Efficiency @ MindSay 
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In a recent survey of training professionals, we found that 64 percent of responders felt their training technology was not effectively communicating with other applications such as CRMs.
Software systems of all types have always been required to talk to one another since 1960s when the mainframe computer systems first hit the market. Today, companies want to leverage their training technology, to get measurable business results by integrating LMS, eLearning, CRM, HRMS, portals and business intelligence software.
So why don’t learning technologies and other software systems talk effectively with each other? Answer: The business processes and learning initiatives are not aligned.
There are many communication protocols, tools and technologies on the market, which helps these technology systems speak the same language. But in the long term to achieve communication between systems, it takes two other things.
1. Assessing learning activities against your business goals and current processes. Based on this assessment, long-term strategic plan may be to build channels of communication software systems and different groups of employees.
2. Adopt this plan to maintain or upgrade your technology infrastructure continuously.
Without this approach, learning tools may be underutilized. And finally, learning technology can do much “talking” that no one could hear.
If your organization is facing LMS consolidation problems or if you are interested in increasing the effectiveness of your learning technology infrastructure and your overall training efficiency, contact me.
Recent conversations with learning executives, conducted through Expertus Learning Intelligence Forums, revealed that attitudes about learning measurements are changing for the better.
Overall, executives are talking much less about traditional measurements and much more about business-related measurements. The Kirkpatrick measurement model is mentioned, but most often in reference to what organizations are NOT doing.
Getting visibility into the business impact of learning has become increasingly important because corporate learning is now widely viewed as a business service. The vast majority of training reporting is done for internal business customers, such as sales executives, call center managers, and business unit leaders.
One VP of learning said, we have to move from measurements based on training by the pound to those that are relevant to our business. Measurements such as total learning hours, pages accessed, class registrations, completions, and assessment scores have little if any value to internal customers ñ as well as to business-focused learning executives.
According to a senior director of education services, We can’t train just for the sake of training. We have to be able to answer questions about business impact. The Kirkpatrick model is great theory, but itís very expensive and time consuming to get to level five. Practically, you have to find a measurement system that uses what’s already in place.
Our many hours of discussion with learning executives can be summarized into a few simple guidelines for effective training measurement:
- Make sure your metrics are meaningful to your customers.
- Keep metrics simple and practical. The fewer the better.
- Invest time in identifying metrics up front, not after the fact.
- Go out of your way to communicate and explain findings to your customers and to senior management. Don’t wait for them to ask you.
In addition to providing real insight into the value of your training programs, practical and meaningful metrics can help you educate your stakeholders and raise important business issues. By taking a proactive and collaborative approach with your customers, you have a chance to define the playing field and establish realistic expectations.
If you’ve got questions about learning strategies or if you have a good example of measurements done well, contact us. We’d be happy to offer an objective and practical perspective.
For more information log on to www.expertus.com
Many executives that we talk to are still struggling to obtain meaningful metrics that support decisions and demonstrate to business leaders the impact of the training investment. In fact, in our most recent training challenges survey, 78% of respondents said the biggest weakness in their current reporting was providing information to support business planning and strategy.
This same survey showed data accuracy, data standardization, lack of data, time constraints, and data access to be among the major obstacles encountered.
Often, companies look to their LMS to solve their learning measurement challenge. But, our survey found that 84% of respondents were dissatisfied with their training reporting. Respondents cited limited standardized reporting, learning technology integration issues, customization requirements, and usability as the primary areas of dissatisfaction.
However, blaming all measurement problems on LMS technology isn’t fair. The challenges are more far reaching. In our first Learning Intelligence Forum, held in early April, learning executives were concerned about the difficulties of measuring informal learning, the need to efficiently correlate performance and learning, and the technical challenges involved in pulling data from multiple sources, such as HR and CRM systems.
We believe efficient, effective, and meaningful metrics are essential for successful learning operations management. And we believe there’s a dearth of information and resources about this important topic. By facilitating discussions, gathering market data, sharing our experiences, and offering informational resources, we hope to do our part in moving the industry forward.
I’d love to hear from you about your training measurement programs or if you don’t have one contact me for advice on how to build one.
For more information log on to www.expertus.com
Solar design, having nothing to do with photovoltaic cells (solar panels) is a construction method that utilizes sunlight as a means to provide supplemental heating to a house or structure. The concept is fairly simple and requires no more in materials than building any other home. Early designs however were quite radical consisting of geodesic domes and other space aged shapes or bland and simple boxes and huts. Unfortunately these designs became the stereotype for environmental construction even though they were quickly traded for other more traditional designs such as the New England Saltbox. The only true sacrifice in comparison with other homes is the lack of a basement (but even that has alternatives).
The concept is fairly straightforward and simple to understand. By positioning the long, face side of the house (usually the front) directly toward the south you allow the daytime sun to strike the most surface area of the house throughout the day. To allow the sun to heat the interior of the home and not just the outside walls we add windows (glazing) to the front of the house for daytime sunlight and a few to the east and west to catch morning and evening rays. On a sunny day this is usually more than enough to heat the home in winter and will even overheat your house. In order to save this excess heat energy for nighttime use (when the suns no longer doing the job) we need a heat sink. Nothing more than a concrete slab, the heat sink warms up during the day and then slowly radiates heat throughout the night. Because we want an even heat distribution, warm air rises, and we can't just throw a concrete slab anywhere... the natural choice for our "solar slab" is the first floor. One of the best designs I have found uses concrete blocks as a base with holes laying parallel rather than pointing up. By placing the blocks one by one in front of the other we can create air channels under our floor to serve as the heat ducts. Concrete is then poured over the block base to hold them in place and act as our heat sink. The thickness of the slab varies from 4-7" depending on the heating requirements of the house, the amount of solar radiation the house receives, and thus the required Mass for a suitable heat sink.
Solar Home Cycle
At first light, sun shines through the eastern windows and begins to warm the floor & air. By noon the sun is entering the front of the house full force, the air temperature remains steady (provided the number of windows and slab thickness were calculated correctly) and the solar slab is gradually raising in temperature. As the sun drops below the horizon the solar slab slowly begins to radiate heat to maintain the air temperature. In a properly designed system the solar slab is able to keep the house from dropping below 60 degrees until morning after a full days "charging" from the sun. We call this "thermal balance" and it is a crucial part of a properly functioning system. As the sun comes up the next morning the cycle starts again, heating the air back up to temperature and storing energy for the evening.
Problems
As mentioned before there are no extra costs to building a passive solar home, only preplanning and minor design adjustments. The only flaw is the reliability of the sun. Naturally, when the suns not out during the day the solar slab can't collect energy. Weather conditions can vary greatly depending on time of year and location. This is why solar design is meant as a Supplement to normal means and not a replacement. Each area is unique and homes will realize different efficiencies based on local weather conditions. Central New York for example is westsouthwest of the great lakes and therefore encounters elevated precipitation and cloud cover in the coldest winter months (25% sunshine) where as Maine which is much further north has sunshine no less than 50% of the time in Dec, Jan, and Feb.
What does this Mean?
By looking up the average percentage of possible sunshine your area receives (which can be obtained from the US Weather Bureau...or for the same price included in a book on passive solar homes) you can estimate directly the relative percentage of your homes heating costs that you could cover for each month of the year. In layman’s terms, a mean of 59% possible sunshine for Portland Maine in the month of February suggests that a passive solar home could supply up to 59% of its heating costs in that month from FREE solar energy. What’s more is that the solar slab isn't just limited to sunlight to store heat energy. By using a wood stove or hot water radiant heat you can heat your home on dreary days and still charge the solar slab to take over at night. Its truly a versatile system!
Misconceptions
Passive solar design does not mean your house has to look like its out of The Jetsons. Your home can easily be built to suite your style and needs. The interior and solar slab can be covered with anything, even hardwood flooring and contrary to what you may think you won't be living in a "wall of glass". In fact, too many windows can throw the house out of balance and make it less efficient than a normal home. Another fallacy is that you must tilt your windows toward the sun. The suns path through the sky is closest to the horizon during the winter months. That means its already shinning almost directly through your windows in the months you need it most. "What about the summer, won't it overheat?" In the summer the sun travels high in the sky overhead and will barely shine through. In fact, because the sun doesn't shine through the windows in the summer it doesn't heat your solar slab. This means the slab will cool further through the night when the temperature drops off and then act as a cold source during the day. It warms in the winter and cools in the summer, the best of both worlds! But the best part about passive solar design is that its integrated straight into the construction of the house. There are no mechanical parts and no maintenance is required. Simply put its the BEST way to build a home.
Suggested Reading:
The Passive Solar House by James Kachadorian
The Solar House by Dan Chiras
The Solar Living Source Book by John Shaeffer & Real Goods
I was asked a question yesterday by someone preparing for a post-graduate medical exam: “What do you mean by working efficiently?” I did my best to answer the question ‘on the hoof’, so thought I would share it and try to expand on it here.
You’ll notice that I usually talk about ‘exam preparation’ rather than ‘revision’ or ‘study’ – that’s for a reason. This is because I feel that it reflects an important change of focus that helps people work more efficiently. To talk about studying doesn’t imply any end-point or goal. Revision suggests a second view, a ‘re-look’ at something, which suggests that exam preparation starts late in the day, just before the exam.
So I use the term exam preparation as I think that this creates a better idea of how to work efficiently. Being efficient means getting maximum outcome from minimal effort. In any serious exam, this ‘minimal effort’ for most people will be a hell of a lot of hard work. Here are my top five tips to make sure your hard work bears fruit:
- Time management starts by giving yourself time to do the job. Exam preparation starts as soon as you decide (or realise!) that you want/need to do the exam. Ideally this should be several months (by which I mean six, rather than two) before the event. If you’ve left it to the last minute, you really need to ask yourself if it wouldn’t be better to wait for the next sitting.
- Time management continues by actually using the time you’ve got well. You’ve got 24 hours in every day, just like everybody else. You need to focus and prioritise. What in your life doesn’t contribute to your exam preparation? As far as possible, either: do it, dump it, downsize it or delegate it.
- Don’t confuse lack of motivation with lack of time. Many people complain that they have ‘no time’, and yet seem to find time to watch TV, sit chatting with friends, or surfing the net. You do need some leisure time to recharge your batteries. But beyond that, many people’s lack of time is actually lack of energy or motivation to use their time. Find something about taking the exam that really, really matters to you – the kudos of having the letters after your name, the great new job you’ll get, or time to commit back to your family. Whatever it is, remind yourself of why you are doing this whenever you find yourself wasting time.
- Know yourself and work with your natural strengths and weaknesses – if you’re a morning person, get up early and work in the early hours; if you think visually, use pictures and diagrams to help you learn; if you need external motivators, get your spouse or housemate to check your progress.
- Plan to pass the exam. The axiom of exam preparation is that you need to work out how to get more marks than the pass mark. So get the curriculum, handbook and past papers, and work out the best way to focus your effort, so as to maximise the marks you get for each minute of effort.
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