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Overview (Child)

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Release

This release, we worked on five improvements for the aNewSpring platform. We have improved existing functionalities and added brand new functionalities for you to try. Are you curious about what has changed? Let&#039;s dive right in!

Accessibility

<h3>Accessibility update</h3>It’s important to us that everyone is able to learn on our platform, including people with disabilities. And we took another step towards this goal! The (video) hand-in activity and the SCORM activity can now be performed with a keyboard.We are also working on the accessibility of the platform by means of screen reader software. Some preparatory work has been done, which includes making individual parts of pages (such as buttons and input fields) recognisable for a screen reader. The login pages are the first that are completely screen reader proof.With these steps, we are getting closer to a learner interface that fully complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

LTI 1.3

<h3>Use LTI 1.3 in the external activity</h3>Last release, we shared the first part of the update to LTI 1.3. Playing aNewspring through LTI 1.3 in an external LMS was the first step. In this release, the roles have been reversed. It’s now possible to play learning activities from outside aNewSpring in our platform, using LTI 1.3, via the external activity.

Want to know more about the LTI 1.3 update?

Not quite ready for it yet? Rest assured, LTI 1.1 is still available.

Reminder email

<h3>You have an event tomorrow!</h3>Keeping track of your agenda is typically something that you either excel at, or not. Whether you have a structured or chaotic way of working or somewhere in between, some help with keeping track of your appointments always comes in handy.With the new reminder email for events, you can now send an automatic reminder to learners and instructors a few days in advance. You can adjust the exact number of days for each event, and also add a note to be included in the reminder email.A useful tool to remind participants of how exactly they can reach the event location or what homework they need to complete beforehand. This way, everyone is prepared and ready.

Filter content by tags

<h3>Filter content by tags</h3>Content libraries, content parts and questions can be tagged for a while already, but the tags are not always visible everywhere just yet. An example of this is when you select a content part to display above a block. In this release, we have addressed this scenario and more.From now on you can see the tags and filter the table based on tags, when you are:<ul><li>a designer or author selecting a piece of content to use it, in a variety of situations;</li><li>a designer turning content parts or questions on or off for usage in the template on the &#039;content management&#039; tab;</li><li>a designer selecting questions as &#039;extra memo-trainable&#039;;</li><li>a designer selecting questions for the extra exercise functionality;</li><li>an administrator using an existing content library for a new survey;</li><li>an administrator selecting content parts and questions for surveys.</li></ul>

<h3>RIT-value now exportable for assessments</h3>It’s now possible to export the RIT-value, RIR-value, and P-value of an assessment activity to a CSV file. These statistics provide valuable insights into the difficulty, discrimination and effectiveness of each question. Therefore, use this information to fine-tune exam activities for better results and make informed decisions to enhance learning experience.

Dive into the detailsSome of these features are available for aNewSpring for Trainers and all of them for aNewSpring for Organisations:<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://portal.anewspring.com/en/support/discussions/topics/3000181830">Release Notes for Organisations</a></li></ul><ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://portal-trainer.anewspring.com/en/support/discussions/topics/3000181831">Release Notes for Trainers</a></li></ul>If you have any questions regarding the release, do not hesitate to contact our <a target="_blank" href="mailto:support@anewspring.com">Support Heroes</a>!

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Release 103

Release 102

Release 101

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This release, we worked on five improvements for the aNewSpring platform. We have improved existing functionalities and added brand new functionalities for you to try. Find out what changed!

Release 104: Five updates and improvements

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Learning platform

Tips

It&#039;s 2024, and while the wonders of the digital age allow for spectacular visuals and AI-powered marvels, our learning journeys can be somewhat... well, old-fashioned. But no worries, we are here to help you!We have combined our strengths and came up with five practical tips to glow up your learning journey. We’ll explain why these tips help people learn and how you can quickly apply them on the aNewSpring platform. Throughout the article, you’ll also find some very helpful resources to make your learning journeys pop.

Focus attention

Remember the excitement of going to a candy store as a kid, surrounded by a rainbow of colours and a mix of enticing scents? The experience was fun but at the same time overwhelming. The same goes for trying to absorb information without any visual guidance.This is where the signaling principle of Mayer comes in. The technique involves highlighting crucial information, to direct learners’ focus. By emphasising with colours, blocks and bold or cursive text, it screams: “I’m important! Read me!” However, avoid underlined text, as it tends to have the opposite effect.Structuring information is another way to make use of the signaling principle. Headers and subheaders act as guides, helping learners understand relationships between pieces of information and their connection to the main subject. An extra plus is that it also helps them find specific information more easily.

Here's an awesome example of the signaling principle

<h3>Using the signaling principle in aNewSpring</h3>Look no further than the Look &amp; feel editor! Access the advanced editor, navigate to Content parts, and use the editor to create headings and subheadings. Scroll down to Colour palette to create a palette for content parts and questions. This includes text and background colours. Add at least black and white text. Trust us, they always come in handy. And don’t forget to click update when you’re done!

Consistency

Pay attention to consistency

It’s safe to say that everyone reading this frequently visits YouTube. A very frustrating experience is when YouTube unexpectedly alters its layout. All of a sudden we have to look for the right button to save that cute cat video. Humans like consistency and we easily develop habits to navigate websites. We want predictability, a sense of familiarity and the comfort of navigating mindlessly. The same goes for learning journeys.An important part of building a learning journey is prioritising user experience. Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience:<ol><li>How can I help them to easily navigate the learning journey?</li><li>What are they already used to?</li><li>What do they expect from an online learning journey?</li></ol>Creating a seamless journey results in more positive experiences and it can even result in more impactful learning. Ignoring user experience can leave users feeling uncertain and disoriented. User experience encompasses various elements. Consistency is a fundamental and relatively straightforward method to enhance the user experience!If you want to make your learning journey more consistent, consider:<ul><li>establishing a colour palette (use two accent colours, as explained in the next tip)</li><li>set standardised fonts and headings</li><li>maintain a consistent layout</li><li>consistency in the use of images (use the same style of illustrations for instance)</li></ul>

Need help with finding a colour palette that works well?

<h3>Applying consistency in aNewSpring</h3>In the first tip, we explained how you can set colours and headers. You can use the rest of the <a target="_blank" href="https://academy.anewspring.com/do?action=viewProduct&amp;id=9">advanced Look &amp; feel editor</a> to create one that uses your colour palette. aNewSpring has already created a layout with set elements for you. The only thing you need to do is keep consistency in mind within content parts. For instance, where you place text, images and text blocks.

Eye candy

Don’t forget the eye candy

As learning designers, we generally agree on one thing: We incorporate visual elements into learning journeys when they contribute meaningfully to the contents of the learning journey. This perspective holds true, but we want to broaden this perspective.In Dutch, there’s a saying: the eye wants something too. It means that we appreciate things that are visually pleasing. This eye candy proves invaluable in online learning journeys. Simple changes like incorporating two accent colours and using atmospheric images can impact how we absorb information. Even if these visuals don’t contribute to the learning contents, they enhance the overall user experience. And that is just as important.

More tips on how to effectively use visuals?

<h3>Making it pop in aNewSpring</h3><ul><li>Find images that fit well with your target audience and use them in your content parts to create recognition and a welcoming atmosphere.</li><li>Use a colour palette with two accent colours.</li><li>Use extras like icons. For instance, an icon of a clock will indicate you’re telling about the time it takes to finish a learning journey. Much better than spelling it out!</li></ul>

Think outside the blocks...

Think outside the blocks…

So far, we have mostly focused on how to use the Look &amp; feel to your advantage and how to enhance content parts. But if you really want to glow up your learning journey, you have to look outside the (content) blocks too. The first interaction that learners have with the learning journey is often through an overview - giving a crucial first impression that we shouldn’t underestimate. What you can do to enhance the appeal of the overview depends on the platform you’re using.

Want to know where you can find creative commons?

<h3>Spicing up your overview in aNewSpring</h3>Let’s start with a fundamental principle: Make it anything but boring! Move away from white backgrounds, blocks and widgets, using only black text. Work with a palette and experiment with the use of different colours for different elements. Consider elements that you can change to make the overview more interesting, like icons for your activities, background photos and bold headers. And don’t forget documents and certificates! It’s a bummer when you’re working on a beautiful learning journey, but then receive a lacklustre certificate at the end.User experience comes into play in the overview as well, like how you organise your information and documents. Utilise widgets to offer extra documentation or highlight information that’s important during the entire learning journey. You also have to think about how to organise your blocks and activities, so learners understand the structure of the learning journey and can easily find specific elements.

...and beyond

Okay, that was all for the learning journey itself. But we’re not quite finished yet. Just as the overview impacts the absorption of the learning journey, the entire platform plays a crucial role as well. The very first time learners interact with the platform (usually through the login page), they will already start to form an opinion that sets the tone for the overall experience. Repeating some earlier mentioned principles, think about:<ul><li>the Look &amp; feel of the overall platform</li><li>how learners navigate the platform</li><li>where they can find learning journeys and whether it’s easy to find the specific one they’re looking for</li></ul>However, there’s one thing we haven’t mentioned yet: WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). These guidelines are developed by organisations and individuals all over the world, aiming to make online content more accessible for everyone. Although challenging sometimes, following the guidelines can be highly rewarding. For instance, is the font readable for learners with dyslexia? Can your graphics be understood by those with colour blindness? Keeping WCAG in mind will increase the user experience for everyone involved.

<h3>Enhancing user experience in aNewSpring</h3>We’ve already touched upon the principles mentioned above, so let’s focus on WCAG. Fortunately we’ve been <a target="_blank" href="https://support.anewspring.com/nl/articles/70649-wcag-2-1">working on WCAG</a> for a while and will continue to integrate the guidelines in the platform. So, the only thing left for you to do is keep WCAG in mind while creating your own content!

Ready to start glowing?

Are you ready to glow up your learning journey? Check out all the resources in this article and don’t forget to follow our Academy course <a target="_blank" href="https://academy.anewspring.com/do?action=viewProduct&amp;id=9">on Look &amp; feels</a> to help you implement the tips in aNewSpring specifically.

Is excited to help people learn and will use her head and heart to do it in the best way.

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5 tips to glow up your learning journey

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blended learning

If you’ve been around for some time as a training provider, you’ve probably built your success on being exceptionally good at creating and delivering classroom training. And while learners and customers still value that quality face to face time with a great teacher and fellow learners, they also expect a seamless digital experience around it and an efficient use of their precious time.Many training providers have made the step towards offering fully blended learning experiences in the past years and now reap the benefits by offering the best of both worlds. Belgium based training provider Amelior is one of them.Whether you’re looking to go from classroom to blended learning or want to offer your learners a more cohesive blended experience than you’re currently able to, there’s a lot you can learn from their story. In this article, we&#039;ll highlight the three key factors that helped Amelior make the leap successfully.

How blended learning cut classroom training days by 30%

If we were to summarise Amelior’s success story into a few key takeaways you can use for your next blended learning adventure, it would be the following:<ul><li>Start small and iterate; Rome wasn’t built in a day</li><li>Internal buy-in and alignment is key to success</li><li>Don’t be afraid to ask for help</li></ul>Here’s a quick teardown of each of these takeaways, so you can put them into effect yourself.

Small and easy steps

Keep things small and easy to manage

Amelior hadn’t tried anything like this before. One takeaway from the award-winning success of this project is that you have to start small. Starting small and iterating often helps you:<ul><li>Minimise variables</li><li>Stay laser-focussed</li><li>Incorporate learnings early on</li></ul>If a whole training program sounds too daunting, try taking one module or topic and incorporating blended learning in it as a test.Amelior purposefully started with one single training program, and fully committed to transforming it well. This gave them the necessary focus needed to succeed.

Get everyone on board

Get people on board with change

Trying something new for the first time is scary. But getting people excited can go a long way. Amelior’s subject matter experts (SMEs) came with several years of experience in their domain, but with little exposure to digital learning technology.These SMEs were crucial for a successful move towards blended learning. Addressing and taking away their suspicions, fears and hesitations was a huge challenge.Assuring them technology would enhance the impact and reach of their training, helped create buy-in and alignment. Keep this in mind when you set out on your next blended learning adventure.<h3>Solutions</h3>As for the SMEs involved, luckily, their anxieties didn’t become a reality. Instead of diluting their expertise, the blended approach gave them the space to focus on the parts of the course that really mattered.And although not every participant completed all the e-learning modules every single time, some SMEs mentioned that this, too, could easily be overcome by getting them to complete those modules later. Clearly, they recognised the potential of the e-learning material to support in-class learning.Due to the consideration that went into selecting the modules best suited for online learning, finding the right balance between online and offline teaching resolved itself, naturally.

Working together

Work together as a team

You don’t need to revamp your training content alone. We realise it’s not always easy to fit existing content to a hybrid learning model. Amelior had this realisation, too.Which is why they also relied on the expertise of professionals – both internal and external – to create a truly immersive, interactive learning experience. Don’t be afraid to ask for help where necessary. It takes a village, after all!Just know that in the end, it’s worth it. If anything, take the following quote by Karin Bastiaannet to heart:“Blended learning not only maximises the value of the subject matter expert, but also maximises the knowledge and experience of learners. It’s the perfect cross-pollination approach for skill development.”

<h3>What&#039;s your next step in(to) blended?</h3>Take these key factors to heart and you&#039;ll increase your own chances of a successful journey towards (better) blended learning. So what&#039;s your next step? Ready for some more inspiration? We&#039;ve got you covered!

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Transforming your training portfolio from classroom to fully blended can be daunting. Here's the three key factors that helped training provider Amelior to make the leap successfully.

Going blended: 3 key success factors for training providers

The days have gotten darker, candlelight fills our living rooms and gifts slowly but surely gather underneath the Christmas tree. While you’re trying your hardest not to open any of the presents at home, we come bearing a release full of treats that you can start unwrapping immediately!

Search functionality

Search through all content libraries at the same time!

You’re at the start of a new project, a new training. You know you have content that can be reused, but in which content library did you store it exactly? With our new search function, authors no longer need to look through each content library. From now on, you are able to search through all content libraries you have rights to, simultaneously.Apart from name and ID from content libraries, content parts and questions, you can also get results from text within those content parts and questions. This results in a clear overview of all relevant content for your new training!

Find out more about this functionality

Styling options

<h3>Style ‘explanation for block’ the way you like</h3>We have added three new options to the popular ‘explanation for block’-functionality:<ol><li>Place the explanation above or underneath the block title.</li><li>Choose to collapse the explanation if the learner closes the block.</li><li>Display the explanation with a background (for text content) or without background (for images). This way, your content always looks top-notch!</li></ol>With these options, you can customise your blocks and add beautiful visuals or important information to your learning journey.

Insights surveys

<h3>Insight from your surveys</h3>In the summer, we went live with the survey functionality that helps you collect feedback from your learners in a quick and easy way. Now, we improve upon how you get insights from the results of the survey:<ul><li>Template designers can choose whether the instructor should have access to the results of the survey in the instructor dashboard. Does it include questions about the instructor, and you don’t want them to see the answers? Simply turn off this option.</li><li>The administrator can export the results as a CSV file. In case you want to analyse the results further (in Excel for example) or share the results with someone else.</li><li>The administrator can filter the results based on course. This way you can see the differences in results per course.</li></ul>

Learner groups

<h3>Link learner groups to profiles</h3>From now on, you can link multiple learners to a profile at the same time, by adding a learner group to a profile. Would you rather do this via the API? Go ahead! Did you link a learner group to a profile? In that case you can see this on the learner group page.The option to link learners to a learner group through API will be available a few days after the official release.

Notification

<h3>Wake them up, before they go-go</h3>A couple releases ago (go), we added the ‘automatic logout after ‘x’ minutes of inactivity’ functionality. For learners, we are now adding a warning.Are they automatically signed out after 30 minutes of inactivity? You can set up a warning that will inform them about this after 20 minutes. This way you can nudge them to continue learning, before they are logged out.Are you in the market with Code 95 courses? In that case, this functionality is required.

<h3>Play aNewSpring courses via LTI 1.3</h3>Do you play aNewSpring courses via LTI in an external LMS? It will soon be possible to do so via LTI version 1.3! All functions that are available for version 1.1 as provider, are also available for version 1.3.And the best part? When it comes to LTI 1.3, tenants can set this up themselves on the settings page. No need to contact Support (although, we are there if you need us)!The current LTI 1.1 configurations will, of course, keep working.Do you want to get started with LTI 1.3? This functionality will be released in January 2024.

<h3>Dive into the details</h3>Some of these features are available for aNewSpring for Trainers and all of them for aNewSpring for Organisations.<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://anewspring.freshdesk.com/en/support/discussions/topics/3000181781">Release Notes for Organisations</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://anewspring.freshdesk.com/en/support/discussions/topics/3000181783">Release Notes for Trainers</a></li></ul>If you have any questions regarding the release, do not hesitate to contact our <a target="_blank" href="mailto:support@anewspring.nl">Support Heroes</a>!

While you’re trying their hardest not to open any of the presents at home, we come bearing a release full of treats that you can start unwrapping immediately!

Release 103: A festive release filled with gifts

Adaptivity

If you’ve ever been in the middle of a storm without electricity, you must already know how hard it is to find your way around your own home without the help of a flashlight. You end up stubbing your toe on your furniture, even while knowing the layout of your home like the back of your hand.Even in the world of learning, it is possible to get lost. Imagine how a flashlight could help you find your way when you do. Similarly, a well-defined learning pathway helps a learner achieve a learning goal. Whether they are preparing for a specific job or want to update a skill, a learning journey should lead the way to success.

Visualising it

<h3>Visualise achievable growth</h3>At aNewSpring, we are constantly thinking about learners, and how we can help them find their own road to success! So, we put on our thinking caps and focused on the question:  how can we make it easier for learners to achieve competencies within our learning platform?First things first. To build and sustain motivation to learn and grow, we realised that learning paths shouldn’t be a single linear learning journey, but flexible. It should allow learners to branch out, explore and discover growth. A platform’s true purpose is to guide and nudge learners towards positive outcomes rather than instruct them on their learning process (hello, helicopter parenting!), and telling them exactly how, what or when they are going to learn.The idea that people learn in different ways through flexible learning paths led us to tie certificate activities (and in the future, learning objectives, progress, retention, and so on) to competencies. Then, we provide them with an overview to keep track of their progress and find available learning journeys, before they go ahead and achieve those competencies.

Profiles and competencies

Profiles and competencies, you say?

Profiles and competencies within the aNewSpring platform is an overarching method of guiding learners through multiple learning journeys. Initially, the platform allowed users to only create single learning journeys or a blended delivery mechanism within a single learning journey.To allow for greater flexibility, we explored the idea of bundling journeys together. With a larger learning outcome in mind, learners can then identify which learning journeys would help them achieve that goal.Let&#039;s get into the details a little bit further. The instructor/designer creates a program around a competency for a specific profile, role, subject or topic in mind. The learner then performs a set of actions or activities within that role to achieve those competencies. This answers the question: what skills or competencies are needed to upskill to the next level in their career or subject.

<h3>Time to build</h3>Then, there are the building blocks themselves:<ul><li>Profiles: The admin-users are responsible for setting up the profiles and offer these to the learners. They create a profile, add the competencies to it, and give learners and instructors access to the profile.</li><li>Competencies: Competencies can be added in one or multiple profiles. So, learners don&#039;t have to achieve the same competency in every profile; just once is enough! Admin users can link the competency - on template or course level, to one or multiple certificate activities, and then learners will begin to see it and add to their learning path. Linking competencies on the template level will instantly make it visible for all courses of that template.</li></ul>Ultimately, this helps to develop a clear picture of growth for a learner. They no longer have to wonder about getting from point A to point B any more, nor do they have to be confined by single learning journeys.

An example

Project management

If you’ve known us even a little, you’ll know what to expect here. That’s right, we love examples that can help you relate, so here’s a brief breakdown.Let&#039;s talk about project management. Better yet, let&#039;s take it apart. This way, we can show you what it would look like if implemented using profiles and competencies within aNewSpring.Like some of us might know already, a project manager is an important lynchpin in running projects by coordinating across various teams.Different organisations use certification as a measure of project management competence. Based on our initial research, we identified three project management competency areas: knowledge, proven experience and personality. Each competency area is built around specific pillars. The knowledge area can be divided into three major profiles—general management skills, project management skills and industry skills.

<h3>General management profile</h3>What would this look like if we charted it out for better clarity from the perspective of a learner and a manager in an organisational setting?For the sake of simplicity, we&#039;ll delve into one pillar. Within aNewSpring, the admin/manager can create &#039;general management&#039; as a profile and associate the necessary competencies with it. The competencies in turn, are linked to certificate activities that allow learners to achieve them. They can also very easily visualise progress, by seeing which learning journeys will contribute to the competency they would have to acquire within a specific profile.

On the platform

Diving into the platform

Now that we&#039;ve shaped a graphic around the roles and what&#039;s expected of both of those roles, the next step is to visualise this within the aNewSpring environment.You can then also see how the learner can accomplish a competency by completing the certificate activity. Notice that there is an expiry date on the certificate as well, for instances where recertification may be necessary.That was quite a simple journey we took you on, explaining how you can string several learning journeys together and help learners develop within their role. Nevertheless, for a learning or instructional designer, it still is a walk in the park to put together learning journeys targeted at each of the competencies and then pin them to the profile they should be a part of!

In the learning world, it's possible to get lost. Imagine how a flashlight can help you find your way when you do. Similarly, a well-defined learning pathway helps a learner achieve a learning goal.

Articles

Release 104: Five updates and improvements

Read, watch and learn

Release 104: Five updates and improvements

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Release 103: A festive release filled with gifts

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Ger’s Learning Notes #56: AI & learning rockstars

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