quickly to censor videos and photos that showed students at Peking University demonstrating.

How a Debut Graphic Memoir Became the Most Banned Book in the Country

Maia Kobabe’s book “Gender Queer,” about coming out as nonbinary, landed the author at the center of a battle over which books belong in schools, and who gets to make that decision.

Summer Camp for All

“It’s hard to imagine a more ideal escape for young people living through an extraordinary time of grief, loneliness and upheaval,” writes the author of this Opinion essay.

Are the Next Global Tennis Stars Among These Tweens?

The search for elite players is so competitive that IMG, the agency that once ruled tennis, is cultivating preteens to find the next prodigy, giving them access to representatives from the pro tours and Nike.

A New Class of Campus Satire

With shows like “The Chair,” a fresh group of storytellers are using college life to explore — and lampoon — privilege and identity.

H.B.C.U.s Have a Spirit All Their Own. Pop Culture Is Paying Attention.

Thanks to Beyoncé, Ralph Lauren and hit shows like “All American: Homecoming,” depictions of Black campus life have moved from “A Different World” to center stage.

My Plea for a Sixth Love Language

The winner of our college essay contest explores how for her Syrian family, scattered by war, a WhatsApp group chat — rife with silly videos and often regrettable photos — is everything.

Kid Krono Wrote Music for Kanye West Between Classes

Konrad Birgisson, a teenager from New York, messaged his favorite music producers on Instagram.

Review: ‘Belfast Girls’ Set Sail, but This Isn’t a Pleasure Cruise

A historical drama revisits a 19th-century scheme in which Irish girls of “good character” were encouraged to immigrate to Australia.

Colin Kaepernick to Publish a Young Adult Memoir

“Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game,” an illustrated book, follows a young athlete choosing between baseball, which seems like a sure path, and football, where he feels he can be himself.

This ‘Cats’ Adaptation Has the Kids Singing

J.J. Pearce High School in Texas staged one of the country’s first school productions of “Cats: Young Actors Edition,” a new one-hour version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

The Cornerstone Acquisition

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The Cornerstone Acquisition

There are a lot of pundits out there. Top that with analysts, then individuals with their own takes, and you can read or listen to a lot of perspectives. Whether it is crypto or inflation or whether greenhouse tomatoes taste better than those found on a street corner, there are a lot of people with lots of thoughts. It is the same way with learning systems, and yes, e-learning. Remember the talk around EdTech with the Pandemic? The doomsday machine was going full tilt. Those that couldn’t wait to pronounce it and object failure, pushed the narrative that it was. Sure in some cases it did poorly, but it wasn’t because the idea wasn’t sound, it was due to the way the learning was presented.

The LMS market takes a beating all the time. Every few years, the death knell is announced. A pundit says this or that. An analyst jumps on board and now the doom of the LMS is here. Yet, over and over again, nothing is farther from the truth. The LMS market still has the largest share in the learning system space, many are in the last five years, they range from innovative to just eech.

I bring this up, because after it was announced that Cornerstone will be acquiring SumTotal, the pundits went out and espoused some very interesting ideas. The end of the LMS was a common theme, the impact of L&D will never be the same made the rounds (I guess training is okay then?). The L&D ripple effect with the LMS, a combo delight for some, showed up too.

One article I read, saw the acquisition as the end of innovation in the LMS market. Granted it was noted that the market has changed, but that statement really stuck out, and another one did as well. The idea that companies no longer wanted their LMS to be “an employee-facing system”.

I respectfully disagree.

I never put innovation and SumTotal in the same sentence. SumTotal was never innovative. They were not the first ones with a mobile app. Nor the first with a machine learning algorithm or curation or visual marketplace with one-click capability, nor modern UI/UX, nor, well the list goes on.

I did like the SumTotal app for Support, I thought that was clever, but it was more about a stigma that SumTotal had/has poor support. By showing “here is the data and updates around support information”, it helped or ideally helped alleviate the concerns from some of their customers.

As for the acquisition being the end of innovation in the LMS space, let’s not forget that there are a lot of LMSs out there, and many are continuing to be innovative. Thus, I am not seeing the end of innovation, over this acquistion. Nor do I see that companies no longer want their LMS to be an employee-facing system. Do some companies follow that mantra? Absolutely, but there are plenty who do not. I have a client as we speak, who is seeking a learning system that is only for their employees. Will the system end up being an LMS? Sure. Just as it may end up being a learning platform or a combo of LMS with LXP. As with anything related to the learning system space, it is what the client – the customer wants to use the system for, and not necessarily what the LMS vendor (in this case) is pushing.

Cornerstone LMS still is overall an employee-facing system. That is their core audience. Their feature sets push this narrative quite hard. Can I use it for customer-education? Sure, but that isn’t it’s main focus. Access LMS is for the FS space – and employee-focused. Peoplefluent is an LMS, which is employee-focused. Schoox is an LMS that is employee-focused, that yes, you can use for customer-education, but the whole feature set angles around employees. Ethena is an LMS that pushes compliance heavily, that is employee-focused. BlueVolt is trying to re-invent themselves as customer education, but the system is heavy still around employees. And the list goes on.

Part of the challenge comes down to how you define an employee-focused system versus one whose feature sets align strongly with employees, but offers some capabilities or markets themselves as ideal for corporate training or L&D, or customer education. I refer to these as combo systems, and depending on the vendor, the percentage of audiences can sway back and forth. Then you have vendors who call themselves something other than an LMS, even though they have the standard features of an LMS. Plenty of them out there are employee-focused systems. One I think off the bat is Learn Amp. Great, great system. However, they are heavily an employee-focused system.

When folks reach out to me on the term “learning systems”, I explain I use the term as the umbrella term, because there are vendors – who really are an LMS – but choose to call themselves something else. Learning Platform. Employee Engagement Platform. Employee Experience Platform (the assumption here is that they are an LXP or LXP with some LMS functionality – fun fact, unless they have the six standards of an LXP, it is a stretch). A few vendors refer to themselves as a training management system, ignoring the fact, that a training management system is focused heavy around scheduling capabilities, and thus, they are not a training management system – Rise by Articulate is one example. A legit training management system would be Training Orchestra.

On the skills side, it isn’t drop everything and focus only on skills. Some vendors do a far better job on it, then others – the best I’ve seen is Cornerstone LMS (using my Skills Template functionality as my scale). And I’d argue that some skill features existed before the rampage to adding it – they do, because the market demands it. Remember the rampage towards micro-learning? Super Hot, then hot, now, simmering. Every system, offers micro-learning, and they have since 2000. They just didn’t say “micro-learning”. When you bought an LMS back in the day, the whole power was to find out what your learner knew and did not know. And from the did not know, what courses could you provide to them, to close that gap – wait for it, skills and knowledge gap.

LMSs were not created specifically for compliance. Sure you could buy Cobent, that was a compliance only LMS, but the market as a whole, was across the map. The systems I purchased, were not compliance heavy. I didn’t want that, nor needed it. SumTotal, Cornerstone, Saba to name the big three legacy, and toss in Net Dimensions while you are at it, played heavy in the compliance side, but plenty of customers bought them for other reasons – and yes, all were heavy around employee-focused. In the early 2010’s, I remember talking to Saba, who told me privately they say themselves as a performance management system, while publicly pushing themselves as an LMS.

Which brings back the whole thing around “definitions” and specifically defining oneself. How a vendor defines themselves from a marketing standpoint and market standpoint, may not be the way they see themselves internally. Degreed pushes upskilling platform, never mentioning that they are an LXP, yet I recall one call, where a salesperson told me they were an LXP (at the same time, they were pushing the narrative of upskilling). Degreed BTW did not score as high, compared to Cornerstone LMS. Degreed to me is a TXP (Talent Development – as I define it (again, definitions variance) with LXP capabilities). If you want opportunities – which is employee-focused here, then you buy the add-on. The majority of folks who purchase Degreed are doing so for their employees, but the whole LXP thing gets batted in there.

EdCast offered LMS capabilities (they still do – but have a new name for it, and it is an add-on), and were strong in Skills, again, not as high as Cornerstone LMS. Comparing EdCast to Degreed just for skills, and EdCast scores higher for now. If you want technical skills only, then Pluralsight is the vendor you want, and still, Cornerstone LMS scored higher (using my template).

LXPs were supposed to be the end of the LMS or learning as we know it, according to some pundits, but that hasn’t happened. Part of the reasoning is that they targeted only L&D (ignoring training, which seems to be the ugly stepchild that the majority of vendors forget exists), and once L&D wanted assigned learning, tada – the LXPs added it. This ended the notion that the LXP is learner-centric, because once you assign learning, it isn’t learner-driven, it is you driving it – a far difference. I mean, when you decided to learn how to drive, I’m confident that whoever was assisting you in the passenger seat, wasn’t thinking, you are driver-centric, as the passenger assistant was gasping when you ran over the curb. My mom was the person who went in those car rides. My Dad? He lasted one outing and swore never again.

Another thing that happened to the LXPs is that they started to add LMS functionality. Not necessarily full blown by any stretch, but from the admin side, I find as a whole, they have nearly every feature – one does tend to stick out as missing. On the Learning Environment side, ditto. Again, not everyone, but plenty.

When the LXP market appeared their main focus was to be a bolt-on or add-on to an existing LMS (or any learning system for that matter). Sure, some wanted to be the main system, but they were new to the space. Nowadays, there are LXPs that are the main system. And that is fine, it is how the market evolves.

So much so, that there are learning systems out there who say they have an LXP or they are a combo with LXP, but ignore the fact that they lack the six standard features. Who says marketing doesn’t work?

Remember when machine learning (vendors refer to it as AI) was the rage? Everyone was rumbling around adding it. Or how about video? Or curation? Or the “Netflix” look? Or playlists?

The point is that the market evolves and adapts. What is red hot now, may not be in say a year or two. Each time something hits the market hard based on demand, the industry as a whole, races to it, as lemmings (yes, I know the real story about the Disney Lemmings). It isn’t new, uh not the Disney thing, rather the whole this is new, we all see folks asking for it, rumble, rumble, rumble.

Advanced metrics with some BI twist is showing up more, and the latest item – which I believe will be hot by the end of 2023, is the ability to do your own connectors within the system (vendors who have it, offer it as an add-on). Docebo calls it Docebo Connect (and it popular not just with large companies – i.e. Enterprise and Large Enterprise, but also with smaller size businesses). EdCast offer is too – albeit I can’t recall the name. D2L is going to market, and I have talked with multiple vendors eyeing it too. The solution they are using, which is deeply integrated is Workato.

Speaking of that, the deep integration of other solutions into the learning system space, including those pesky LMSs is a popular trend within the industry. I recommend it, so that the vendor can focus on other areas. Anders Pink is the popular solution for scrubbing the net and bringing back free content. Bongo Learn, which just launched a standalone version too, is popular for the skills validation, digital coaching, role-playing and scenario-based components that show up in some systems (Bongo and Anders Pink continue to grow).

E-Learning marketplaces or marketplaces – those terms again, are appearing more and more in the learning system space. Some vendors just go with one aggregator, GO1 or Open Sesame which overs an extensive list of courses/content from a lot of different publishers.

All of this brings up two areas – market demand and early adopters. The latter group, whiffs quite a bit, who remembers the vendor who offered a smart TV app? However, they do hit home runs. Degreed was the first vendor who went heavy on the skills side for learning systems. The first with the playlist tied to machine learning. ExpertusOne was the first vendor to have geolocation with their mobile app. MediaCore who was eventually acquired by Workday (and was the core of WD Learning) was the first to be a true “video learning platform” with a YouTube experience. There is a vendor out there, who was the first to have an VR learning system, albeit you could access it without VR using a table, and seeing 3D, so uh, not sure VR was legit. Anyway, they are no longer.

I think one way we should look at the industry, is not necessarily the type of learning system – LMS, LXP, EXP, TXP, Learning Platform – rather what does it offer (functionality, capabilities) that meets your needs and learning/training requirements AND what audiences or industries they target (i.e. customer education, Employees, Combo). Hence the learning system umbrella term. If you want a system that offers QR codes tied to content, they exist. If you want one that captures external training sessions, they exist. If you want one that you buy the content in a marketplace, click and wham it goes into the system, well, they exist – BTW, Docebo was the first vendor to offer this, and we are going back at least several years.

Cornerstone LMS continues to be innovative – they score very high in my NexGen capabilities, far more so than a lot of newer systems on the market. The problem is they do a very poor job of messaging that out to the wider audience (i.e. folks looking for NexGen capabilities in a learning system, in this case LMS). They have the same problem with skill functionality. Messaging and Marketing drives this industry, and always has, which is why some vendors do a far better job at landing folks, and getting eyeballs, compared to others.

Even though a learning system, whether it is an LMS, Learning Platform or LXP may be a stronger and cutting-edge system.

As I wrote on LinkedIn this past week, Cornerstone following the acquisition of SumTotal is referring to themselves as a “united talent platform”. They are close to the edge of an HCM, but lack benefits and HRIS. SumTotal pitched themselves in some cases as an HCM, but lacked a couple of mods, like HRIS – which gets us all back to what we “define as” and “definitions”.

More vendors in the learning system space, those playing heavy on the employee side, are really going after the HR folks to purchase, on top of L&D (training, anyone?). With that, comes functionality that gets into the whole workforce development (on my template), but it is not universal. The way I see it, if the system in question – core is around learning/training, then they are in the learning system space. If the core is around performance or talent management, then, no you are not in the learning system space (definitions).

Bottom Line

The Cornerstone Acquisition of SumTotal and before that EdCast, and Saba doesn’t change a whole lot in the L&D or TRAINING space, not from the innovation level, or employee-focused level or the skills attitude or new learning technologies or even market trends and expansion.

We adapt. We evolve.

And we grow.

That said, if Amazon was to acquire a learning system vendor or jump into the market,

Then yes, you should be paying close attention – because it would be a Tsunami with lots of folks running around like Chicken Little (gets a bad rap).

But, and I strongly say But

Eventually the market will right itself, the LMS will still be there. The LXP, Learning Platform, EXP, Fred’s House of Learning and combo type of systems.

They may lose customers. Heck, some will be financially suffering,

Yet, here is a factoid, you may not realize.

The above already exists (customers leaving/adding, financially challenged with some vendors),

And the market

Is doing

Just Fine.

E-Learning 24/7

Final Note – I want to send my Condolences to David Patterson, whose wife, Amanda passed away recently. David, is an underrated analyst who is an amazing fellow, and has a real touch on the market. I hold him in high regard in this industry.

The Dangers of Stress and How To Manage It

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The Dangers of Stress and How To Manage It

“It’s not stress that kills us; it is our reaction to it.” Hans Selye

Stress is an ordinary part of everyday life. Young or old. Male and female. Employed or unemployed. Students. We all experience stress to a certain degree. For most of us, we know stress as being “all bad” for us. While this is true, on the other hand, it forms an integral part of our survival. Read on to learn everything you need to know about stress, the types, causes and essential tips on how to manage it.

BONUS! We’ve also included some free courses to help you manage your stress levels better!

What Is Stress?

Stress is the feeling and reaction you experience to any physical, emotional, or psychological strain. Our bodies are naturally designed to deal with stress. Our bodies signal to us through various physical responses of issues that need to be addressed. 

When a work deadline is looming, positive stress can push you to perform and deliver the task. Away from work, the small bursts of stress serve as your body’s survival instinct kicking and helping avoid danger.

Prolonged bursts of stress can negatively impact the mind and body and can become chronic.

What Causes Stress?

We spend a third of our lives at work. That’s thousands of hours in a lifetime. Deadlines, difficult managers, team members, career switching, changing work environments and simply not having enough hours in the day can all contribute to stress. It’s exhausting. It’s overwhelming. The workplace can be taxing. But it’s not just work. There are many different factors that contribute to stress which can be both internal and external factors:

  •  Parenting challenges
  •  Studies
  •  Personal relationships
  •  Financial worries
  •  Work
  •  Major life changes

Each of these affect us differently and our ability to cope with ease differs.

Types Of Stress

Three main types of stress can be identified:

  • Acute stress: these stresses are a result of a traumatic experience like the death of a loved one, an accident, injury, or violation. Survivors often end up developing unhealthy coping techniques like using alcohol and emotional detachment. In worst-case scenarios, it can turn into PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) which can last for years.
  • Chronic stress: this a prolonged stress on an individual due to a recurring stressor. These stressors can be work-related or relational. It becomes chronic because they are long-lasting, are more difficult to manage and can end up causing chronic conditions like high blood pressure and anxiety.
  • Eustress: this is also known as the body’s “fight or flight” response to dangers and threats. It raises your awareness and the burst of adrenaline that comes with it prompts your body to either fight or run from the danger.

Effects Of Stress

Stress is mental and emotional, but its effects can be physical too. When we can’t find healthy ways to deal with stress, it can be debilitating on our bodies, affecting our health. Other effects of stress are:

  •  Anxiety in the workplace
  •  Insomnia
  •  Headaches, dizziness, migraines
  •  Digestive problems
  •  High blood pressure
  •  Lack of motivation, restlessness, lack of focus

For many of us, stress is manageable, however, for a vast number of people, their 9-5 and personal stressors are more than they can handle.

We can’t run from work nor the challenges, responsibilities, and realities of life. This means we must find healthy and productive ways to cope with stress in every area of our lives. Our course on stress management in the workplace provides you with the skills you need to know to deal with the different pressures we all face.

Tips To Manage Stress

  1. Exercise and relax.

This can’t be stressed enough. Taking time to relax mind, body and soul releases the tensions in the body. You can take a course that teaches and broadens your understanding of how the body’s soft matter can heal. With this course, you will also learn how to incorporate the different elements of the body to relax.

  1. Eat well

A healthy diet and lifestyle are the simple, easy-to-do solution to many of life’s problems. When you arm your body with the right nutrients, you arm it to fight some of the effects can have on your body. It also reduces lethargic feelings, giving you strength to face and fight the stresses that come your way with a fresh, clear mind and body.

  1. Create goals

Procrastination is the thief of time. When you leave things to the last minute, you create unnecessary stress on yourself. Set goals, get organised as much and as far as you are able and stick to them. It’s not always easy to do, but this means you’ll be able to adjust and adapt to unexpected life emergencies when they arise. You are better able to handle what falls on your plate because you have a working system that keeps things in check.

  1. Find balance

The body is designed to withstand and do a lot. It’s not however designed to keep going non-stop. Find a way to balance your work and home commitments. Give yourself a break.

  1. Seek help

Asking for help doesn’t mean you are weak. Don’t be afraid to seek and ask for help. We aren’t designed to do life alone. There is always someone who can lend a hand if you’re struggling. Talk therapy and in some instances, taking prescribed medication are viable solutions to help you where you fall short. 

We’ve put together a list several courses you can take to help you manage and beat stress:

Take a few minutes of your day to do a quick check in and take our Mental Wellbeing Assessment here.

Stress is an everyday reality for all of us. But there are courses available that will teach you stress management skills that you can use at both work and home will bring you much needed relief.

Alison Learner Spotlight: Meet Gloria Alado

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Alison Learner Spotlight: Meet Gloria Alado

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go.” – Dr Seuss

If we’re honest, studying is not always easy to do. There’s an aspect of fun, excitement, the adventure of learning something new, discovering new skills to win at something and challenging yourself to greater heights. On the other hand, the art of balancing work and studies can become a bit overwhelming and leave you wondering if you can do it. The good news is, Yes You Can! But we all need a little encouragement along the way and hear from those who’ve successfully done it to remind you that you can too. 

Today, we want to introduce you to one of Alison’s proud Alison graduates, Gloria Alado. We sat down one-on-one with her to find out about her learning experience with Alison, how it has grown her career and some words of wisdom for anyone looking to study further and achieve career success.

  1. What is your current role?

I work as a recruitment specialist.

  1. How did you find out about Alison?

I found Alison via LinkedIn.

  1. What made you choose to study with Alison?

Online learning is a lifeline to those who want to continue working and studying simultaneously. The “flexibility, clarity and in-depth explanations” of the courses are some of the reasons why I chose to study through Alison.

  1. What courses did you do?

Alison is a great online learning platform. Not just because of the flexibility it offers its students, but because of the range of courses available to choose from. She told us that she has completed several courses to help boost and draw her closer to her career goals. These include a Diploma in HR, Recruitment, The Recruitment and Onboarding Process and Modern Recruitment.

  1. How much time per week did you spend studying?

I dedicated four days per week to studying.

  1. How did the courses you completed prepare and help you in your career?

“It helped me advance and have mastery in my career. I got to understand other areas of recruiting and was able to apply the knowledge gained to my work.”

  1. What skills or knowledge did you learn throughout the program that you found most useful in your career?

Although the various courses were in the same field, each focused on a different aspect and thus produced learnings and skills. Teamwork, sourcing, and time management are some that come immediately to mind.

  1. Did you experience any challenges while completing the course?

For some, the switch from face-to-face learning to online learning can be daunting. But the structure, flexibility and ease of our courses didn’t pose any challenges for me.

  1. Are there any other courses you’d like to study through Alison?

Alison has over 4000+ courses and there’s always something new to learn, skills to develop and areas to grow in. My academic journey is not yet finished. I am still taking and will continue to take more courses.

  1. What advice can you give to prospective Alison learners?

“Start now. There are so many things to learn in order to become an expert in your career. So, start now and be AMAZING!”

  1. How do you stay motivated during studying?

“I put my learnings into immediate practice as I proceed” with the course material.

If you, like Gloria, are interested in pursuing a career in HR, our Fundamental of Human Resources course is a great place to start your journey. For the seasoned HR professional, a certificate in Strategic Human Resource Management and Development will teach you the essential skills to effectively improve productivity within your team and get the most out of each member.

Gloria has had an amazing development and self-empowerment journey with us. She recommends Alison as a learning platform to her trainees who are looking to break into the HR field and advance their careers. The courses she’s completed have helped her immensely in her career and they can do the same for you too.

We love hearing about all the positive ways studying is impacting lives and helping our students reach their goals. We are incredibly proud of Gloria’s dedication, and commitment to not only learning, but sharing the good news about Alison. 

If you would like to be featured as part of our Alison Learner Spotlight series, tell us how Alison has empowered you in the comment section below. Who knows, you might just be next!

 

How I Went From Working In Accounting To Becoming A React & Native Developer

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How I Went From Working In Accounting To Becoming A React & Native Developer
How I Went From Working In Accounting To Becoming A React & Native Developer

Learning to code so that you can land a job in tech can feel daunting. That’s why we’re sharing inspiring stories from Codecademy’s community — to show how people like you (yes, you!) can embark on a learning journey and end up with a totally new career. We hope these stories serve as a reminder that there’s no single path to a more fulfilling work life.

Today’s story is from Doug Henderson, a 31-year-old React and Native Developer on contract at Reelay living in Asheville, NC. Read more stories from Codecademy learners here — and be sure to share your story here.

Why I chose to learn to code

“I wanted to solve problems, and I thought there would always be problems to solve in accounting. But it was just a lot of putting the numbers where they need to go, and it’s solved for you. I realized that I wanted to build stuff — like Legos. And then I started learning to code on my own, and it skyrocketed from there. I started with JavaScript because I did some research into hiring patterns and saw that JavaScript, Ruby, and Python were in the top three in-demand languages. So I dabbled in all three initially, but JavaScript spoke to me the loudest.”

How I made time to learn

“I had a Google calendar that I set up for myself and developed a pattern immediately where I would check my email every morning then go into the calendar to see what’s going on. I knew during my lunch breaks I could do 20 or 30 minutes; and sometimes I could learn before I left for work, if I had time. Also Codecademy had just updated their app, so I’d utilize that as well, and then I’d come home and really dig into projects. I did about 2 to 4 hours a day between Codecademy and YouTube videos. I think discipline and commitment are almost more important than motivation. If you have both, then it’s smooth sailing.”

How I saved up enough money to switch careers

“At one point, I did leave my job to study more because I was nearing the end. My partner — we’ve been together for about 5 years — was really the backbone. So she was the breadwinner, and also the ref and coach making sure I was motivated.”

How long it took me to land a job

“One year from when I started learning.”

How I got in the door

“A lot of data structures and algorithms practice. A lot of remembering how React component life cycles work. I really knew the fundamentals and went in completely honest that I’d never done this professionally before, but that I needed someone to give me a shot.”

How I nailed the interview

“The interview  process was really good. It was only three stages: one was the behavioral, the second was the technical, and the third was a one-on-one with the CEO. The team is super small, so it was really fun. It was a really great culture fit. I couldn’t actually solve the problem during the interview; I would have had to Google it. But I knew exactly where the problem was, and I was very transparent and told the CTO, ‘Hey, I know this isn’t working because this is here and this is wrong. Without Googling it, I can’t fix it, but I’m sure if I Googled it, I could fix it in 5 minutes.’ So then I walked through why it was wrong, what the behavior was, and what the behavior should be.”

How I evaluated the offer

“A big part of that for me was whether it was fully remote or not — and it was. That was a huge checkmark on the box! The second one was the culture, so getting to know the team and the company, and talking to them. The third thing was the actual product; the app is like if TikTok meets Rotten Tomatoes. I wanted something I’d be interested in, and I found that very interesting. And I love mobile development! Some of the other interviews were for front-end or back-end, but I really wanted mobile development.”

How day one & beyond went

“It was great. I spent a lot of time pair programming with the CTO at the time. We went through the roadmap and the bug report library. The first day was really getting your feet in and looking at the codebase.”

What I wish I knew before I started learning

“I wish I’d known how important data structures and algorithms are. You could build an entire full-stack project right now that is a complete clone of Facebook and have 10,000 users on it, but nobody really cares if you can’t reverse a linked list or invert a binary tree.*”

*Don’t know what that means? Don’t sweat it! This is something you’ll learn in our Linear Data Structures and Complex Data Structures courses.

Learn like Doug

See the courses and languages that helped them most.

Not sure where to start? Check out our personality quiz! We’ll help you find the best programming language to learn based on your strengths and interests.

Want to share your Codecademy learner story? Drop us a line here. And don’t forget to join the discussions in our community.

JavaScript Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

JavaScript is a fun and flexible programming language. It’s one of the core technologies of web development and can be used on both the front-end and the back-end.

Announcing the Coursera Global Skills Report 2022

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Announcing the Coursera Global Skills Report 2022

By Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera CEO

Today, I’m excited to introduce the Coursera Global Skills Report 2022, an in-depth look at the state of skills globally. The Global Skills Report draws data from 100 million learners in more than 100 countries who have used Coursera to develop a new skill during the past year. The report benchmarks three of the most in-demand skill areas driving employment in the digital economy – business, technology, and data science. For the first time, this year’s report also highlights changes in ranking for each country, and state-specific data for the U.S. and India, where regional variations are notable. 

The 2022 Global Skills Report highlights how the acceleration of digital transformation, inflation, and global instability are driving increased demand for digital and human skills needed to thrive in the new economy. The Great Resignation and automation are mandating stronger investments in human capital, as institutions must prioritize developing the high-demand digital and human skills required to build a competitive and equitable workforce. Our data shows these skills are not equally distributed, and students and low-wage workers need access to flexible, affordable, and fast-tracked pathways to entry-level digital jobs that offer a foundation for a stronger and more inclusive economy. 

Understanding the Global Skills Ranking

In the Global Skills Report, over 100 countries are ranked against one another, with percentile rankings attributed to each skill proficiency. A country that shows 100% skills proficiency ranks at the top of the 100+ countries, and a country at 0% is at the bottom. Coursera breaks out each group’s percentile rankings into the following four categories based on quartiles: 

  • Cutting-edge (76% or above)
  • Competitive (51% – 75%)
  • Emerging (26%-50%)
  • Lagging (25% or below)

Global trends in the report include:

  • Entry-level or “gateway” certificate course enrollments among women reached 40% in 2021, up significantly from 25% in 2019. Certificates, such as Google IT Support and Google Data Analytics, provide a clear pathway to gain skills needed for high-demand, entry-level digital jobs. These courses require approximately 240 total learning hours, which can be completed in just six months at 10 hours per week. 
  • There is a strong correlation between skills proficiency, GDP, and broadband access. Wealthier countries scored higher in overall skills proficiency, matched by those with high levels of internet access.
  • Developed countries saw more learners acquiring human skills including change management and resilience. Learners in developing countries were more focused on digital skills through courses like supply chain systems and mobile architecture. 
  • The most popular business and technology skills globally in the last year were leadership and management, probability and statistics, and theoretical computer science. For the second year in a row, Switzerland had the highest-skilled learners followed by Denmark, Indonesia, and Belgium. 
  • Learners also focused on courses that develop the skills needed to understand the COVID-19 pandemic. Enrollment in courses that cover epidemiology and risk management is now four times higher than it was prior to the pandemic. 

Readers can also explore country specific insights. For example, key U.S. insights from the report include: 

  • The U.S. remained flat in overall skills proficiency at 29th, trailing countries in Asia & Europe. Business skills proficiency rose in the U.S., with key areas like leadership and management increasing from 40% in 2021 to 67% in 2022. However, technology skills proficiency overall dropped significantly from 69% in 2021 to 43% this year. Proficiency in data science also fell sharply from 73% last year to 54% in 2022.
  • U.S. learners in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and along the Pacific Coast had the highest skills proficiency in business, while those in the South lagged behind. Three midwestern states including Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana ranked highest in business proficiency throughout the U.S. 
  • Idaho showed the highest levels of technology skills in the country, outpacing tech hubs like California and Massachusetts. Learners in the state also earned a perfect 100% proficiency for mobile development skills. This reflects a growth trend driven by the number of high-tech companies in the state increasing 61% in the last decade.
  • Learners in the U.S. increased focus on human skills amid rapid workforce changes. Workforce disruption caused by the pandemic and the pace of automation is forcing businesses to quickly adapt. Human skills like resilience, project management, decision making, planning, storytelling, and experiments were increasingly popular among U.S. business learners, as organizations worked to navigate change. 
  • The U.S. achieves greater gender parity in overall course enrollments but women still lag behind men in STEM. The online course enrollment rate for women reached its highest point (51%) in the last year, continuing a trend that started in 2020. Despite a rise in STEM enrollments from 35% in 2019 to 42% in 2022, women still trail men in the U.S.
  • The U.S. remains behind the curve in math skills. Proficiency in mathematics among U.S. learners dropped sharply from 56% in 2021 to 40% in 2022. This lags countries throughout Europe including Germany at 81% and the UK at 78% proficiency. Maine, Washington, and New Hampshire had the highest levels of math proficiency in the U.S., while Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee finished in the bottom three.

With over 100 million learners, 7,000+ institutions, and more than 5,000 courses from 250 of the world’s leading universities and industry educators, Coursera has one of the largest data sets for identifying and measuring skill trends. 

To download the full report and explore insights unique to a country or region, visit here.

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