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The latest breakthroughs in different fields have brought the demand for learned individuals to the next level. With such being said, different educational institutions are equipping themselves with different learning management systems that ensure a more effective and efficient learning. Worldwide leader in LMS, Coggno, has made several multimedia platforms available for different types of educational institutions to get their students and learners in synch with the most modern tools possible to enhance learning. The demand for today’s learners has gone way beyond scales so there is no better way to keep up with it but to invest with the right tools and equipment.

It may be a great concern for institutions to engage in such investment as the costs can really be serious and demanding. Small institutions may have to shell out thousands and large ones millions just to get the right tools set-up for them.

Just like planning any momentous event, institutions would need to spend serious time planning for this venture that shall include talks about the needs of the school and the kind of technology it would require in order to meet its objectives.

Before focusing into deeper discussion about costs and other obvious details, an institution must be able to understand the skills of their staff to handle such technology. With this being said, an institution must be able to choose the most efficient tools with the easiest platforms in order to be very productive.

Technology breaks routine and this is one of the best benefits an institution can pass on to their staff. The previous routines of creating visual aids, as experienced by educators, can now be an enjoying experience every time they create multimedia content and modules for their learners. Coggno’s LMS has also made it possible for different applications to be integrated into one great interface that would help educators and content developers to create modules seamlessly and more efficiently. There is also a knowledge exchange made possible by the same interface that would enable a more efficient idea transfer from one expert to another.

You do not need to worry about maintaining a network or IT staff for Coggno’s LMS as everything can be done by anyone.

With Rapid Intake Unison made possible by Coggno’s LMS, the learning experience of students and learners is further enhanced and made enjoyable with the use of Flash-based environments.

One does not need to learn Flash in order to create a great content for their students. The same application, Rapid Intake Unison, makes it possible for educators and content makers to outline, conceptualize, and design their own modules for the benefit of their students.

There is another apex embedded on this LMS as developed by BB Flashback, and it enables users to capture someone’s desktop and make more understandable step-by-step instructions for its users.

There is no other LMS provider that makes such a comprehensive tool like Coggno’s LMS toolkit that enables users to edit texts, produce podcasts, publish SCORM, bank questions, create videos, quizzes, and assessments. Cost will not be a problem as Coggno’s LMS is on a pay-per-use basis and there are no deposits or any up-front payments required in order to use it.

Most institutions are afraid of entering into purchase agreements with penalties if terminated early. Just like a service contract, there could be fees involved if one is to enter onto these kinds of agreements.

There are months where demand for LMS systems are not really that high. This is true for most institutions and becomes a part of their hesitation as well. Who would want to pay for something they are not using in the first place? This is the perfect advantage pay-per-use systems have.

There are no contracts needed and no penalties for termination involved. This is a great advantage Coggno can offer over the other LMS providers aside from its wonderful and efficient interface.

Author and distribute LMS Training to your business’ trainees through Coggno’s Learning Management Systems.

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Colleges all over the country have begun to implement a Learning Management System to deliver new courseware to students located nationwide. Specialty schools have already successfully implemented and established distant learning programs enabling their students to earn their degrees online. Interactive courses enable the student to still receive the quality of teaching with full comprehension by interactive with the material as well as with each other.

Jim Miller, a current Internet Marketing student is experience distant learning first hand. He is currently attending Full Sail University, Orlando based, while residing on the West Coast. He talks about his experience at Full Sail, while also maintaining a full time job. “It’s great because class is wherever you are. The convenience and flexibility of when you attend your class enables you to work your education around your career which helps to facilitate both endeavors.”

The Learning Management System has created a platform for students that offer a 24/7 support mentorship where students can connect with experienced trainers for help on their coursework. Professors and Counselors have extended their availability in addition to the 24/7 support to ensure that students receive a quick response to their questions. Among many benefits that the Learning Management System provides, students are exposed to various styles of teaching enabling them to experiment and identify what teaching method they learn best using.

With every solution there is always an awaiting problem. Depending on the curriculum layout or the Professor’s preference, some courses require students to participate in group projects. This may cause major headaches with students having to factor in time difference, plan around work schedules, or even having to pick up the slack from lesser motivated students. This can hurt the integrity of a program and as a result evaluations are regularly conducted to ensure the curriculum layout successfully delivers the material the student and effectively conveys the material.

When asked how the Learning Management System compares to “in classroom” curriculum and the quality of the learning, Jim Miller states, “The only difference that I have experienced is that you are not physically in the classroom. I feel the quality of the curriculum and the concepts I am being taught are held at the same standard and uphold the same quality at any other University attending an in-person course.”.

While some Colleges may not have made the transition into implementing a Learning Management System online learning program, signs of moving forward are evident. Some Professors are beginning to follow suit as they implement online class sessions, hosting class in a secured chat room on the school’s website. Components such as these show signs that people are beginning to acknowledge the ease and convenience that Learning Management System provides for delivering material to their students.

Conceptualize modules for elearning and Online Training on easy to manage, flexible and scalable LMS by Coggno. Visit coggno.com for more information.

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People in charge of organizing and planning the training methods for a business are often choosing many forms of Learning Management Systems. Learning online is a large part of any of these systems that utilize both computers and the internet. People have been choosing Learning Management Systems because they have been proven effective for many of the following reasons.

Increase Efficiency of the Training Process

Gathering people together is not necessary with most Learning Management Systems. The applications used in the system bring people together by providing communication tools and online activities that parallel a traditional lecture or discussion group. Trainees are often given remote video instruction. Trainers can go through material quickly since most course material is available online in some form for reference at any time. Trainees can therefore learn at anytime from anywhere with an internet connection.

With a Learning Management System much of the testing can be done online and graded automatically. This gives trainers the opportunity to demand less structured schedules if that suits the students’ needs. The systems are saving trainers a lot of time in marking assignments so that they can concentrate on helping the students.

Teach Anytime and Anyplace

Trainers can record the entire training program and make it available in advance to those who register. Some programs even allow trainees to navigate recorded sessions and have these, along with notes available prior to commencing a session. Trainers and students can ask and answer questions and network together for their needs.

Learning Management Systems are allowing training organizers to have sessions available to anyone using the systems. Students are discussing future sessions and testing each other on previous ones. Even the present lectures are being hosted online or live so trainees never set foot inside a building.

The above characteristics of Learning Management Systems are delivered to trainees using advanced internet applications making an internet connection essential. Aside from that there is no limit to the locations training can take place. The systems have a great track record and are a common choice. Search online for “Learning Management Systems” and see a plethora of companies marketing them.

Conceptualize and offer online training on an easy to use and scalable Learning Management System. Check out www.coggno.com for more details.

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Scada has been in extensive use for a lot of time now. Its full form is Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. It is being used to control and analyze all types of industrial systems. MMI or man machine interfaces are the widely used scada systems worldwide.

These are managed via a central computer that can guide various devices connected to it. Many methods are used for communication between the master and the other devices. The most commonly used ones are Ethernet, radio links and modems. The data about various devices is gathered with the help of sensors.

In some cases there are instruments that have different types of data communication interfaces. In such cases, we can use converters for conversion of signals. All the information from various systems can then be viewed on the central location.

All the information is stored in the central database. It is where all parameters of various equipments are continuously tracked and controlled. These can be modified if a read / write permission is provided to them. All the equipments located near or far, will have them monitored this way.

There can be analogue or digital parameters. These parameters are regularly accessed by SCADA and stored in this database. Then the program can compute the results based on those values stored in its database.

The calculations made are dependent upon these parameters. The software shows a graphical interpretation of the data received from various equipments via various communication links in real time.

Some of the parameters received from various equipments are temperature, pressure and liquid level. The scada software can show the measurements and parameters in terms of graphical objects on the computer screen.

Advanced SCADA software also allows administrators to set up some functionality to alert them when any parameter reaches a certain value. Automatic SMS or email alerts can be set up. Thus a plant is controlled from a central location using SCADA systems.

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A Scada system takes data from various sensors connected to various instruments in a factory or any location. It collects and analyzes the data with a central computer on which the scada software is installed.

The nuclear power generation plants also employ the scada systems. Many large scale industrial units depend upon SCADA systems to control and analyze parameters for various equipments. The number of input output channels are in multiples of a hundred thousand.

There are many additional devices essential to make a scada system work. HMI Interfaces, controllers and various hardware are required. Various sensors analyze the data that is then sent to the central computer via communication channels.

The main computer that controls everything and has scada software installed on it is called the MTU or master terminal unit. For remotely located equipments, there are several remote terminal units that work in coordination with MTU.

Distributed Control Systems (DCS) are used in factories for control and data acquisition. These are used for confined locations and data is communicated via LANs. Closed loop control is used in such environments.

In SCADA systems, open loop control is more prevalent though there may be some elements of closed loop control. The communications are also not just confined over LAN. The operations and controls are spread over a larger geographical area.

There are often windows in software code that are often exploited by hackers propelled by various objectives. Power infrastructure is one such vulnerable place that has to be protected from Chinese or Russian hackers. Penetration testing can minimize these problems to a big extent.

The software and hardware used in supervisory control are monitored and tested for any windows that can be exploited by hackers. The communication is also monitored. Penetration testing is very important for security purposes.

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PowerPoint audience handouts offer a way of giving the attendees of your presentations something to remember you by. They normally consist of printouts of the presentation; one, two, three, four six or nine slides to a page. Naturally, however, whether or not the essence of your presentation can be captured by this kind of printout depends on the nature of the presentation.

To customize the appearance of handouts, click on the View tab of the PowerPoint ribbon and then click on the Handout Master button. In PowerPoint, masters allow you to determine the format of the three main elements within a presentation; slides, speaker notes and handouts. When you are in handout master mode, the Handout Master contextual tab appears. It contains a Page Setup section which allows you to choose the orientation of both the page as a whole and of the individual slide miniatures. It also contains buttons for activating or deactivating the header, footer, date and page number as well as for formatting the background of the slide.

Given that Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to produce three separate elements (slides, speaker notes and handouts), when the print command is used, you need to specify which of these elements you wish to print. This is done by choosing an option from the Print What drop-down menu. In addition to the three elements mentioned above, you can also print the outline of the presentation.

For presentations containing a fair amount of important detail, it may be more useful to print out the slide outline and distribute it to the audience in place of PowerPoint’s usual handouts. Better still, you can export your presentation into Microsoft Word and then customise it for your audience. To export an outline, from the Office button, choose Publish and then Create Handouts in Microsoft Word.

When exporting to Word in this way, you will be presented with a dialogue box which allows you to choose one of five page layout options. Firstly, you can have speaker notes next to slides. This will create a two column layout with a slide miniature in column one and speaker notes next to it in column two. If you have used the speaker notes feature in your presentation, this may be a useful solution. The second option is Blank Lines Next to Slides: this produces the same two column layout as the first option but the right hand column is blank, so that you can enter notes next to each slide.

The first two options don’t offer you much room for text. If you have made or wish to make extensive notes on each slide, options three and four (Notes below Slides and Blank lines below Slides) provide a layout with the text below the slide miniature and leaves approximately 60 percent of the page free for notes.

If you simply wish your audience to have a summary of the content of the presentation, you can choose the final option: Outline Only. This simply exports the text on each slide into Microsoft Word.

When exporting to Microsoft Word in this way, you have the option of activating Paste Link. This will create a link between the exported file and the original PowerPoint presentation, such that, if the presentation is modified, the exported Word file will also be updated.

Posted under Software

You have been requested by the your employer to give your opinion on whether your company should purchase or develop a training platform from scratch. How would you develop your argument in each case, for or against building or purchasing the new training software? There are some specific issues for you to consider when deciding on if you should purchase or design your own educational software because e-learning resources should meet specific requirements to include flexibility, performance, and connectivity. The platform should also be efficient and effective.

Custom-built software has the appeal of being designed to fit your particular training needs. One issue you should address early is whether or not it will save you any effort and time, rather than purchasing existing software. Also, you would have to determine the employees in the organization who need to have access to the training software. An additional point to note is that the data management, data processing, and data reporting functions and features should be planned on from the onset of the project to then be implemented and tried out during product testing. Remember also to focus on data quality as you develop the training software. So, if you are planning to incorporate e-learning tools, be sure that data tracking and management is accurate and efficient.

If you decide to buy a learning management system, ensure that the features that you need have already been built into the system. Do not assume that the learning software will meet all your corporate training needs. In fact it might be premature to assume that all the data collection and management is automatic. So, address the following issues before you decide what software you are going to buy:

Seek to answer the following questions: What user interface features are desired? What level of trouble shooting and debugging is needed during production and development? What levels of access will different users have? How will usability testing be approached? What database outputs are needed for training and records?

Typically, the above questions will generate different answers for each individual company or organization. Therefore a team should work together and have a project manager coordinate the entire process. Usability testing must also be part of the process throughout the design and implementation. Using a small group of learners and instructors, the training platform should be tested out to ensure that it suits both the instructional and training needs of the organization.

Sometimes it turns out that homegrown products are more expensive either to build or maintain. There is also a possibility that the people who build the systems are no longer with the organization and the technical support is thus interrupted. Because of these issues, companies end up looking for off-the-shelf product, with standard support, training, and continuous upgrades and improvements that they can buy rather than build themselves.

One disadvantage of pre-existing software is that it may not always meet your particular training and educational needs. Technical support can be expensive and not readily available when needed. The support features that include licensing and copyright requirements and software updates should be part of the project management teams discussion while the procurement process is ongoing. Whenever it is possible, looking into the customizable, flexible features of off-the-shelf applications is suggested. Most software vendors may have this as an option, so it is a good idea to investigate this further.

Regardless of the the learning management system option that you chose, keep in mind that here may be additional costs in platform maintenance, software updates, and training which will be incurred. So, the company must decide what the return on investments is for the selected training option. Also important to keep in mind is the value that the the learning management system will add to the organization or company. With more employees going through the training system, more skills and knowledge will be acquired and this translates to the company’s growth and improvement.

Posted under Software Development

Less is more: it’s a concept that learning material creators should keep in mind when preparing content for a learning management system course. Specifically, less is more when it comes to one’s e-learning writing voice. The ideal e-learning writing style is optimally readable, relevant, and concise.

Naturally, there are many decisions involved in writing and preparing e-learning content. These choices include everything from navigation to media features, to what kind of writing tone best suits the content–the latter being the most important consideration you’ll take. In the same way that a boring or amazing professor has the power to make or break a class, a strong or weak writing style can either enhance or damage your e-learning course.

What are some guidelines for creating an effective and engaging writing style?

Courses that merit a student’s time and dedication are usually grounded in an author’s personal experience and subject matter expertise. And taking into account the infinite amount of course topics that are taught in higher education and training programs–not to mention the different learning and pedagogical styles–it makes sense that the appropriate writing style greatly depends on the context.

So why is it the case that “voiceless writing” is still honored in academic writing–and especially in e-learning? Too often courseware developers not only suppress their authorial voice, but aim for a dry and impersonal one.

It’s unfortunate but still true–the most popular style of e-learning content writing has involved “voiceless writing,” in which a writer strives to do away with her or his own voice. The goal is to create a formal tone without any moisture or color peeking through.

However, studies show that students respond better and are more engaged with learning content when it is presented in a more interesting and unique way, with a more nuanced and personalized tone. And many e-learning authors are warming up to the idea of writing with a voice, and doing away with voiceless writing.

In some situations, a formal, voiceless and stiff tone is simply unavoidable–and that’s alright. The more problematic issue lies in this common practice of people in the education community of an unnecessarily formal and dull writing style. Content authors often write with a tone and language that is actually intended to be wordy and difficult to read, in an attempt to garner students’ respect for the material.

Learning management system course writers can avoid these tendencies by simply staying true to their own voices, trusting their own knowledge and expertise, and keeping information concise, relevant, and simple.

Posted under Software

Before you can edit or format your text, you need to highlight it. Highlighting your text is a way of telling Microsoft Word that you want to work with a certain piece of text. (Highlighting is also referred to as selecting.)

The easiest way of selecting text is to position the cursor where you want your selection to start, click and hold the mouse button down and drag to the position where you want to end the selection. It is not necessary to drag across every single line that you want to select. It is sufficient to move in a straight line from start to the finish.

To deselect your text and remove the highlight, simply click anywhere in your text. The flashing text cursor will then reappear.

Another easy way of highlighting text is to select the whole document. This is done using the “Select All” command. In Microsoft Word 2007, the “Select All” command can be found in the “Editing” group of the “Home” Tab. Click to display the “Select” drop-down menu then choose “Select All”.

The “Select All” command can be found in lots of programs and lots of different environments. It can also be done via the keyboard using Control-A: that is to say, keep the Control key held down while typing “A”.

As well as highlighting character by character, Word also allows you to select complete lines. To do this, move the cursor into the left margin and you’ll notice that it changes to an arrow pointing to the right. When the cursor changes, simply click to highlight a single line or click and drag to highlight several lines.

Another way of highlighting text is to click multiple times. To highlight a word, double click on the word; to highlight an entire paragraph, click three times on the paragraph.

It is also possible to select text using the mouse and keyboard. This normally involves using the Shift key. One such technique is click then Shift-click. First, you click to position the cursor at the start of the text to be highlighted; next hold down the Shift key and click to mark the point where you want the highlighting to end. All the text between the two clicks will now be selected.

To highlight text without the mouse, use the cursor keys on your keyboard to position the cursor where you want your highlight to begin. Next, press Shift in conjunction with one of the cursor keys. To highlight character by character, press the right or left cursor key depending on the required direction. To highlight line by line press the down or up cursor key.

The Shift key can also be used in conjunction with Control. For example, if you hold down the Control and Shift keys and press the right arrow, you will select word by word instead of character by character. In a similar way, if you hold down Shift and Control and press the down arrow, you will select paragraph by paragraph.

The Home and End keys can also be utilised in this context. For example, if the cursor is in the middle of a line, pressing Shift and Home will select from the cursor position to the start of the line while pressing Shift and End will select from the cursor position to the end of the current line. Holding down Control and Shift and pressing the right cursor key will select from the cursor position to the start of the document. Control, Shift and End will select from the current position to the end of the document.

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One of the pivotal components of the Microsoft Office 2007, Excel is a uniquely powerful spreadsheet. If you bought this sophisticated piece of software, it makes sense to ensure that your staff members know how to use it effectively. Having allowed them a week or two to get used to the new environment and go through some online tutorials, you will probably want to get them properly trained. Tutor-led software training has the benefit that delegates are able to ask questions as they learn and have complex concepts explained and demonstrated to them until they fully understand them.

Sending your people on a public Excel course is one possibility. However, increasingly companies are demanding to have this training customised to meet their specific demands. Microsoft Excel can be used for a variety of data analysis and storage tasks: not everyone uses it in the same way. Perhaps you will be using it for complex business modelling. Or, you may be using it to create interactive forms and reports complete with complex calculations. Maybe your staff will be using the program in a database role recording information under column headings. Booking a customised course will ensure that you only pay for instruction which is relevant to your requirements and reflects the way in which you will be using Microsoft Excel.

Before you start contacting Excel training companies, it would be a good idea to ensure that you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve by using Excel and that your expectations are realistic. When you approach training companies, you should make it clear that you do not simply want them to deliver their standard Excel courses but that you require a customised programme of training. Between you, a schedule of topics to be covered should then be drawn up and the duration of the program decided.

The customisation process may also involve identifying different requirements within your own organisation. Different people may need to do different tasks with the program and therefore need different skills. For example, some of your users will be primarily interested in using Excel for business analysis and projection. Their primary areas of interest will be the “What if” analysis tool like goal seek, scenarios and pivot tables. On the other hand, you may have people who are interested in create charts and reports either for printing or for use in PowerPoint presentations.

Most training companies offering customised Excel courses should be willing to accommodate the specific needs of your organisation and the different profiles of the staff members: accounts, sales and marketing, etc. Between you, you can then create a program of study which satisfies the needs of all users. Perhaps this may mean, having different courses for users with different profiles or perhaps the best approach will be a modular one whereby some modules are taken by everyone while others are only attended by certain user groups.

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