by Aubrey Mellos | Feb 15, 2016 | Blog
For many of you, offering a professional learning portfolio is core to your association’s mission. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons our community exists in the first place. Your members need to remain abreast of what’s happening in their profession, and they depend on you as their primary (and trusted) source for lifelong learning opportunities.
We all agree with the above, right? Right! OK great. Now, pause for a moment and ask yourself if you give commensurate attention to your Learning Management System (LMS) based on the level of significance your organization places on professional education. Does your association even have an LMS?
Historically, associations have viewed Association Management Systems (AMS) as their most important software, and treated other solutions (including LMSs) as auxiliary “components.” But, there’s a noticeable shift in the industry as folks are challenging this infrastructure and mode of thinking. Change-makers are disrupting the status quo by positioning their LMS and AMS as equal partners. They’re taking advantage of powerful integrations and in doing so, exceeding the traditional LMS/AMS expectations from members and staff.
When we designed Elevate LMS, your priorities led the charge. We wanted to give you a solution that would position your learning portfolio as a centerpiece in your community. To deliver on our commitment, we went beyond just developing an award-winning software…we also established robust integrations with our AMS colleagues.
Here’s why an Elevate LMS-AMS integration is valuable to you:
Friendly User Experience
Members expect seamless online experiences when they engage with their association. A place where single-sign-on is a standard (not a luxury), and an ecosystem of interconnected technologies exists. Our LMS-AMS integration delivers on those expectations, plus so much more. For example, this integration makes it possible for Elevate to curate tailored learning paths for individuals based on information in their AMS profiles.
Centralized Data
Many experts believe data is an organization’s most important asset. While that’s subjective, we can all agree data is very important. Unfortunately, many associations have been collecting/storing data in a variety of repositories, each married to a different technology. We believe it’s OK to store data in a few places, as long as the key data ultimately flows back to the AMS. Our integrations ensure critical data about your learners is sent from your Elevate LMS to your AMS.
Robust Reporting
Piggybacking on the topic of data, an integration allows you to look at micro and macro layers of critical information. You can monitor a learner’s progress, as well as analyze community trends (e.g. blockbuster courses and superstar users). In short, you’ll have powerful data that can (and should) be used to calibrate your learning portfolio for continued growth and success. For example, once you know who your most engaged learners are, what are you going to do to ensure they remain happy?
Multiple AMS Partners
To make your lives easier, we proactively established integration partnerships with many AMS providers. And, this is an ongoing initiative as we continue to expand our network, and build deeper integrations with current partners. LMS implementations can be challenging enough, but worrying about whether or not Elevate is compatible with your current (or future) AMS doesn’t have to be a contributor. Elevate plays nice with everyone, allowing for a seamless insertion within your technology ecosystem.
To learn more about Elevate LMS-AMS integration features and/or our integration partners, please contact Meghan Gowen, Vice President of Sales, at mgowen@commpartners.com.
by Aubrey Mellos | Nov 19, 2015 | Blog
You know what’s almost as delicious as Thanksgiving dinner? Designing an LMS. Ok wait, that metaphor doesn’t really work. How about this, planning a Thanksgiving dinner may provide some insights in developing an engaging, impactful, and delicious…ok, maybe not delicious…learning management system.
The presentation of the Thanksgiving dinner typically includes many different dishes, colors and textures. Yes the turkey is a centerpiece, however when you view the buffet or dinner table it becomes a component of a what is typically a large display of the ridiculously generous spread of appetizers, side dishes and desserts that accompany said turkey that gives Thanksgiving its truly festive feel. In fact many people will say they enjoy the side items the most.
In designing an LMS, consider that the items you have put the most effort into, courses, webinars, conferences, etc., represent the turkey. They’re some of the LMS’s major selling points, and you wouldn’t have the LMS without them. However similar to the side items and desserts at our Thanksgiving dinner, LMS’s can be created to provide a blend of different experiences that “make the meal.” These might be in the form of blogs, Podcasts, peer to peer learning, polls, and resource libraries. This blend makes our LMS feel less like a stagnant website and more like a real learning community, where there is always something interesting and current to participate in.
So, after this year’s Thanksgiving meal, whether you’re satisfied or uncomfortably full, think about what “side dishes” you could add to your LMS to make the user experience more fulfilling and engaging.
by Aubrey Mellos | Oct 7, 2015 | Blog
How would you describe your LMS? Is it a lively place where learning is active and always evolving or is it like the stacks in the back of a library where you sought a quiet place to study? Can members gather in groups to have real time exchanges? Does it provide space for conversation and social learning around important topics? Does it offer education experiences a majority of your members can participate in?
The association learning management system is vastly different than other types of training portals. Configured the right way, it provides a trusted place for accessing and sharing knowledge that bridges the association to its community, stimulates ideas, and fosters debate. It welcomes intellectual curiosity by providing access to the latest research from experts as well as ideas from those that work in the field and benefit from real life experiences.
Here are five key attributes to make your association LMS stimulating, engaging, and the Go To Place for Learning.
Five Tips to Make Your Association LMS the Go To Place for Learning
- Host your webinars right in your LMS
The reason most tradeshows host lunch right in the expo hall is to provide exposure to exhibitors. This same concept applies to the LMS. Most associations continue to have a separate webinar license outside of their LMS bringing their participants to a remote location. When we created Elevate LMS, we embedded a webinar software right inside the LMS. Attendees are not only exposed to all of your content, they can leverage all the features Elevate provides, such as engaging in conversations, as soon as one registers. An hour online program now evolves into several weeks of engagement.
- Create relevancy
We are not simply talking about if you ordered this product, you will like this product. More important is position and priority reserved for content that is meaningful and relevant to each learner. With Elevate LMS, participants have their unique view with content arranged and available just for them based on their interests or role.
- Combine social and learning in one place
Should conversations and networking exist where learning occurs? It happens this way at conferences. You leave a learning lab and on the way out have conversations in the hallway about what just occurred. With Elevate LMS we have placed independent topical forums as a networking option within the platform. In addition, any event, course or other opportunity can have a forum discussion.
- Move past passive behavior through content variety
Some learners only want a 15 minute podcast. Others want a 15 hour certificate program. Whatever your members want, have a content option that meets their needs. In Elevate LMS you can have courses, webinars, videos, blended learning, podcasts, news blogs, polls, topical forum discussions, and resource libraries. Create learning paths or subscription bundles. Move your members past passive to become active participants.
- We look for substance, however, it’s hard to ignore poor style
Your LMS has to have panache. When learners land on it, you want them to have that feeling of, “Wow! This is well done.” Having the flexibility to stylize the entire site to ensure continuity with your web presence and other online resources is important. It’s not only the styling of the site but the design of the content as well. Having learning opportunities that are well organized and attractively presented can make all the difference. Elevate LMS allows for complete custom styling to ensure your members get to the substance.
Contact Us About Your eLearning Needs
These are just some of the many ways to ensure your association LMS shines. If you would like more information, visit our Elevate LMS service page to learn about all of the features of our LMS. If you would like to speak to someone about your organization’s elearning needs, fill out our online contact form or give us a call at (800) 274-9390.
by Aubrey Mellos | Sep 8, 2015 | Blog
Technology has done something interesting to the word “authenticate.” Once meaning “to establish as genuine,” today, authenticate is typically associated with a correct matching-up of codes or reference numbers to permit access. It signals who the participant is and triggers the opportunity to provide a more meaningful online experience. We often hear the criticism that, as our world becomes more and more digitized; we lose that authentic human connection. While that may be fine in some genres, in other areas like shopping and learning online, which previously involved face-to-face interaction, there is a need to replicate personal interaction of two people together.
Amazon, for example, currently has approximately 200 million products on sale in the U.S. If it did not develop a way to learn something about the unique shoppers based on their authentication, it would likely do a pretty abysmal business as customers struggle to cut through the noise to find what it is they are looking for. One of the reasons Amazon is so successful is because it’s found a way to personalize the user experience.
We had this “Amazon model” in mind when we created our non-profit and association learning management system, Elevate. Like Amazon, we wanted to create a method to cut through the noise and personalize the user experience.
For us, this starts with single sign-on so users are immediately recognized. Leveraging this integration, we are able to provide five critically important benefits that support the learner experience. They include:
- Specific learning opportunities based on interest or role: Content recommended to each learner can be placed on the login page or any other page of the site. This shows you know who the participant is and are recommending content specifically for them. Providing specific opportunities helps you create relevant and more personal experiences.
- Organization of the catalog by relevancy to the learner: Elevate goes beyond merely listing e-learning products chronologically or alphabetically. Associations using Elevate can divide their content into topic specific categories. These categories can then be displayed in their own homepage widget or sub-page to help users find the exact content they need.
- Creation of packages or learning paths: Support the progression of knowledge over multiple programs with a learning path designed to allow learners to achieve a specific certificate or competency using a multitude of e-learning tools.
- Private content for unique groups such as new members, people that recently renewed, boards, committees and staff. All e-learning materials within Elevate can be set to be visable to all users, or limited to a specific sub-set of users. Associations can use this tool to grant special access to certain programs as a member-benefit, ensure that different member-groups see learning activities that are most relevant to them, and/or create special learning activities for your board, conference committee, or other specialized member sub-group.
- Pricing that is unique for each participant based on their status or other attributes.
For more information about Elevate LMS and/or this article, please email Eve Finstein at efinstein@commpartners.com
by Aubrey Mellos | Jul 31, 2015 | Blog
A recent article in The New York Times presented a simple yet bold statement, empathy is a choice. The article, prepared by researchers in the field of cognitive science, and viewable here, shared a multitude of studies that suggest that a lack of empathy to the problems of others is not an inherent “shortcoming” or “permanent flaw,” but rather a malleable emotion that can change “depending on what we want to feel.”
Here at CommPartners, developing a culture of empathy is a principle we take very seriously, and the acknowledgement that empathy can be malleable is an important pillar of that culture. This is because we know it is important to maintain a consistently high level of customer service regardless of other pressures or distractions.
Our business philosophy is based around our clients’ success, driven through a collaborative partnership with our team. We understand that true partnerships do not arise automatically, but are only built through understanding our clients’ goals, pressures, and vision of success.
Professional development is an important tool in our efforts to maintain a culture of empathy here in CommPartners. This fall, CommPartners staff will participant is a series of workshops based around the principles of cognitive and positive psychology, that are designed to further strengthen our staff’s ability to consistently provide the highest level of customer service to our clients and partners.
by Aubrey Mellos | Jun 17, 2015 | Blog
There are so many AMS offerings available. Most of us know the companies serving the association community. Names like: Abila, Personify, iMIS, Aptify, Association Anywhere and Protech, to list a few. Why is integration with these systems and others so critical to the success of an association’s learning management system (LMS)? After all, AMS integration done well will go completely unnoticed by the end-user. It is, if you will, the “unsung hero” of learning management systems – and this is why we at CommPartners have worked to ensure that our Learning Platform, Elevate, can be integrated with any AMS. Though the benefits of integration are not necessarily seen, they are very much felt. Here are some of the benefits:
Personalization – Cutting Through the Noise
If a learner is signed in with appropriate credentials to your AMS through your website, they are signed into Elevate. AMS integration allows for seamless movement with the proper access and credentials. In Elevate, this means the user will be greeted by name and is provided designated content, pages, rates, and their history; all keyed on their member record.
Relevancy – Building a Unique Experience
Through integration, specific content is presented to a learner based on their member-role, position, location, etc. Integration also allows an admin to display specific pricing based on the user’s role (ex. member v. non-member, student, faculty, seniors). Automatic authentication also provides for an added level of security and privacy – relevant content can be created to display specifically to a user group, or limited to a specific role or status. Additionally, every user has a home dashboard, which allows him/her to easily track their work within Elevate.
Reporting – Made Easy
Finally, AMS integration provides for ease in reporting. Elevate provides 30+ unique reports admins can run to gather data and receive feedback on member and product activity. This information is available through Elevate’s API to be pulled by the AMS.
If you have questions regarding your specific AMS or how it can integrate with our learning management system, Elevate, please reach out to Eve Finstein at efinstein@commpartners.com.
By: Eve Finstein, Elevate Project Manager
