Questions You Should Ask Before Choosing A Training Provider
June 29th, 2009
Well most people just don’t go out and buy a car without asking what type of warranty is associated with it. Although training simulations don’t provide a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty they should have some type of guarantee/warranty behind them. For Visual Purple we stand behind every product we produce, leading to ultimate customer satisfaction. Each business has specific needs and unique training ideas and challenges; before selecting a training provider ask questions…lots of questions! Here is a good primer:
Checklist of Questions to Ask:
-Can we see your company’s past performance?
-How long will it take to build?
-How can you assure on time delivery?
-Is a project work plan provided?
-Any hidden costs?
-Creativity & SMEs – Can you dedicate the right people in your organization to be available at predetermined windows to provided critical input to the build process?
-Is any technology support provided?
-Will the solution be specifically tailored to fit my organizations needs?
-Ability to enhance/ add onto existing courses…can the training solution be easily extended or re-vamped?
-Any recurring costs for maintenance/ hosting?
-Technology license fully paid up or recurring?
-Language support- localize into a variety of languages?
-Is there transparency during the development process?
What is the end result that your organization is looking for? At Visual Purple we build effective and trusted solutions from the ground up, no off-the-shelf products here. Most organizations are looking for a training solution that gets results… at Visual Purple our advanced training simulation technologies get results (road tested and proven…your mileage may vary).
Speaking of…VIRTUAL WORLDS 4
June 26th, 2009
A weekly wrap-up on what’s going on within the Virtual World sphere and beyond! Click on any of the below titles to read the full story.
Happy 6th Birthday Second Life!
The Business Case for Virtual Business, Part 1
What if Apple Entered the Virtual World Fray?
Who Knew Virtual Worlds can Cure Bullying?
Study Explores Emergency Training in Second Life
Linden Lab releases Snowglobe 1.0 for Second Life
Well, maybe not…Censorship Rumors
So this brings up the question, Who Should Control Virtual Worlds?
IBM Rolls Out Virtual World Software for Businesses
Did I miss a noteworthy virtual world headline? Let me know, simply post a comment below.
Return on Investment= Proven Success?
June 26th, 2009
With the recent chatter around Return on Investment (ROI) in virtual worlds I thought it only fitting to put it in writing on the blog! I would say that the vast majority of us are infatuated on getting the most bang for our buck, if I am able to buy a pair of shoes at a discount store and save $20 off retail from the big name department store, than I am having a good day. Well enough about me and back to the task at hand: Providing real data for ROI in virtual worlds.
Since the whole idea of virtual worlds is fairly new, there are only a limited number of use cases currently available. However, many proven use cases will likely soon be introduced in the near future since there are a growing number of new virtual world training applications currently in development.
One can however find a wealth of measurable and proven benefits within the virtual events sector, citing superb Return on Investment. Direct Magazine interviewed Unisfair about the ROI on virtual world events and got the following response: “Cost does play a big part. One of our clients completely eliminated doing road shows in favor of one virtual event. They said it was 50% to 80% less expensive. Another client is in the process of doing a 15-city road show. They took some of the poorer-performing cities out [of the schedule] and augmented [their coverage] with a virtual event. They’ll still have the intimacy with the 100 or 200 people in those cities, but another 500 or 1,000 people who couldn’t attend in those areas can now attend virtually. Another large client had a corporate mandate to reduce event spending by 20% this year and 50% next, so now they do sales and marketing training virtually.”
So you may be asking this question: Well this is great and all- but my boss is bottom-line oriented…Well, our friends at ThinkBalm published a Business Value Study on ROI in immersive environments you can download the report from ThinkBalm’s website.
In their study ThinkBalm respondents acknowledged some level of success with currently implemented virtual world solutions. According to the report, “Ninety five percent of survey respondents (62 of 66) reported some level of success with their 2008 / 1Q 2009 immersive technology deployments. People who worked for government, non-profits and even some corporations focused on non-financial benefits, which sometimes makes quantification of that success difficult. Regardless, over a third of those surveyed (36%, or 23 of 64) said their organization will definitely expand investment in immersive technology in 2009 and 2010, and another 38% (24 of 64) indicated that they might expand their investment.”
Simply stated, the primary benefit of virtual worlds is cost savings (which is especially appealing in today’s economic climate). With low entry cost and increased engagement, virtual worlds are a natural fit for most organizations as a training solution. Typically, these rich, simulated environments are produced at only a fraction of the cost compared to other types of simulation training such as decision-based, and in a compressed time frame as well. So, cheaper, faster and funnier, AND virtual worlds are shining in the categories of mirroring the real world while increasing trainee engagement. The creation of an engaging virtual world learning environment can be a great fit for any organization!
Training 4-1-1 Part 2
June 24th, 2009
In a follow-up blog post to the prior Training 4-1-1 Part 1 which addressed measuring training support I thought it important to post further proven statistics on learning outcomes from learning games. These stats are encouraging evidence that serious games do make a real difference.
The below statistical references are from the Kauffman Foundation in the Kauffman Thoughtbook 2009 excerpt.
Can We Prove It?
What proof do we have that any or all of this is true, that games can produce
superior learning outcomes? Well, the proof is precious little because the field is
so new, but at least it is positive. Witness these games:
• Supercharged! [electrostatics]—a 28 percent increase in learning outcomes
over lecture (K. Squire et al, 2004).
• Geography Explorer [geology]—a 15 to 40 percent increase in learning
outcomes over lecture (P. McClean et al, 2001).
• Virtual Cell [cell biology]—a 30 to 63 percent improvement in learning
outcomes over lecture (ibid).
• Dimenxian [algebra]—an average increase of one test grade (e.g., from B to
A) for most kids, up to three grades for underachieving kids (N. Etuk, 2006).
• River City [ecology, scientific inquiry]—a 370 percent increase in test
scores over lecture for D students; a 14 percent increase in test scores over
lecture for B students (D. Ketelhut, 2007).
• NIU Torcs [numerical methods]—twice as much time spent by gameplaying
kids on their homework, much more highly detailed concept
maps (B. Coller, 2006).
Training 4-1-1 Part 1
June 22nd, 2009
Although the topic of this blog post can apply to a wide variety of training types – I’d like to focus on measuring ‘baked – in’ training support within decision-based and virtual world training applications. So here’s the BIG question: Are you measuring training support within your current solutions? And the obvious follow up question: If yes, then why?
It is always a challenge to measure the transfer of training to the learner, but is critical in allocating resources based on proven past performance. Of course you could go to Amazon and buy a book about the how-to’s of measuring training support, or you could save yourself the hassle and just make sure that when choosing a training solution a specific level of training support is available and proven.
Although there are some general principles that go into training measurement, weighing the pros and cons of a training platform and tracking ROI are key to any training solution success. Corporate training provides organizations with a distinct business and strategic advantage, making them smarter than their competition. According to a recent Training Industry Quarterly ezine article. An estimated 40% to 80% of training content failing to take root with learners; training leaders are seeing a massive amount of waste and unrealized potential. So how are you going to guarantee that the next training/learning solution that you bring into your organization provides for high learner retention rates and a strong Return on Investment?
From a past article written by Dorn Williams of Manage Smarter
“Training is a critical component in any organization’s strategy, but organizations don’t always evaluate the business impact of a training program. Given the large expenditures for training in many organizations, it is important to develop business intelligence tools that will help companies improve the measurement of training effectiveness. These tools need to provide a methodology to measure, evaluate, and continuously improve training, as well as the organizational and technical infrastructure (systems) to implement the methodology. Cross-functional and reporting and learning analytics provide important connections between the measures of learning effectiveness offered by a learning management system (LMS) and the larger enterprise metrics that indicate whether learning is transferred and positively affects business results.
Business Performance Impact
Unless a training program exists simply for the sake of training, results should be measured and measurements should include business performance data, not just training data. Including selected metrics—such as sales, customer satisfaction, workplace safety, productivity and others—into a reporting strategy can help demonstrate where training has increased revenue or decreased costs. Measurements that consider performance improvements can provide a benchmark for training effectiveness. After implementing a training initiative or changing an existing program, an organization can observe and record a change in performance. To evaluate retention rates, there should be a lag between the training and these behavior measurements.
Many organizations are unable to evaluate their programs beyond the first two Kirkpatrick levels because they lack the tools to collect the data to make higher level evaluations. In part, LMSs, the most common repository for training data and mechanism to deliver training, make lower level evaluations easy but don’t provide any tool for higher level evaluation. Most LMSs automatically will track and report information required for Level One and Level Two analyses.”
Our services are not cookie-cutter or out-of-the-box, rather we collaborate with our clients and experts to create cutting-edge training solutions. Since we track EVERYTHING in our sims (especially important in virtual world sims), the training measurement taken from Visual Purple produced simulations have returned superb results. No surprise that the factor consistently getting the most press is Return on Investment (we’ll talk about ROI in future blog posts as it is an often misunderstood and elusive metric). Clear cut benefits to the bottom line and the organizations goals are keys to implementing any type of training solution.
First Graduate in Second Life (SL)
June 19th, 2009
Wow, how cool would that be to graduate in a virtual world? Well Texas State Technical College’s virtual college (vTSTC) in Second Life recently announced the first known student to graduate from a certificate program taken entirely in a virtual environment! It just goes to prove my point that virtual worlds have a wide array of useful applications (including education).
Click here to view the video.
Speaking of…VIRTUAL WORLDS 3
June 19th, 2009
A weekly wrap-up on what’s going on within the Virtual World sphere and beyond! Click on any of the below titles to read the full story.
VastPark: Community collaboration for enterprise
Virtual World Growth to Skyrocket
Importing Second Life content into OpenSim: it can be done!
Announcing the Next 3D TLC Conference – September 23-24, 2009 in San Jose
Open Wide: Dental Training in a Virtual World
Worth a Million? Web 2.0 as the Millionth Word of the English Language
Visual Purple Virtual World Case Study at The Learning and Entertainment Evolution Forum (LEEF) This Week!
June 16th, 2009
Visual Purple’s own Ed Heinbockel, President and CEO, will be on hand at the Learning and Entertainment Evolution Forum (LEEF) to present a virtual world case study on Winning in Wireless: Year 1 on Thursday, June 18th from 2 to 4 pm.
Examine the Transformation of a CBT into a Virtual World Training Environment: Has your company examined virtual world training solutions? The ease of use, authenticity, and efficacy of Virtual World training can be complemented by existing CBT training programs within an organization or designed from the ground up. Join Visual Purple as they highlight best practices and examine a case study of a successful CBT transformed into a virtual world training platform. By utilizing a virtual world as a key business training tool, companies are now able to show the invaluable resources that virtual world training is able to provide the organization at a lower cost than previous training solutions. This case study will further examine best practices and clearly demonstrate real business results.
“- Link to”
YouTube Visual Purple Winning in Wireless Virtual World trailer
Don’t forget to register now for The Learning and Entertainment Evolution Forum (LEEF): Games & Simulations for Performance
June 18-19 Harrisburg University, Harrisburg, PA
Join Visual Purple, Cisco, RWD, Experience Point, Humentum and learning professionals from around the country for 2-packed days of interactive and mind-stretching sessions!
The Learning and Entertainment Evolution Forum (LEEF) is an interactive professional development event that will showcase games, simulations and virtual worlds used for learning and performance. The program uses keynotes, in-depth case studies and workshops to explore the benefits of, and business case for these types of eLearning solutions.
Participants will learn from game, simulation and virtual world designers and developers who are:
- Designing eLearning programs that are interactive and immersive
- Improving outcomes and effectiveness of education and training projects
- Integrating entertainment and gaming principles for learning and performance
- Exploring best practices for evaluating and measuring the ROI from games and simulations
Social Networking in Virtual Worlds- Part 2
June 15th, 2009
I have a confession… I have become addicted to social networking, more specifically Twitter and Facebook. Ok, well maybe addiction is a little too harsh, but I am always curious as to what is happening within my network – who went where and what the big weekend plans are. And although I hear the question posed everyday, “What’s a Tweet?” for us social networking junkies, we all know. Connecting with long lost friends and receiving quick, real-time status updates on what everyone is doing without even picking up the phone or sending off an email is very appealing within this increasingly digital, fast-paced society; social media has become a daily aspect of our lives.
So this is all great (I think)… but how does this relate to the blog. Well I thought it appropriate to address social networking applications being baked in to virtual worlds.
First let’s review some quick stats on the recent explosion of social media.
Nielsen reported in October 2008 that Twitter was the fastest growing social networking site, with growth of 343% in 12 months! Facebook, LinkedIn, and Reunion.com are most popular among visitors ages 25-34, 35-49, and 55-64, respectively.
“As of December 2008, 11% of online American adults said they used a service like Twitter or another service that allowed them to share updates about themselves or to see the updates of others. Twitter and similar services have been most avidly embraced by young adults. Nearly one in five (19%) online adults ages 18 and 24 have ever used Twitter and its ilk, as have 20% of online adults 25 to 34. Use of these services drops off steadily after age 35 with 10% of 35 to 44 year olds and 5% of 45 to 54 year olds using Twitter. The decline is even more stark among older internet users; 4% of 55-64 year olds and 2% of those 65 and older use Twitter.” According to Pew Internet.
Here are a few thoughts on what the future may hold for social media within the virtual worlds:
-Look for more in-world interaction, increase in avatar-based communication and new companies entering the social media landscape.
-Enhanced sense of community and social presence.
-More and more people establishing themselves in virtual worlds solely for the social aspect of it.
-More real-time collaboration taking place in virtual worlds.
-Deeper and more engaging interactions.
Speaking of…VIRTUAL WORLDS 2
June 12th, 2009
A weekly wrap-up on what’s going on within the Virtual World sphere and beyond! Click on any of the below titles to read the full story.
Habbo: MySpace, YouTube More Popular Than Facebook Among U.S. Teens
Military Entertainment
Games for Health 2009: Preview
Serious games, the best application for interactive story
Successful Virtual Event for PDN
Hacker takes down Opensim Regions
Dental Training in SL
Science-Focused Kids Virtual World Launch
Second Life Opens Meth Lab for Police Training
Seventeen, Habbo Partner for Virtual World Deal