The Benefits of E-leaning for Email Etiquette Training

October 27th, 2011

Most of us have had an e-mail from a co-worker that was questionable. Without thinking, many people pass along something that they think funny, even though it may prove offensive for others.  Perhaps the person just didn’t fill in the subject line properly, which prompts you to open an email which has nothing to do with what you thought. What the sender didn’t think of before pressing the “Send” button may be offensive, or downright inappropriate in the work place.  Email etiquette courses that help to correct these kinds of occurrences can be taught online, and can be a much cheaper alternative than sending people to a physical classroom to train.

You may be wondering why having your employees take an email etiquette course is a good idea. Communication reflects professionalism, and email is one of the most widely used forms of communication in the workplace. Rarely would you want to see every single email employees send out on behalf of your company, nor would you want them to copy you on every. Poorly written communications can negatively impact your business and reputation. A training program on email etiquette is beneficial to you and your employees to make sure they are always writing thorough, concise, and professional messages on behalf of the organization they represent.

Email etiquette courses can help teach strategic ways to communicate that positively impact your business. Professional messages are clearly written, and are not too short as to seem brash to the recipient, yet at the same time do not drag on for four paragraphs just to reach the point of the message. Instead of writing a poor email, online email etiquette courses can help your employees write professionally structured messages and promote healthy communication and further relations on behalf of your organization. Here are some quick reasons email courses might be more beneficial than face-to-face training your business:

  • Online courses are easy to access, and are efficient as your employees can access them at any desired online location, helping them achieve greater balance work/life balance
  • There is often greater impact in online courses because the learner is in the driver’s seat
  • There is unity in learning  for all employees since they are all learning the same curriculum in the same way
  • They help save cost, as there are no travelling expenses wasted with online courses
  • There are no lost opportunities due to time spent travelling from work or home to a class, so employees can be more efficient and productive

Theseare just a few of the ways online courses can help your employees and your organization become more professional and productive. Want to learn more? Check out www.enspark.com/courses.

Crowdsourcing: Useful or a Hindrance to the Overall Learning Process?

October 18th, 2011

Last week we were talking about social learning and communities of practice. Now let’s get a little deeper into that conversation and talk about how some communities of practice go about solving problems within the community. Crowdsourcing and crowdfunding are two unique ways of finding a solution to a proposed problem.

In crowdsourcing, a problem is proposed to an unknown group of problem solvers, who then tend to form online communities in which to collaborate and think up methods of how to best solve the proposed problem. It is then up to the problems proposer, or crowdsourcer, to pick the best solution. Sometimes there is a monetary reward for the solution, and sometimes the reward is the acknowledgement of creating the best solution. When all is said and done, the idea of the best solution to the problem is credited and owned by the crowdsourcer.Crowdsourcing lightbulb

There are both pros and cons to this technique. On the pro side, crowdsourcing helps create new communities in an industry in an effort to try and solve a problem. This promotes the spreading of new and unique ideas and knowledge amongst communities, and really gets the thought process going along with facilitating conversation. People work towards a common goal, working together in order to achieve it. On the negative side, nothing is ever neat and clean cut. Crowdsourcing can create competition between communities, and sharing ideas and promoting solutions becomes secondary to the competition. When monetary rewards are promised, it becomes a type of mercenary for hire form of problem solving, pitting team against team and communities end up suffering as the conversation and knowledge are not shared with outside communities.

In e-learning, there is one common goal in the community: to help promote a new and unique way to go about the learning process using tools online. When we use the idea of crowdsourcing here, we are resorting to sharing ideas and knowledge for the benefit of (hopefully newly formed) communities to solve a problem. But what if a monetary reward is interjected as the prize for the best overall solution? We have now created a platform for possibly negative competition and communication, serving as a hindrance to finding the best solution (using everyone’s collaborative knowledge). So what do you think? Is crowdsourcing a viable technique to use in the industry? Let’s hear your response in the comments section.

New Enspark eLearning Activity: Battle of the Pacific

June 1st, 2010

Engaging eLearning ActivitiesBattle of the Pacific is a fun, exciting way to assess your knowledge. As you answer questions correctly, you fire at enemy ships in nearby waters. Your fleet might also be in danger, however, if you miss a question.

Battle of the Pacific is another Enspark eLearning Activity meant to be installed, customized by, and published with the Activity Builder. You can build as many customizations of this activity as you’d like, and you can change just about everything you see in this game.

If you like Battle, we suggest you also check out our other eLearning activities.

New Enspark eLearning Activity: Stranded

May 28th, 2010

Imagine being Stranded on a remote tropical island, with only your wits to save you! In Stranded, the latest Enspark eLearning Activity, you’ll need to use your knowledge to answer questions correctly to build your fire and attract the attention of a passing rescue ship.

Using the Enspark Activity Builder, you can install Stranded as well as customize just about anything in the game. You can make as many new versions of Stranded activities as you like, and you’ll also have free access to future updates

Stranded is the latest in the growing library of Enspark eLearning Activities. Check out our other activities here!

Cash Quiz: A FREE Activity from Enspark

May 26th, 2010

Engaging eLearning ActivitiesWe invite you to download and try out our first Free Enspark eLearning Activity: Cash Quiz. Cash Quiz is a game show-based activity where you earn virtual “cash” for answering questions correctly. You can also use up to three “hints” to help if you get stuck.

To download, customize, and publish Cash Quiz to your eLearning course, you’ll need to install the Enspark Activity Builder (also free). Once you’ve installed Cash Quiz, you can build as many projects as you want, as you customize just about everything you find in the game.

If you like what you see, feel free to check out our other eLearning activities.

Calling all Game-based Learning Enthusiasts

May 11th, 2010

Serious Games for eLearningWe’re getting ready to launch a host of new activities and serious games for eLearning. We want to gather a group of folks who’d be interested in testing our games–both the creation and playing of the games.

If you’re interested, you’d have access to the following benefits:

  • Free, unlimited, non-commercial access to our entire suite of eLearning games and activities
  • Sneak peaks at upcoming activities
  • The opportunity to submit valuable feedback that will have direct impact

If you’re interested in participating in our Activity Testing Team, submit your information here.