A well-thought-out online learning strategy can benefit everyone. At first glance, that might seem like hyperbole. However, in reality, online learning is just that effective. While you might assume that online learning serves the learner primarily, the benefits of online learning are far more wide-reaching. 

Digital learning can improve the performance of individuals, businesses, and society by promoting vital, future-ready skills, such as communication, collaboration, technology, and education. 

Making online learning accessible for everyone from preschool students to post-graduate learners is in all of our best interests. Not only is digital learning creating a smarter, more productive civilization, but also one that is well-informed about new technologies and able to stay on top of emerging trends.

Online learning in the corporate world also has a substantial impact on society. Why? Because today's employees will be the innovators and trainers of our future workforce. By understanding the positive impacts of digital learning, companies can cater to the next wave of employees, offering them flexible and relevant learning experiences. 

From motivation to collaboration, here are five ways that online learning has a positive impact on society.

Online learning keeps you abreast of technology

In a world consumed by technology, there has never been a better time to embrace online learning. Not only are you equipping yourself with the core skills relevant to your field, but you’re developing your broader digital skillset too. 

Using computer software, navigating the internet, and learning via different forms of digital media are all great ways for online learners to improve their technological skills. As more people get access to modern technologies, society will become more tech-savvy overall. This increased digital literacy will allow us to stay up to date with the latest trends, develop future-ready skills,  think laterally, and critically evaluate important information.

Online learning is an innovative collaboration tool

Online learning uses podcasts, file sharing, discussion boards, social media, and more to prompt discussions about coursework and other relevant ideas. These innovative ways of sharing information herald the future of communication. As such, those participating in online learning can one day influence how society connects and collaborates.

Online learning helps make use of downtime and improves motivation

Online learning modules can teach students how to make better use of their downtime. Utilizing downtime is a vital skill that will be with them for the rest of their lives. Fostering a society of productive citizens who excel at time management may lead to significant improvements in organizational skills and a thirst for knowledge.

For further insights on how to make the most of your downtime, check out our article on why our brains need breaks to maintain productivity. 

Online learning helps us build a smarter workforce

A recent study by Harvard found that participants in an online learning experiment could retain more information when it was broken into segments, rather than forcing the entire lecture on them in one sitting. Other estimates find that digital learning increases information retention by up to 60%. 

These findings are highly insightful, showing that microlearning may play a key role in the future of online learning. With students retaining more information than ever thanks to digital learning, we’re ensuring a more intelligent and motivated workforce in the future.

Online learning gives children a headstart

Having access to digital learning modules in the classroom is a game-changer, allowing young students to access more information than ever before. With virtual simulations and models, teachers can communicate subjects that may have previously been out of reach. Similarly, video conferencing and social platforms allow students to communicate with others from different countries and share information like never before. 

Statistics: the positive impact of online learning on society

From a young age, students now benefit significantly from online learning strategies. Research by Mashable found a dramatic improvement in understanding when utilizing a mobile app for preschool kids. What’s more, college students are improving their grades with statistics applications that are incorporated into the coursework.

Likewise, many students have testified to their increased level of interest when engaged in online learning. Given this, online learning will play a central role in improving society and fostering our children’s love of learning.

Statistics also show that 77% of US companies have some form of online learning available to their staff, indicating a remarkable growth in this area. Additionally, the digital learning industry reached a value of $250 billion in 2020$250 billion in 2020 and is expected to continue to grow to around $1 trillion by 2027. In other words, online learning is big business. 

These statistics are only the tip of the iceberg. 42% of workplaces where employees are engaged with L&D also say their employees are highly engaged overall. Similarly, 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development.

Moreover, companies with comprehensive training programs have 218% higher revenue per employee and 24% higher profit margins. Further, 42% of US organizations that have implemented online learning programs have seen increased profits. 

On an individual level, employees with access to online learning are 18% more engaged on average. These employees also save time and consume information more efficiently. On average, employees with online learning programs spend 40-60% less time learning while still achieving the same outcomes. 

As a bonus, online learning reduces energy consumption by 90% and produces 85% fewer CO2 emissions per student than face-to-face training, according to a study by Britain’s Open University.

Evidently, the positive impacts of online learning are far-reaching. From increased engagement and information retention to improved collaboration and even fewer CO2 emissions, online learning has a comprehensive positive impact on society. Therefore, a robust, well-funded online learning strategy is now non-negotiable for any high-functioning business.

By uplifting skill levels, communication techniques, and technological prowess, online learning is improving society rapidly. Whether this training is administered on an organizational or individual level, everyone can benefit from online learning initiatives.

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

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Online learning has been around for decades but only recently have we begun to see its true potential. Learn why it matters now more than ever!

The positive impact of online learning on society

A well-thought-out online learning strategy can benefit everyone. From motivation to collaboration, here are five ways that online learning has a positive impact on society.

Finance is an essential component of any business or organization – we all know money is serious business. That’s why it’s so important, and valuable, for employees to have a good grounding in the principles of finance, even those working outside of the financial industry.

If you’re in a management or team leader role, or running a small business, knowing the basics of finance is absolutely essential, as you’ll need to prepare budgets, manage expenditure, create reports and negotiate with clients. Online courses can help you learn and improve these skills.

Setting aside a small amount of time to learn more about the world of finance can prove to be a very smart investment for your career and future.

For staff already working in the financial industry, you might be looking to refresh or up-skill as part of your professional development program. Online learning is a great staff development tool and can help you meet your goals and boost your job performance.

Whether you’re a beginner to the world of finance or a finance professional looking to improve your skill set, there’s an abundance of online courses suitable for your learning needs. With online courses, you can access high quality professional learning materials from all over the globe, offering you industry-relevant content and the fundamental skills you need to better understand this topic.

To get you started, we’ve hand-picked 5 of the best online finance courses, to suit managers and small business owners outside of the industry, as well as seasoned finance professionals. Read on to see which course could help you.

Targeted towards those working in a corporate environment, this intensive short course will bring you up to speed with the fundamental elements of finance. You’ll learn about the key financial issues related to companies and investors, as well as the interaction between them in the capital markets.

Corporate Finance Essentials will provide you with an understanding of the professional financial vocabulary of companies, allowing you to better understand what’s going on around you and in the financial press and media. After this course, you’ll really be able to hold your own around the finance table.

Perfect for managers who are responsible for the financial running of their team, without being financial managers themselves. Do you manage a HR or project team? You'll need to demonstrate a basic understanding of financial management to your own managers, even if you're not in a financial role.

Finance for Non-Financial Managers can help you grow your career and take on greater responsibility within your organization. In this course, accounting professor Jim Stice helps you develop the financial acumen necessary to:

Interpret financial reports and make decisions based on available data

Communicate your contribution to the bottom line

Keeping up with change: issues for the finance professional

Aimed at finance professionals, this 6-week online course identifies and explores a number of challenges to the finance professional arising from the ever changing business environment.

Keeping Up with Change: Issues for the Finance Professional first looks at finance in a strategic context, in terms of planning, monitoring and controlling projects and activities. It then covers Corporate Governance issues and challenges in relation to finance. Throughout the course modules, you’ll explore challenges facing finance professionals, including:

Challenges to internal control to better manage risk.

With Finance Essentials for Small Business you’ll learn to manage your small business successfully with finance essentials from accounting professors Jim and Kay Stice.

You’ll look at the 5 reasons so many small businesses fail and outline strategies that will help you manage your small business better. These include tracking your accounting, managing your operating cycle and forecasting cash flow

This information online course also provides valuable perspective on pricing strategies and the dangers of fast growth. You’ll cover:

Last, but not least, is a series of online courses. And as their name suggests, these courses focus on making finance accessible to everyone, whether they work in the finance industry or not.

Gain a better understanding of the financial world and what’s going on in the media, and learn the practical skills you need to run your own household and potentially a small business. The series contains titles such as: 

Finance for Everyone – Markets explores the world of interest rates, explaining how interest rates change the value of all financial instruments, while highlighting the role of the bond and stock markets. You’ll also look at the impact of interest rates on consumption, investment and economic growth, and the bizarre realities of negative interest rates.

Finance for Everyone – Value is a fascinating course about the universal frameworks that determine how ideas and money interact, leading to the allocation of financial resources. Through this course, you’ll identify components of cash flow for any project, business or venture as the most essential ingredients of value.

Finance for Everyone – Decisions looks at how to simplify important financial calculations and apply that knowledge to real-life decisions that can influence your life and business.

Get your finance journey started with online learning

Whichever online finance course you decide is best for your personal or professional development, you’ll know it’s been specifically built to get you up to speed within the shortest amount of time.

You may think you don’t have the time to take on more learning, between full-time work and your busy family or social life, but even one hour a week can be enough to greatly improve your knowledge and skills. As we said before, setting aside a small amount of time to learn more about the world of finance can prove to be a very smart investment for your career and future.

You can also take a look through more great courses, many of them free, in Go1’s marketplace – simply enrol and complete training modules online, at your own pace, in the convenience of your own home or office.

Learn more about finance with these courses

As our mobile devices become more intuitive and our reliance on them grows stronger, it makes sense that more and more students are looking towards mobile learning to help with their education. In fact, a recent study found that 59 percent of students had completed some sort of coursework on their mobile device, indicating a huge surge towards this new style of learning.

Not just limited to just your cell phone, mobile learning can also incorporate a wide range of devices on the go which can be used to complete coursework or enquire about your education. Tablets and smartphones are a simple way to stay connected to your training and keep on top of changing requirements or upcoming assignments.

Whether it’s corporate training provided by an employer or coursework for college students, the popularity of mobile learning is clearly increasing. With some trends indicating the current style of this mode of learning, it’s exciting to think about what the future may hold.

Although still a relatively new approach to learning, it’s clear there are already numerous benefits to be found with the mobile model. Here are just a few ways in which mobile learning offers a more tailored style to each individual student:

The number one benefit to mobile learning comes from the amount of flexibility you have to study anywhere and anytime. Mobile learning allows you to study on the train, your work break, even in the bathroom—so you can work from where it suits you best.

Due to the nature of the actual mobile learning content, students may find it easier to retain the information. This is because mobile learning offers “bite size” and manageable pieces of information and data that may be easier to process and recall.

Mobile learning is very much a convenience-based model—a great way to ensure you can access information when it suits you best. If you’re working on your computer and need to check something, mobile learning allows you to do this without interfering with your daily tasks.

Using mobile learning doesn’t just mean reading notes on your smartphone. Podcasts, PDFs, images, and video can all be accessed from your mobile device now, which ensures you won’t get bored with the coursework delivery.

As more and more people embrace mobile learning, it’s no surprise that learners are starting earlier and earlier. In 2012, for example, the average age of an undergrad online was 34, but today it has dropped all the way to 29!

Traditionally, distance education and eLearning were thought to be favored by the older student, but new evidence seems to be showing the contrary. This trend indicates that mobile learning will brow exponentially as the younger population clearly prefers a mobile-based approach to many aspects of their lives. An entire generation has now grown up with the convenience of information, entertainment and education right at their fingertips.

One obvious trend regarding mobile learning is how the current profile of the online learner has changed. Millennials are using their phones on the commute to work or in their downtime, and many are using this as an opportunity to get an edge by learning new skills.

A recent study by KPCB found that millennials valued training over any other office perk, including cash bonuses and flexible hours. By tapping into this demand, mobile learning can offer employers a way to improve the skills of their staff in a time that might otherwise be used frivolously.

The recent innovation of wearable tech doesn’t just reach the entertainment industries. Current trends of this model of learning see students using real life simulations to give them a hands-on approach to their studies, all thanks to mobile devices.

Using a virtual classroom can engage students like never before and give them valuable experience in real life situations. Whether it’s learning how to interact with customers or using augmented reality to simulate a workplace, there are countless opportunities for wearable tech to integrate with mobile learning.

According to Global Workplace Analytics, employees these days only spend about 50 percent of their day at their desk. This recent call for work-life balance has completely shifted the way we work and also has great implications for our training and education sectors.

Traditional training methods offered in the workplace such as day-long seminars and workshops are rarely flexible and force the employees to learn at a time and with a method that may not be suitable to them. By utilizing mobile learning, employers can stay on top of trends and aim to educate staff with a model that suits their individual needs and schedules.

The future trends of mobile learning are certainly exciting. Clearly, a continued focus on convenience and flexibility will continue to allow the student to study where and how they choose.

A major area of interest for the future of mobile learning comes with augmented and virtual reality, which allow the student to experience a simulated environment from the comfort of their own home or space of their choosing. These realities will take mobile learning to a whole new level and give the student access to virtual environments that were once only available in flight simulators and other high-tech learning arenas.

User generated content may also become a major factor in mobile learning, with students able to upload their own valuable content and contribute to the coursework. As this sharing of information is already prominent in other areas of social media and the internet, there’s no doubt that it will be useful in the education sphere as well.

Forbes: Five Trends Driving The Growth Of Mobile Learning In Corporate Education

US News Study: Many Online Students Use Mobile Devices for Coursework

Why you need to start thinking about mobile learning

Ever taken a photo while watching one of your favorite bands play? Or filmed part of a concert or performance on your phone?

If you’ve got a smartphone, and an active social media account, it’s very likely you’ve used both at some point – to capture, preserve and share an experience. However, with so many people keen to document these memories through a quick pic, many venues and artists are finding their polite “No Cameras” requests are being largely ignored.

Apple’s new patent for signal blocking device technology could soon change this, by removing the camera ability from our smartphones and taking the capability right out of our hands.

Some artists, such as Alicia Keys and comedians Dave Chappelle, Louis CK and Chris Rock, have already turned to devices such as Yondr, as a way of promoting a no phone policy at their shows. Yondr works by locking away attendees’ phones in soft pouches, removing the temptation to snap any photos and giving venues and artists the tools they need for phone-free spaces.

On entering the event or venue, audience members place their phones inside the Yondr soft case – when they step into the phone-free zone the case will lock.  Each audience member still carries their own phone on them, but won’t be able to remove it from the Yondr case to use it.

If attendees need to use their phone at any time, or in an emergency situation, they simply step out of the no phone zone and the case will unlock.

Introducing Apple’s Signal Blocking Device Technology

With its recently patented signal blocking device technology, Apple is taking this concept one step further, to effectively disable the cameras in smartphones at specific venues or locations. This means that in the not so distant future, our smartphone cameras may simply no longer work in certain situations, such as concerts, art exhibitions or events.

With signal blocking technology, infrared rays are used to force iPhone cameras to shut off at any venues where video, photo and audio recording is prohibited. As described in an article by The Atlantic, Apple’s new patent uses infrared technology, which can be picked up by the camera and interpreted by the smartphone as a command to block the user from taking any photos or videos.

For example, a venue could use an emitter placed on stage that would disable photography and recording in any phones that are pointed towards the stage, stopping people from taking pics and footage of the band or artist throughout the show. 

Using Signal Blocking Devices in the Classroom

This technology could also prove very interesting for learning environments, in that it has the potential to be used for all manner of applications other than photography.

In certain situations, such as a classroom or staff training room, smartphones have become a huge distraction. Teachers everywhere are frustrated by students’ addictions to smartphones, with students using their phones in class for texting, browsing and even cheating on exams. A similar scenario can be seen in workplaces, with employees wasting more time on their smartphones than before.

Just as musicians and artists ask attendees to switch off their phones during their concerts, teachers and managers can ask students and staff to put down their phones in class – but how effective is this method?

Signal blocking devices could remove this distraction from the classroom and workplace entirely, allowing students and staff to focus and become more engaged.

Keeping Staff and Students Focused and Engaged

Whether or not Apple’s signal blocking device technology can be considered effective and appropriate for learning environments, it opens up an interesting discussion around the distractions of smartphones for students and staff and the importance of keeping individuals engaged.

There are many excellent online training resources that can help you to make your learning environment as engaging as possible for your class or team members.

In the absence of signal blocking devices, why not check out some of the great courses in Go1’s marketplace – you can simply enroll and complete training modules online, at your own pace, using the Go1 platform.

How signal blocking devices will change learning environments

Bill Gates once said that if he could have just one superpower it would be to “be able to read super fast.” It’s easy to see why: researchers suggest that more than 30% of our working hours is spent reading. Imagine how much more you could accomplish if you sliced that time by half?

Mr. Gates’ choice of superpower is a perfect illustration of the idea that knowledge is power, and the ability to learn and adapt is one of the keys to adding quality and depth to our experiences throughout life.  There’s no question that learning a new language, discovering how to cook a new dish, or broadening your perspective through the study of history and philosophy will enrich your life. However, learning requires one resource that is in very short supply these days: time.

We live in an increasingly fast-paced world with more and more demands on our waking hours. We try to stay in shape. We try to raise our families. We try to advance in our careers and spend time enjoying our hobbies—and sometimes it’s quite hard to keep up! So when we want to acquire a new skill, it’s no wonder that we instinctively ask, “How am I going to find the time?”

Online classes address this problem head-on

The first and most obvious advantage to online learning is the time saved—there’s no need to commute or hold your learning back to keep the pace of the other learners. You can go at your own speed and fit the classes into your own schedule. It’s efficient.

But there’s another—less obvious—advantage to online classes: accelerated learning.

Think about it: if someone told you that you could be conversationally fluent in a language within 3 months, you might be skeptical. But that’s exactly what learners are doing all over the world right now using online resources. The reason? Online classes give you the opportunity to eliminate everything that’s unnecessary and focus on the key details you need to actually put the language to use. Thanks to online learning you can find courses specifically built to get you “up and running” within the shortest amount of time.

The language learning content is already there and readily available, now all you have to do is focus on the few key grammar concepts and vocabulary lists you need. The rest is a matter of recall and repetition, which online courses are perfect for.

This brings us to another reason why online courses are perfect for accelerated learning: multimedia. Countless studies have shown that we learn the best when information is presented in multiple ways.

Multimedia helps you learn faster and recall more information

This is one reason why some medical students will use flash cards, quizzes, drawings, and even iPad applications as they study. When you need to process a large amount of technical data, scientific names and principles and then memorize them in a relatively short time, you need to use multiple approaches to reinforce what you’ve learned.

In this same way, the best online classes use 21st century tools as a part of their content delivery strategy so you can better recall and use what you’ve learned. Blogs, webinars, podcasts, online forums, social media, study groups and videos are all excellent tools that help the modern learner shorten “the learning curve.”

This multi-media approach is one reason why some people report learning more in a single month-long online course than they did in an entire semester in a traditional university. Colleges have been paying attention. Over the past decade, more and more universities across the world have embraced the online classroom because it’s both efficient and tremendously effective. Princeton, Harvard, and MIT, for example, all offer free and paid class options for distance learning.

Online classes are revolutionizing our ideas of education and how we learn in general. Accelerated learning is one of the greatest benefits to this exciting and relatively new platform that gives you more options than at any time in history. In fact, with the right tools, there’s really no limit to what you can learn and what skills you can develop.

Now, thanks to online classes, you can develop a level of proficiency in multiple skills in a fraction of the time that it would take you if you were using traditional learning methods. You now have more information at your fingertips than anyone has had at any time in history. The question is how will you choose to use it?

Online classes and the secret to accelerated learning

As technology has advanced over the past decade, recording your own videos has become easier than ever! We all have a device that can record high definition video sitting in our pockets, yet most of us don't know how to use these devices to their full potential. Video is now the go to communication tool across the world, and with a few tricks and some basic equipment, you can learn how to shoot professional quality video.

Screen recordings are fantastic, but when you can put the face of your instructor into the video, engagement levels are going to rise. Speaking in front of a camera can be tough to begin with, but like anything; the more you do it, the better you get, and it's a great skill to have.

With the use of a green screen you can transform your home office into a production studio, creating a more engaging and informative environment to present your content, and record videos or interviews that can be included in your course modules. Once you have mastered the basics that we cover in this tutorial, you can then move on to more advanced editing techniques that will allow you to increase your audience engagement.

In this post we are going to tech you how to record your own green screen video and audio, as well as walking you through how to edit everything together.

To set up your own studio similar to the one featured in the video above, you will need the following items that can easily be ordered online through Amazon:

A Green Screen back drop; These can be ordered online or purchased from a photography/video store. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, you can head to your local craft store and make your own green screen. When doing this just ensure that the material have a matte finish so it's not reflective at all, and will provide an even color when lit up with your lighting equipment.

Two LED light panels; These are used to light your screen as well as lighting your presenter. As per the above video, to light the green screen you should have one light set up down low pointing at the space behind the presenter, if you have enough lights, one on each side is even better! Your second LED panel should be set up next to your recording device as high as your stand will go, and on the opposite side to your back light (if you are only using one)

For this recording we used one Condenser Microphone, or room mic, as well as a Lapel Microphone. Lapel mics are very cheap (Under $20) and are a great investment, because what you're saying is the most important part so people need to hear it!

Any Apple computer with iMovie (this should be standard on all Macs)

Any iPhone, Android or mobile device with video recording functionality

A tripod with adaptor to hold your device

If you have any questions about how to set up your green screen or other equipment, feel free to contact me on Twitter and I'd be happy to hep you get up and running!

How to use your mobile phone to record video with a green screen

The way the we learn is constantly evolving, but as new tools that allow us to incorporate virtual and augmented reality into our learning become more accessible, we are entering a new age of learning. The Microsoft Hololens has just been released to developers and is a huge step forward in the augmented reality, but how will this impact our learning? We're going to take a look and find out.

After unboxing, the Hololens is very quick and easy to get set up. The adjustable straps make fitting the headset very quick and easy, and it is quite comfortable to wear. The only downsides are that the unit is still quite heavy and can be tough to wear for extended periods of time. There is a great tutorial to run through all of the basic commands to get everything set up and working according to your eyes and body size which takes around 15 minutes, and once you've completed that you're ready to start playing!

Although I was skeptical at first, the Hololens is very impressive. The range of view can be tough to adjust to however, once you get into using the device, you will quickly become used to the headset. When getting started, working in 15-20min blocks is the best way to allow your eyes to adjust to focussing on new objects appearing in your range of view. Working beyond this can put a strain on your eyes as they work to adjust to new objects appearing in your field of view, but after a few days you'll be a pro and happily wear the headset for extended periods of time.

Once you're all set up and using your Hololens, it quickly becomes easy to see why virtual reality, and augmented reality are going to be the way of the future. Imagine being able to train your employees on dangerous situations or simulating emergencies without ever putting anyone in danger. This is the future of training.

The immediate training impact will be seen in industries where there are many dangerous moving parts in the workplace that can be highly dangerous, but the classroom will also see huge improvements. Being able to place screens or interactive objects around a room will allow instructors to achieve a highly immersive learning experience without even being present in the room. Each student can have their own teacher to interact with their filed of view and guide them through exercises, allowing them to be completely absorbed in the learning experience.

This is an amazing breakthrough for the regular student, but it's even more of a breakthrough for students with special learning needs such as those with hearing impairments. All learners can now get the attention that they need, in the form that will help them the most.

The way that we communicate with each other is set to change forever too. Gone will be the days of video calls, as you can be standing in a room interacting with a person who is on the opposite side of the world with the use of a Hololens. Skype integration and collaboration is the beginning, but as you can see from some of the other demos below, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

At this stage, the Hololens has only been released as a developer version. As an entry point to the augmented reality market, this is mind blowing. A lot of the things that are still a touch clunky at this stage will very easily be resolved, and the first consumer versions of this product, which is yet to have a release date, is likely to be an affordable and eye-opening look into the future of human interaction that anyone can afford.

To watch some more of the Microsoft demos or the Hololens, check out these videos:

Why the Microsoft Hololens will change the way we learn

With the introduction of the Go1 Course Marketplace, you can now access over 100,000 new courses with the click of a button! Our marketplace is constantly growing, and you can now create and sell your own content for a profit so your training can pay for itself.

Selling courses with Go1 is easy. All you have to do to get started is sign up to the platform, and start creating your course. We have a number of tools to help creating your courses as simple as possible including Inline Editing, as well as an extensive User Manual to help guide you through the process.

There are two ways that you can sell courses through Go1 as shown below:

Anyone can create courses and sell them through using the Go1 platform for zero charge on sales if the courses are not listed in the Course Marketplace. This option means that you will be advertising your courses or selling through your own website (See How to Embed a Course in your website). There are no hidden fees and you will receive ALL revenue generated from selling your content. The only fee applicable to sales in this case is the credit card merchant fee (which is to Stripe and not Go1).

Users can create courses using the Go1 Platform and sell their content through the Course Marketplace. This allows other users to find your content through our search tools, and your courses will be advertised within the Go1 platform. There is a 30% fee when selling courses through the Go1 Course Marketplace.

You may also choose to incorporate both options which allows you to sell course through your own website as well as the course marketplace to get maximum exposure and reach a wider audience than using one option alone. Course Marketplace fees will only be applied to courses enrolled in through the marketplace.

If you have any questions around how to start selling your courses, or how to get started on the Go1 Platform, our Support Team is here to help guide you through the process. They are on hand to answer your questions 24 hours a day so don’t be scared to ask away!

Let your training start paying for itself and start selling courses today!

Sell courses through the Go1 Course Marketplace and let your training pay for itself!

Creating an interactive and engaging environment for your learners can be the key to running a successful online program. By building an interactive online learning community for your learners you are not only improving your course, but providing a much greater learning experience for everyone involved.

How to build a thriving online learning community

Just because you are running your learning program online, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to consider building an online learning community. It’s common for the community aspect of online learning to be ignored as instructors are not seeing their students face to face on a daily basis, but one of the most important aspects in building a great program is forming an online learning community that can provide the help and support that a learner needs.

In this article we will be looking at 6 tips that will help you create an active and engaging online learning community.

Be present at the course site.
When the teacher or instructor is interacting with students in a traditional classroom setting, they are building a community in which all members feel that they can openly discuss the course content or ask questions. There is no reason why the same experience cannot take place in an online setting though. The key with establishing your online learning community is establishing some clear expectations at the beginning of your course or program. The best way to do this is to define some clear “Office Hours” for when you will be online. Depending on your subject, students, and other variables, this could be as simple as being online and ready to answer questions for a couple of 2-3 blocks every week. This can be invaluable for students and can provide them with the support that they need to excel in a course as opposed to just scraping through.


Get your students involved. 
At the beginning of a program, it’s always great to get students to start with providing a personal introduction to the group so that they can get to know more about each other, as well as letting you find out more about the personalities that you will be working with. Don’t forget to post an introduction yourself too! The types of things that are great to encourage students to share are info on professional experiences, personal information such as family, friends, and pets, as well as photos or short videos. Setting up a virtual classroom or group message board/chat rooms is also a great way for students to learn of each other when they have questions and allows them to form bonds that make the learning experience more enjoyable. Encourage use of a general forum for students to post and ask for help or assistance from each other through. Breaking the class up into smaller groups where students can mentor each other and assist in supporting their learning is also a great technique. It’s a similar approach to the more traditional study group, but with a modern twist.


Set expectations from the beginning. 
This best practice is one of the most important to take note of and can be the greatest help for you in the long term. Before you even begin your course set some clear expectation in the course details prior to enrollment, so that students understand how your interactions will be taking place. As an example, many instructors tell their students that they will receive a response to any question within 24 hours on weekdays, and leading up to exams periods there will be office hours’ periods held online where students can join in a conversation via live chat. A great way to reduce the workload of the instructor is to post responses to questions in a location for all learners to view and avoid answering the same questions over and over. Monitoring questions can also be handled by the students themselves, and when posted in a course message board or similar, it can be a great way for everyone to learn together, even with the instructor not being available. Online learning is just as intensive as classroom learning, and time to do the work needs to be scheduled and planned for, just as when you attend traditional classroom style classes. Being clear as to how much time is required on a weekly basis to keep up with the course will always keep stress levels down.


Don’t forget to interact with your students!
"How is the course going?" "Do you have any suggestions?" Talk to your students about the learning material. You’d be surprised how much you can improve a course based on the feedback you get from the people actually taking it. If you start this process early on in the program you also assist in helping provide a better learning experience for the people raising questions. Using this process will not only improve the learning experience for your current students, but over a longer period of time, and feedback, your program will be much more well-rounded and enjoyable for new enrollments.


Prepare posts that invite questions, discussions, and responses. 
When preparing posts for your communication with your learners, always think about what you’d like their reaction to be. Do you want them to ask for more information, have a discussion, or respond with their opinions/answers? You might use a discussion if you are looking to create an open question and answer forum, encourage critical or creative thinking, or reinforce domain or procedural processes. Once you have got the students engaged, begin to raise some follow-up questions. Why do you think that? What is your reasoning? Is there an alternative strategy? Get the students thinking about why they are giving you these answers and if they might have missed something. Let the students know how you’d like them to respond, e.g. a two-part response: What you liked or agreed with, and a follow-up like what you are you still curious about, etc. Working professionals are often overwhelmed with many problems, and providing options makes it easier to associate their learning with their work experience. Important: Don’t post YES/NO questions. Once you have an answer, that’s the end of the discussion and we want to keep our students active in discussion. Make sure that you are actively answer email, monitor discussions, post reminders, and hold online office hours at least four times every week so that your students get the help that they need.


Mix up the way that your students are learning. 
Identify and discuss the core concepts that are required in a course and then set the students to apply this learning to a complex project that encompasses these concepts. This technique allows the students to bring their own style of learning into the course through the project and will deeper ingrain the core messages that you are covering. Many online learners within professional programs are working professionals. Supporting learners with their professional goals that are closely linked to the performance goals of a course is a win-win for the learners individually and as a group. How do we do this? Offer opportunities to students to have options and choices in assignments.

With these tips you’ll have no problem getting your students interacting through their own online learning community and learning much faster and more effectively. Plus, it’s a whole lot more fun to have people to talk to when you are learning!

6 tips to build a thriving online learning community

When you're running a small business, budgets can be tight, but that doesn't mean that you can't afford training. With the help of a Learning Management, being able to train employees is affordable no matter the size of your company. Today we are going to take a look at some of the reasons why all small businesses should have a Learning Management System.

Anyone that has had anything to do with running a small business knows just how hard it is to stay up and running. Budgets are extremely tight, and often employees take on multiple roles outside of their area of expertise to make sure the organization progresses.

Committing time and money to training in this situation can be shuffled down the list of priorities, however, this can lead to building a company based  around a culture where training is not valued, which can later lead to costly mistakes and stagnant professional development for employees.

Implementing a good Learning Management System (LMS) means that you can have the best of both worlds. Saving both time and money, while still completing the training both you and your team need, is a simple process and can be reused to train new hires reducing onboarding times as well as setting new employees up for success.

According to ATD’s State of the Industry Report, in a one year period, smaller sized organizations with fewer than 500 employees spend an average of $1,888 per employee in direct learning expenses, whereas midsize companies of between 500 to 9,999 employees only spend an average of $838 per employee. With the help of a Learning Management System small businesses can reduce their training cost per employees to less that $100 per year.

In this article we are going to take a look at some of the key reason that all small businesses should be using a Learning Management System.


When you’re a small business, employees tend to take on many roles in the business to get the job done as budgets are tight. Bearing this in mind, it’s not cost effective for most small businesses to have a HR Manager on their team to manage staff services as well as training. Implementing a Learning Management System takes care of the training for you. After setting up some learning paths relevant to your industry and having access to a course marketplace, your Learning Management System will take care of all of your training needs as you establish your business and won’t break the bank.

It might seem like a good idea at first glance, but unlike other elements of the business world that are being outsourced, sending training external to your business can have a dramatically negative effect on both the impact and budget of your program. Starting with impact, you are already restricted in what you can offer your employees due to programs available in your area. This results in “settling” on programs rather than actually getting the training that is relevant and going to engage your team. Out sourcing your training often results in employees needing to leave the workplace to take part in programs. This can be a time consuming process, and as the saying goes, “time is money”. A Learning Management System can solve both of these problems. Your training material is accessible anytime, anywhere allowing employees to experience their learning directly from their desk or from home, saving time and money, as well being more engaged and pushing their personal development by gaining access to courses that are relevant to their role within the company, and personal learning and development goals.

Gone are the days of having a filing cabinet to store all of your training material. It’s not uncommon for us to store all of our other business data online in this day and age, so why aren’t we doing that without training material? Well, by using a Learning Management System we are. All of our courses, employee records, and HR data can be stored and tracked through our learning management system. This ensures that all team members have access to the latest versions of all company information and can easily set up new employees with the relevant training material as the company grows from a small business into a larger organization. It might not seem like a big deal when you have only 2-3 team members, however, when that number starts to grow very fast, it’s important to be prepared to handle the growth and avoid any compliance or training complications that may arise.

Small businesses still want personalized training

Just because you’re a small business, that doesn’t mean that you don’t need your own customized training programs. Rather than build complete programs from scratch, you can now use a Learning Management System to take an existing course from a course marketplace and customize it to be relevant to your company, or build a learning pathway containing a series of courses from the marketplace that cover a range of skills need for a particular role. Tools such as Inline Editing have also made the course creation process as simple as clicking a few buttons and using drag and drop functionality. Personalized training in small business has always been too costly or time consuming, but learning technology has changed the game!

One of the toughest things about operating a small business is keeping up with local compliance laws and accreditation to avoid fines and stay up to date with best practices. If you are using a good Learning Management System you will have access to an extensive course marketplace that contains a range of courses from accredited training providers that can be enrolled in at the click of a button. Not only do you have access to these courses, you will always have access to the most current courses, saving time and effort in tracking down programs through external providers.

5 reasons why every small business needs a learning management system

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