Private Schools – Things to Consider Before You Enroll Your Child

The next academic season is nearby and as parents, you must be searching for the best of the results from Private Schools Near Me. As a part of choosing the best school for your child, you must be busy visiting enlisted schools in person. Talking with the principals, checking the campus, the amenities, timings, transportation, food facilities, extra-curricular the school provides – the list is endless.!

A multitude of things needs to be considered in this journey. You would want to have a ready-to-use checklist or something that would guide you in this crucial aspect. Because schooling is where your child’s life journey starts from.

Here are some things that you should consider before you enroll your child in a school:

Your Child’s Interests

The primary concern while choosing a school should be your child’s interests. Check with him what he is expecting from school and teachers. Explain to him the meaning and purpose of a school. Some children like to learn drawing, paintings, while some love sports. Some young minds love education while some love research. Hence it is important to check with your children first.

Location and Amenities

Is the school very far away?

Do they have an affordable transport facility?

Do your timings fit to pick up and drop your kid at school daily?

What about the food and refreshments provided in the school canteen?

How many helpers are available per class to meet the needs of children?

Schools’ Mission, Culture and Vision

Every school has its own vision. Some focus on excelling in education while some love to let their students shine in sports and extracurriculars.

Which type amongst these does the school fall into?

Is the school-oriented towards only religious education?

Or they are into global curricula?

Do they have branches elsewhere?

What is their position in extra academics and academics in the locality, state, and nation? How satisfied are teachers about the school culture?

What about the parent’s reviews? Make a check of all these aspects.

Student to Teacher Ratio

The higher the number of students a teacher should handle, the lesser the personal attention your child draws. Make sure that the school meets the student-teacher ratio as mandated by the local government rules.

Tuition Fee Cost

The tuition fee is one important aspect that cannot be ignored.

Is the fee affordable?

Does the school let you pay the fee in installments?

Are they providing receipts for the fees thus paid?

Are there any scholarships provided for deserving students?

Do you get any discount based on your profession or income status?

No harm in asking as many questions as that strike your mind.

Learning Technology Used in the Classrooms

Gen-Z needs technology for learning faster. You would want your child to learn and grasp faster to meet the fast pace of technology. Check the kind of learning tools that the school is using. Several schools tie-up with learning partners to provide better learning, books, and resources to children. Check such partnership programs the school has with any reputed learning technology provider.

Assessment Principles

At the end of the day, assessment is a part of learning. The assessment strategies the school uses must be comfortable for your child. They should focus on measuring the learning of your child. Check how frequently the assessments take place. Talk to the teachers and the principal if they could provide insights into the sample assessment records of previous students just for your understanding.

Role of Parents

The role of the school is never complete without the involvement of parents. Maybe you should be there when your child needs it. Or sometimes you would want to pay a surprise visit and check how the classes are going on.

Does the school permit such things?

How well does the school let you into the child’s learning and growth while he is in school? What are your rights as parents and how is the school supporting and encouraging the same?

As a responsible parent, you have all the right to know these details ahead of.

Summing Up

The knowledge of the above things is essential to decide on the school where your child would be spending for at least the next five or ten years. Hence, collect as much information as possible to stay clear-headed while taking decisions.

How to Find Best Online Art Classes

The whole world turned towards the online community when the pandemic hit the globe. And there is almost everything available online that you can learn by sitting at home. The parents were really worried at the beginning about their kids and their development, but thanks to this online community, kids too get to mingle in various activities. The most preferred activity during this time for the kids has been online art classes.

Many online courses for art now provide affordable, high-end, and variety of art classes that your kid can learn, and be sure that it is going to be different from what your kid learns from the traditional art school. But also, it is understandable that being a parent you might be skeptical about enrolling your kid for online art classes, but there is a huge list of advantages that these online art classes offer.

Firstly, you can access these online classes at any time and learn at your pace. If your kid enjoys attending the live sessions, that can be done too. And most importantly, you get to have lifetime access to all the videos once you sign up. So basically, it is a win-win situation for your kid.

So now that you are clear that the online art classes could be a productive option for your kid’s overdevelopment, then here are some tips on how you can find the best online art classes.

Determine the skill level of your kid

Before moving ahead with finding an online art class, you must know where your kid stands in terms of his or her artistic skills. If your kid is four years old and has just started with drawing, then you must decide on a beginner level class for him. If your kid is eight years old and has been painting since the age of four, then you might prefer enrolling her into an intermediate art class. Depends on where your kid stands skill-wise and how much interest he or she has in performing any kind of art.

What your kid wants to learn?

It is important to know the likings of your kid and what he or she prefers when it comes to art. There are numerous art courses available online for instance, still life painting, tape art, fluid painting, painting dolphin patterns, card making, oil painting, gesture drawing, and many more. Make sure that you are communicating all the possible options to your kid and let him choose what he likes. When you know where your kid is inclined, your search for finding the best online art classes would become easier.

Search on the internet

Google has all the answers for you. So, when you know what art form your kid is interested in, simply search “Best Online Art Classes” and you will get the desired results. Google will show you all the available online classes near your area and around.

Check the reviews and rating

Once you have shortlisted a few online art classes, then the next step is to check the reviews and ratings for those classes. You can read the reviews easily through the classes’ Google My Business Page. Almost everyone likes to put their reviews there and those are the honest ones, so you can trust them. Read all types of reviews, good and bad ones, it will help you make your decision.

Call up and ask for details

After reading the reviews online, if you still want to have more clarity about the classes and their courses, you can directly give a call to the center and ask all the details about the courses that you want to get your kid enrolled into. Talking directly to the representative would give you all the details that you might have missed while going through the website.

You only want the best for your kid and the decision to finding the best online art classes is surely going to change the perspective of your kid right from the comfort of the home. As Pablo Picasso has rightly said, “Every Child is an Artist” and to bring out that artist, as parents you must know where to begin and follow.

MSHA Certification – What You Need to Know

MSHA Certification is a Must for Miners

MSHA law stipulates certain specific regulations as far as miners are concerned, and they will have to abide by these laws if they want to work as miners. One such specification is that they must complete a certain number of hours of practical training, and only then they will be qualified to work as a miner. For this, one can choose the online training course provided by MSHA training centers. Remember, the center must have qualified trainers who are experienced and reliable; this is a vital point that the participants must ensure. One must select a top local MSHA certification safety training center that has adequate experience in providing the participants all the pertinent points, bit by bit so that, the modules become easy to grasp. However, the coaching must be comprehensive as far as the topics are concerned.

MSHA Certification – What you need to know

All jobs connected to mining are open to various health hazards, and for preventing such possibilities, there are some mandatory precautionary measures. The MSHA (The Mine Safety and Health Administration), which is the distinct department of the U.S. Labor Department, takes care of this task. In line with the government’s program, MSHA certification is a must for all the individuals who work in mines and the mining industry. A perfect MSHA training course must focus on the federal agency’s keen interest in providing the mine site operators the various ways of handling the entailed dangers they will have to face while working within a mine. The focus must be on the specific mine site hazards and the time limitation that the miner will face within the worksite. Besides, the course must also include preliminary accident reports, fatal investigation reports, and fatalgrams. Apart from the primary training, which is mandatory, all persons who work as surface miners and the surface mining contractors who work at the mining site must complete a minimum of 8 hours of annual refresher training. For getting a comprehensive idea, those who are interested must get in touch with a top local MSHA certification safety training center.

In a perfectly drafted MSHA training program, the trainer will monitor and appraise the working of MSHA’s ‘SLAM Program’ and will educate the participant to manage the method systematically. The participants will also come to know about the ‘risk assessment codes’ like ‘the possibility of an accident opposed to the gravity of the accident.’ The course must also address the vital matters that are connected to the participant’s mining operations and will practically help the miner to make the task flawless.

On the whole, four different programs are available under the MSHA training online course. These programs include 24-Hour Part 48 New Miner, 24-Hour Part 46 New Miner, 8-Hour Part 46 Refresher, and 8-Hour Part 48 Refresher. The training course must also contain the Federal regulations that are in the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (“Mine Act”).

Contact a Top Local MSHA Certification Safety Training Center

Even though it is possible to have MSHA training online, you must choose a professional training center from where you will be able to grasp all the fundamentals; this is imperative. The training center must have hands-on experience in handling all the pertinent topics professionally and must have the expertise in imparting this practical knowledge to the participants. It will be sensible as far as the participants are concerned to search and find out a top local MSHA certification safety training center that has earned the approbation of the course participants. By attending the training course, one must get a definite idea about the governmental stipulations, various risk possibilities as regards the mining work, and the ways to overcome those situations. The management must be willing to provide a rough idea about the course and the primary training materials. There must be a customization facility; the participant must get the course customized, and this must be in tune with the individual requirement. Above all, the customer service must be supreme. It is easily possible to find such centers through an internet search.

Modern Parents Prefer Homeschool Academy for their Children

As generally said, today’s children are tomorrow’s citizens. Hence, kids should get all the available educational facilities that will make them well equipped for their future life. There must be advanced learning methods, and the scheduling of the curriculum must be precisely in line with the general social and technological growth. If in the bygone days, parents preferred to send their kids to the nearest schools as far as possible, today’s preference is for homeschool academy.

Three Reasons Why People Select Homeschool Academy for Their Children:

In our time, homeschooling is very much popular, and a main section of the population believes that this type of education is much better for their kids. There are several reasons for this reasoning. The convenience, easiness, and the overall effectiveness of online classes are the key factors that prompt modern parents to place their kids in homeschool academy. However, there is a plethora of online study centers, which you can find out even by a short google search. Hence, you must be prudent in selecting one for your child. Apposite education is very crucial in one’s life, without which the personality of the individuals will remain crude and restricted. Hence, it is the duty of all parents to give the maximum possible education to their kids, and this should be in accordance with the nature and preference of the children. When you enroll the kid in a homeschool, he or she is sure to get an effective educational environment, as the syllabus will be exactly in tune with the latest educational system followed in the country.

Individual Attention: This is a key factor why parents choose for their children. In the conventional types of schools, the entire process of imparting knowledge to the kids has become more or less a mechanical process. There will be very less individual interaction and attention due to the crowded nature. Students will get close consideration and there will be regular monitoring in a homeschool academy, which will help them grow mentally. Moreover, the syllabus followed in such schools will be in par with the other traditional schools.

Extra-curricular Activities: In some cases, their kids will be having extra-curricular activities that require a lot of traveling. For instance, they will be active participants in sports like football, athletes, etc. For participating in various competitions, they will have to travel to various places, nearby and distant. In a traditional type of school, this may not be feasible. Homeschool academy will be very much suitable for such boys and girls. Students who follow some other such activities such as music, drama, etc., which will require constant dry runs will face the same situation. Such students will also have to travel to places for stage performances. The best bet for such boys and girls will be homeschools. You, as a parent, will also find it very easy to supervise the kids. Besides, there will be ‘parent – teacher’ interaction from time to time. Hence, you can check the performance of your child quite often.

Physical Disability Factor: Another main reason why some parents prefer to have homeschool academy for their kids is the high physical disability factor. Such a child will not be able to overcome the strenuous activities of a traditional school. Besides the classroom activities, he or she will definitely feel isolated when the other kids go to the playground or for such activities. In some cases, they will also have to face various kinds of bullying from the fellow students. This singling out from the crowd will be mentally tormenting to some, and this will bar them from having a regular social life. Homeschool studying will be the best form of education for them. Parents can take care of their kids in a most convenient way and at the same time without breaking the schooling. Children will have the normal growth mentally, as any other child. Yet another benefit is that, they can give the children the needed medical attention also such as physical handicap training, speech therapy, dyslexia, etc.

The Advantages of Creative Writing Courses

Each time you perform exercises that make the mind operational, you are in a way developing your life in most other aspects to get success. If you have to think, you are giving your mind an exercise much as you might do for your looks. Even if you aren’t doing anything that is related to your area of study, you are aiding your mind to operate much better. If you need something to jog your memory and to help keep your thought processes clear and functioning well, you should consider taking creative writing courses.

The Advantage Of Creative Writing Course For Authors:

The creative writing course is excellent even in case you aren’t an author and also if you possess no interest at all to become a writer. The programs push you to be imaginative and make you imagine things you may not have ever dreamed before. This keeps you clear as well as keeps you pondering. Many who work in jobs which need a lot of problems solving, tremendously benefit from taking such a writing course. If you can extend your mind to create a story, you may find that you can easily extend your brain to invent some new methods of solving old problems.

The Advantage Of Creative Writing Course For Writers:

The creative writing course can also be useful in case you are a writer. You might learn new things about your interests, and you could even discover ways to push through writing blocks. In fact, you are a technical writer or a journalist; you can still benefit from the exercises included in a creative writing course. You can learn how to visualize improved and better story angles or, perhaps slants on articles that you may never be able to think about before you began. They will develop your brain and assist you in all areas of your career. Maybe you find that you like it enough, that you decide to do some writing during your spare time.

How to choose the right Creative Writing Course?

No matter what you are aiming for, the pleasure of a hobby or to find additional means to earn money, creative writing program courses could help you through skills development. Although full time writing careers exist there may be very few of them which is why many seek out opportunities to make extra money out of it instead which also proves rewarding. Before you involve yourself in any course, you need to determine for sure first what your goal would be, so that your choice works accordingly with your personality and vision.

In Pursuit Of Skills Enhancement in Creative Writing:

To look for a course in a creative writing program for the improvement of your skills according to how you wish it there are several instructional materials found online. With many writers enjoying the sharing of tips particularly on blogs being posted daily, this is possible. To write for the pure fun of it can have its advantages as well as you can manage your time rather well. You have no publisher breathing down your neck for something to write with high commercial value as well as no one telling you to beat an absolute deadline. For works to become public, you will always have the option of posting it on your website.

Your experience and writing skills at present are part of the considerations to make your choice of a creative writing program course right. Make sure you write regularly and be equipped with the basics prior enrolling in higher level courses to maximize the time which is being given to you. For you to write a better regular practice is the best solution, and you will soon have your output assessed by experienced knowledgeable and creative writers. Being new in the industry should push you, even more, to write consistently.

Making Extra Income through Skills Applied From Creative Writing Program

On the other hand, skills learned from a creative writing program can also be used for extra income. Although several writing jobs pay quite low, you will find that your hourly rate could improve when you enhance speed using speech to text software. You will find several marketers regularly in need of articles accomplished by English speaking writers as well as companies paying for the same. If technical writing is one of your strengths, then you are in for a good pay as most companies look for writers good at technical writing.

As for the more creative and artistic forms of expression in writing you will find many other opportunities. Writing short stories to be put on sale on Amazon Kindle in an automated way is one example. The growth in Kindle’s popularity is highly evident that even when you can’t precisely become rich by selling books, it can undoubtedly serve as an excellent venue to give you extra money without so much of an effort to market it hard. The possibility of it becoming a means of generating income on a full-time basis is also there so long as you one day be with high-quality results in writing and be able to publish multiple books.

What Aiming For the Right Creative Writing Program Course Can Do For You?

Choosing the right creative writing program could compensate for copywriting in businesses, although, it is a whole different course subject. By being successful in such a competitive industry, you will find it a very lucrative opportunity for you soon enough. Many people opt for publishing books and selling products in electronic form in that sales letters are a constant need even at the beginner end. By taking in lower pay for starters, you are most likely to build up a sound living. So be sure that you are aiming for the right choice of creative writing course.

Why Take Creative Writing Classes?

Creative writing requires imagination. It is about creating new worlds, characters, and stories. For creative writing; one requires inventiveness, resourcefulness, and oodles of inspiration.

It is through creativity a writer can write a scene that has been done umpteenth times in a totally new way. It is through the creative prowess a writer creates imagery that can be simple yet powerful. Creativity is what enables a writer to formulate common sentences in inventive new ways. But can creative writing be taught? Can creative writing classes help aspiring writers?

Reasons to Opt for Creative Writing Classes

Creative writing classes can not only be helpful for aspiring writers but also for established ones. These classes can be helpful for anyone looking to enhance their creativity irrespective of their professions – whether you are a student or work in an industry not directly related to writing.

Ignite your Imagination

Creative writing classes can jumpstart your imagination and give direction to your craft. Use of imagination can not only be helpful for creating stories and scenes. But it can also alleviate your writing to new elevated levels. You can learn about new techniques to fuel your writing through imaginative sparks. You can learn to use other tools such as oral storytelling, art, and photograph to broaden your creative horizons.

Improve your Craft

Instructors at creative writing classes not only guide you or lead you through training sessions. They also provide feedback that can help you improve your writing. You can use constructive criticism to improve your writing style and become a better writer. In reputed creative writing classes, you will find opportunities to meet other participants from different parts of the world. For your training sessions, you will exchange ideas and feedback with other participants.

Working with people from different locations and mindsets will help you see your writing in new ways. For instance, in creative writing classes in New York, you can even meet participants from different countries and cultural backgrounds. You can utilize such opportunities to exchange ideas and enhance your writing style with varied feedback.

Increase your Confidence as a Writer

When you enroll in creative writing classes, you get to participate in sessions to help you get over blocks that can hinder your craft. Excessive self-criticism can do more harm than good. Not able to take feedback positively can also cause creative blocks. You can learn about tools to prevent writer’s block. You can learn measures to keep your writing flow without interruptions despite negative professional feedback.

Establish a Writing Routine

Not every writer writes daily. But regular creation is essential to produce significant amount of work. Boredom, lack of inspiration, and low confidence can lead to rut. It can impede your writing routine. Your instructors can lead you through sessions to make writing fun again. They can help you avoid writing fatigue and maintain your desired productivity. You can learn to navigate the writing pitfalls with much greater ease.

Form New Professional Connections

In writing classes, you get the opportunity to meet writers at different stages of careers. For example, when you enroll in creative writing classes in New York, you get to meet writers at varied career levels. Such opportunities can be golden for aspiring or new writers. You get access to new professional connections and a safe outlet to share writing concerns. You can learn from the experience of your instructors who have backgrounds in writing-related professions in some way or the other.

The Bottom Line

Creative writing classes can be useful for everyone whether you are a writer or not. It can help students to become more creative and even write better essays and college papers. It can provide a creative outlet to other professionals who can utilize techniques they learnt in writing classes to become more imaginative at their workplaces. Creative writing workshops can help people to become more innovative in their everyday lives.

It can help writers experience the joy and love of their craft in a renewed way. Creative classes can rejuvenate your writing muscles, fuel your professional growth, and galvanize your career as a writer.

Professional Development for Teachers – To Provide the Right Kind of Education to Students

The role of a teacher in a student’s life is often larger than one can fathom. A good teacher not only imparts knowledge, but also steers a child through the right and successful path in life. Though many may not realize it, but the teaching profession is one that requires as much creativity as any other profession as performing arts, theatre, and so on. This is possible through professional development courses for teachers. Such a program can aid tutors in developing the right curricula and delivering the right kind of education to students.

What does professional development programs for teachers include

Professional development programs can generally be taken any teacher from K 12 through university. Such workshops include a series of simple and effective exercises, which keep the creative juices flowing both in the classroom and in personal life settings. They often combine learning activities with other elements such as travel and association with peers from different nations and backgrounds. Many of these can be pursued as CEUs. Many universities also award grants and fellowships to teachers who undertake such courses.

How professional development programs aid teachers and students

Teachers who enroll themselves in the creative programs witness a change in the way they perceive each student, and the innate qualities that lie in each of them. Math, IT, Creative Writing, Language, Humanities, science – no matter the field, a creative development workshop aids a teacher in developing creative teaching and education practices that spark the interest towards learning among students. Teachers who attend such programs are able to engage and focus on every student’s inherently creative skills and ignite their curiosity and imagination to foster a lifelong love for learning. Through exercises such as visualization, free form writing and drawing, and relaxation, individuals are able to better express themselves without fear of being criticized.

Leadership skills come naturally to some students, while some other need constant push to take up responsibilities in the field of work that they are assigned. Professional development programs enable educators to employ creative processes to develop leadership skills and responsibility bearing capacity in students. It also helps teachers inculcate team skills among different children, and enables them to foster peer to peer respect in a classroom setting.

Creativity may be inherent to some, but it sure can be developed through a process. Professional development programs enable teachers and students to design maps and scrollwork that plan and track the progress of their academic work. This helps the participants as well as the guides to understand the current state of their projects as well the state that they can get to, and the effort needed to get there.

Perceptions can often pose big hindrances and roadblocks in the life of students. Teachers who undergo professional development training are able to coach their students to approach a problem from a different perspective. Techniques that employ tools such as cameras, cutout shapes, kaleidoscopes, telescopes, and microscopes are greatly beneficial in this regard. These assist students in broadening their sense of the world they live in.

Yet another way in which creative development programs aid educators is by enabling them to use their environment. Participants learn to use their natural surroundings to generate ideas. Visits to cafes, libraries, parks, woods, and mountains enable participants to derive inspiration from the most everyday and surprising of places.

Another aspect that students face trouble with is the management of time. Tutors who undertake professional development classes learn how to stretch time using small blocks in order to do satisfying creative work on an ongoing basis. They are in turn able to pass on these valuable life lessons to their students who can employ them to achieve success in different aspects of life.

A creative professional development workshop is the kind of tool that equips a teacher with infinite potential to pave way for the success of his/her students. It makes a difference in the lives of not just participant teachers, but also in those of the students that they teach.

All You Need to Know About Performance Support Solutions

Employee training is an integral part of any business organization that has a well-structured teamwork in place. The techniques and practices followed in an organization keep changing and it is necessary that the workforce is trained to adapt to these new developments. Skill development is another aspect that needs to be instilled in the employees of the organization. Training on new equipment or technology, evaluation of performance, loads of information, productivity hacks can all be delivered on smartphones and laptops using performance support solutions. Read on to know all about these solutions and the benefits they offer to business organizations.

What are performance support solutions?

These solutions are mainly intended to boost the performance of employees and help them with their day to day work. Unlike eLearning, these solutions are very different in the way they are delivered by the organization and used by the employees. There is no time frame to complete tasks or assignments, and moreover the nature of the learning material is such that it is more of a reference and less of an assignment. While eLearning is helpful in familiarizing oneself with a new skill or software, performance support solutions help in applying these skills and gaining proficiency over time. The main objective is to help the employee complete her assigned work and show progress in her performance over time.

We all depend on the internet for answers these days and imagining our work life without Google or Wikipedia is impossible. Whenever there is a doubt or a roadblock, we immediately turn to these options to look for the answers. However, if you are a niche field and there are certain things that are exclusive to your company, you won’t find that information online. For example, you need to refer to the user manual of a particular machine while working and internet isn’t being of much help. You don’t need any person’s assistance either as you are sure just instructions can help you operate the machine. It is situations like these where performance support solutions come into picture. These solutions will have all the answers you need at your fingertips and help you apply the skills you have learnt recently and need to refine.

Advantages of Performance Support Solutions

1. Availability

These solutions are always available and can be accessed whenever required. Unlike eLearning courses which are only provided for a limited duration, performance solutions are meant to help the employees as a reference or as a guidebook. The objective is to help employees clear a roadblock whenever they encounter one and keep going with their work efficiently. Since the solutions are always available and self-explanatory, an employee won’t have difficulty in learning a new skill.

2. Relevancy

You would understand the frustration of not finding something you need on the internet. The internet doesn’t have the answers for everything and even if it does, it is too disorganized and huge to locate what you need. You’ll be prompted with a lot of irrelevant information and scanning through these irrelevant things to find the information you need is time-consuming and frustrating. If your employees are learning a new skill, performance support solutions can offer them relevant solutions to their problems or doubts which are internal to the organization. On finding relevant help so effortlessly, your employees will be motivated to learn more and work more.

3. User Friendliness

One more thing about these solutions is that they are user-friendly. The solutions are designed such that your employees don’t need additional training to use them. Moreover, the interface is easy to understand and easy to navigate, thus increasing the productivity of your employees. The friendly UI/UX will motivate them to learn more, refine the newly learned skills and apply these skills in their day to day work. Whenever they need assistance with their work, they look up to performance support solutions and find the answers they need.

Apart from availability, relevancy and user friendliness, performance support solutions are also not bound by time limitations and evaluations as in eLearning. There is no pressure mounted on the employee to refine her skills and this level of freedom certainly boosts her productivity. Moreover, these solutions are inexpensive, need lesser upgrades and can be accessed on any electronic device including smartphones.

Maximize Business Return on Investment from Custom eLearning Development

E-Learning has evolved since 2004. Over the years there is demand for custom eLearning development all across the world. However, there are significant changes in eLearning development during the course of last one decade. Out of this the most remarkable change is the decline of Flash and the development of HTML and other tools that led to the growth of customized framework. Nowadays, the custom eLearning is the effect of careful considerations, understanding of your specific need, budget and timeliness. It is mostly based on instructional design methods as well as graphic and media design principles. Currently, you can get a wide array of bespoke eLearning development services that can help you to apply the acquired knowledge to work situation.

Now, what is custom eLearning development?  It is nothing but customizing the learning experience to match the learning need of a company. Nevertheless, there is not much difference between customized eLearning courses in the market. Several factors are taken into consideration for custom eLearning development like multiple intelligences, audience and organization requirement. Many subject matter experts are involved to design courses. So, the custom learning provides an immersive experience where several customers are engaged in healthy dialogue for offering the right experience. Some eLearning service providers design course in a fashion that it meets the exact need of the customers. Different kinds of instructional methods are used for creating training material as a part of custom eLearning development including Story-learning, Gamification, Scenario-driven, Decision making with branching simulations, Performance support and more. Rapid development method is also used for high volume or quick turnaround project.

Let’s have a look at a few custom eLearning development methodologies:

  • Video-based methods – Since mobile devices are very common these days, they drive almost half of the total video consumption. Videos are used to a great extent as learning as well as performance support tools. You can get video courses as standalone custom eLearning development or follow-up summary to train session and performance support solution. The good thing about video is that it is naturally responsive and works pretty well on most of the devices. Interactive and interesting video can keep you engaged. Often the videos suit your requirement. Sometimes, the eLearning service providers tie up agencies to shoot video with local talent and for creating in-house animations with simple static graphics.
  • Multi-device Testing – Nowadays, eLearning needs support on a multiple combination of manufacturers, browsers, models, operating systems, platforms and connectivity modes. In addition to designing multiple device eLearning, it is important that the eLearning works on all devices in a proper way. This could be achieved through testing and that too on different devices and configurations. Hence, a proper infrastructure needs to be developed for multi-device testing in order to make the eLearning development a successful one.
  • Tool expertise – ELearning courses are developed by making use of various authoring tools. Through this combination, you can get solutions for multi-device delivery. Some of these tools include Articulate Storyline, Customized HTML5, Adobe CS6, Lectora, Adobe Captivate 9, Articulate Presenter, QuizMaker, iSpring and many more.
  • Instructor-led training – Remember that different trainings require different formats as well as delivery appliances. Instructor-led training can be highly effective for your requirement. The training can be greatly effective for some subjects with higher level outcome. Often, Instructor Led Training becomes the preferred choice when a greater human mediation as well as interaction is required including face-to-face queries, discussions, working in group, observable behaviours and personal assessment.

So, why are you waiting for? You can make use of your strategy, storyboards and templates and the course can be developed. You can choose strategy expertise, template library and write storyboards. Different models are followed by different eLearning service providers for smooth project execution as well as project management.  However, you should select the service provider who offers a structured eLearning outsourcing model i.e. extensively accepted by customers. This will help you to get a clear picture of work procedure, development platform, cost involved and timelines.

Hence, there is nothing to fret over! Opt for the best custom eLearning development service provider who has a team of hundreds of graphic designers, instructional designers, quality analysts and programmers. Besides, you must check whether the service provide has actually offered custom eLearning solutions for projects combining various methods like simple content elucidation, stories, simulations, scenarios, complex games, image treatment and more. Furthermore, it is significant to have state-of-the-art infrastructure with in-house team of design, development and support for providing bespoke solutions to customers all over the world. Go for the best and maximize your business return on investment.

Tips to Choose the Best Training Institute

The world we live in today is very fast paced and career oriented. Today’s technology is obsolete tomorrow and the same is happening with skills and talents. In order to get jobs or make progress in their existing organizations, people are resorting to training institutes to get trained in a special course or improve their skillset. If you are one of them, this article is for you.

Though many people want training institutes to make them industry ready and expect a lot of things from these institutes, only few know how to choose the right course for themselves at the right institute. This article will offer tips on how to choose training institutes and let you know the mistakes you shouldn’t make. Read on.

Tips to Choose the Best Training Institute

1. Make a list

The first thing to do even before approaching a training institute is to make a list of training institutes that you would want to approach. All you need to do is make a list of institutes offering the courses you desire and are available on the platform you desire (offline or online). If you are looking for offline classes, make sure to consider location as a criterion while making this list.

2. Narrow down your list

Once you have made a list of all the probable institutes you could join, it is time to narrow down your options and retain only those institutes that seem the best to you. Having too many choices on your plate will only make the selection worse and you might end up choosing the wrong institute. Use basic elements like course duration, fees and course nature as criteria to help narrow down your list.

3. Testimonials

The best way to know if a training institute is good or not is to speak to its previous students and look at the testimonial videos if the institute’s website has any. Get the details of the previous students from the institute and have a casual talk with them to know how satisfied they were with the course. If the institute is hesitating to share the contact details of its previous students, then it is assumable that everything is not right.

4. Placement Record

If placements are a major requirement for you, then it is wise that you choose a training institute that offers placements after the course completion. Go through the institute’s website to see if they have disclosed the placement record of the previous batches and if it isn’t disclosed, personally contact the concerned and get your doubts cleared.

5. Meet them in person

Be it an online course or an offline course, try your best to the course providers in person and have a word with them. Gather all the details regarding the training program, the instructors who would be helping you and so on. If possible speak to the instructor in person and see if you can get along with him/her. Lastly, finalize on the fees of the training by comparing it with the industry standard.

Tracking the Evolution of Education Over Years

Change is the only constant in life and everything in this world is evolving or changing every minute without coming to our attention. Change is sometimes too drastic and sometimes too slow, sometimes too radical and sometimes too insignificant. Education is no exception to change and the change in the field of education is not so evident to the naked eye. However, if looked back, learning and training have seen a lot of changes. The way we perceive education and the way education is practiced and delivered have seen a lot of changes over the years. This article will identify few of the most significant changes in the field of education and also dwell into the reasons that caused the change.

1. Technology has taken over

Kids reading straight out of their phones or laptops might not realize this but technology has had the biggest impact on education more than anything else. Technology has transformed the way teachers teach and students learn. The learning platforms over which teaching and studying happened have gone digital. Laptops and smartphones have become the new books and internet has become the new library. Certainly, with the advent of technology learning has only developed for good and reaching new heights. However, the radical change in technology is yet to revolutionize the education scenario in developing and underdeveloped countries where technological growth is slow or stunted.

2. Non-Traditional Teaching

Gone are those days when the lecturer or professor would blurt out words and students would just follow and hastily make notes. The education back then was more of a one-way communication where the teacher spoke or taught and the students listened or wrote. However, as time has progressed, learning today has become more participative and students are actively involving themselves in learning and participating, instead of just being there. The traditional norms such as chalk board, written exams etc. are being challenged by projector screens and open exams. New forms of content are used to teach, including videos and podcasts.

3. Higher Education is Ordinary

The world has gotten so competitive and the job market is so fierce that any amount of education is less today. Even if you have a higher degree after your college, chances are you will never find a job that can help you repay your loans quickly. There is someone more qualified than you and even for a menial job a college degree becomes important today. If you are under qualified, there are tens of over qualified students who are waiting to fill your space. Thus, higher education has become ordinary now as almost everybody has one now.

Apart from these three major changes, there are many other smaller changes that go unnoticed by us. Education has certainly become more and more expensive as the years have passed. However, the funds granted towards the development and education institutes are also on the decline.

Top Five eLearning Solutions for Business Organizations

Training programs are a common thing in business organizations for both new and old employees. Every now and then it is important that they are briefed with the company’s objectives, targets, requirements and expectations from their employees. In addition, training equips the employees to do the required job with higher efficiency. Gone are those days when employee training used to happen in a closed room on a white board and on power point presentations. In this article, we will see how eLearning is used fast growing organizations for training and how every other organization can follow the suit.

Why is eLearning better?

There are many reasons why eLearning is better than the traditional methods of learning and training. Few of the main reasons include:

1. It is accessible anywhere, anytime. Either by integrating the course on a smartphone or laptop, one can access the courses as per their convenience.

2. Secondly, it is much interactive than traditional methods, allowing the learner to quickly engage with the content and learn while interacting with the course’s interface. Learning is more effective when the learner is engaged and responding to the course in real time.

3. eLearning development is very cheap when compared to traditional methods and implementing eLearning solutions in business organizations too is way easier than you think. The courses can be as simple as a mere mobile application that all of your employees can install on their phones.

Top 5 eLearning Solutions for Business Organizations

Below is a list of the best eLearning solutions fast growing organizations can employ to improve productivity and overall employee training.

1. Web Based Training

One of the oldest learning solutions when it comes to eLearning, these courses are accessed using a browser typically on a PC or laptop. The course will be interactive in nature and can be designed into any format that a browser will support. Typically WBT is used when the course is viewable or readable in nature.

2. Mobile Phone Applications

These courses can also be released as mobile phone applications that can be installed by anyone who is interested. Since smartphones are always with them, employees can access the course material and complete it whenever they find time.

3. Gamification

You can also choose to train your employees using gamified learning materials. The advantage with these gamified courses is that they are highly engaging and fun in nature. Using many features like rewards, points and trophies, gamification encourages learners to be competitive and inquisitive.

4. Simulation

Simulation is another eLearning tool that can be effectively used to train employees and workers when training using the real machines or objects is too risky. Using simulation the employees can understand how the machine work and only after they have mastered its usage, they can actually try out the machine and get started with their work.

5. Virtual Classrooms

Big organizations that have their presence in multiple geographical locations can use this eLearning solution to train all the employees at a time. The virtual classrooms will support all forms of content including videos, audio, text and other interactive applications.