Anand Kumar – Page 6 – Hurix Digital

Anand Kumar February 20, 2023 No Comments

7 Benefits of Using Virtual Labs in K-12 Education

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Over the last few years, the education industry has witnessed a significant transformation in terms of learning methods and techniques, making it imperative for educational institutions to keep up the pace and prepare students adequately. One of the ways technology has benefited K-12 education in particular is the emergence of virtual labs. In this blog, we explore the concept of virtual labs in more detail, along with the benefits of using a virtual lab in K-12 education. Table of Contents: What are Virtual Labs? What are Categories of Virtual Laboratories Benefits of Using Virtual Labs in K-12 Education Conclusion [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”What are Virtual Labs?” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1677228465563{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}” el_id=”what”][vc_column_text]Virtual lab refers to a virtual teaching and learning environment aimed at developing students’ laboratory skills. As one of the most important eLearning tools, they allow the student to conduct various experiments without any constraints to place or time, in contrast to the constraints of real labs. Virtual labs incorporate various pedagogical techniques that help learners to better understand the theoretical information. These techniques include visual learning, active learning, recall-based learning, gamification & storytelling. They also offer students access to a realistic lab experience that will allow them to perform experiments and practice their skills in a risk-free and interactive learning environment.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Categories of Virtual Laboratories -” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1677228477208{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}” el_id=”whatare”][vc_column_text]Virtual laboratories are not homogenous, and they largely differ in their purpose, composition, and application. In general, a virtual lab in modern academia can be divided into the below categories- Laboratories– These are the platforms that simulate physical labs on screens. The online experience offers the students the same facilities as in the physical lab, with the only difference of the interaction being limited to a 2D environment Simulations– Simulations offer students an opportunity to explore a different reality from a remote location VR spaces– VR or virtual reality classes offer a more immersive experience than simulators Also Read: How K-12 Learning Solutions Help Teachers and Students?[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Top 7 Benefits of Using Virtual Labs in K-12 Education” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1677228487636{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}” el_id=”benefits”][vc_column_text] Top-notch equipment Serves as a visual aid to teach complex concepts Ensures student safety Engages learners Offers instant feedback Allows learning flexibility Affordable alternative to physical labs 1. Top-notch equipment Virtual labs offer K-12 students with easy access to cutting-edge technology for experimentation. Tools such as Simulations and Virtual Microscopes provide futuristic solutions to science students. Learners do not have to settle on outdated equipment with a virtual lab in place and can instead work with AI-powered laboratories and modern teaching techniques. They can easily compete with peers using advanced technological solutions. Further, these labs can help the teacher cover various aspects of the course curriculum with practical applications. It allows students to understand the concepts better, which is otherwise difficult to offer with limited equipment and funding. 2. Serves as a visual aid to teach complex concepts Using virtual labs, teachers can easily explain complex theoretical concepts to students through a visual, immersive experience that can make it simpler for students to understand. Moreover, it provides the synchronization needed between explaining the theoretical ideas and practical application. 3. Ensures student safety Students can try various kinds of experiments in a virtual laboratory without the risk of injuring themselves or damaging equipment. They can also test multiple scenarios, compare, and determine which one is the most effective without trying them in real life. Designed with the latest technology, virtual labs protect students from the dangers they face while conducting some dangerous laboratory experiments. Further, it also eliminates the need to deal with toxic/radioactive chemicals and other similar hazards and offers an effective way to avoid laboratory accidents. 4. Engages learners Listening to lectures and watching presentations about experiments can eventually become disinteresting for students. Virtual labs allow the instructors to capture learners’ attention by allowing them to test all those procedures in an online setup easily. Students can conduct the same experiment multiple times to ensure they completely understand the concept. 5. Offers instant feedback Another advantage of virtual labs is that it allows students to redo the experiments. Unlike the traditional lab setup, in virtual labs, experiments no longer have a single chance option. Students can go over their mistakes, analyze what went wrong and give it another shot immediately. Since all the experiment results are recorded, maintaining communication between teachers and students becomes more efficient. 6. Allows learning flexibility One of the most common benefits of online learning is that students can learn at their own time and pace. The same applies to virtual laboratories also. It helps students study, prepare and perform laboratory experiments at any time and place as per their convenience. Since all virtual labs are cloud-based or accessible via the web, they offer students unhindered access to the platform whenever they want. Students can also access the laboratory on any device from any location, making them indispensable for contactless learning. 7. Affordable alternative to physical labs Online or virtual labs are far less expensive as compared to real ones. One single lab platform can serve an entire school or institution without spending a massive amount of resources on its development. Besides, schools also don’t need to worry much about maintenance costs and other similar expenses. Also Read: How to Implement 3D Learning in K-12 the Right Way?[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”To conclude” font_container=”tag:h4|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1677228502031{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}” el_id=”conclusion”][vc_column_text]With the changing educational landscape, K-12 educators are constantly exploring innovative ways to fine-tune their online learning processes. Virtual labs are excellent digital resources that help to save costs and enhance student productivity manifolds. Moreover, they allow students to take part in school work from any location and seamlessly combine the convenience and ease of use offered by contemporary technology. While virtual labs still need

Anand Kumar February 17, 2023 No Comments

Best Use Case Scenarios and Benefits of Microlearning

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Microlearning is an excellent learning approach that’s best suited for skill-building. It typically involves narrowing down a skill, topic, or concept to its most essential parts as bite-sized exercises and imparting training on only those ideas. Put simply, it is a way of offering short, focused chunks of content to an audience, at the place and time best suited to them. As a contemporary learning tool, the advantages of microlearning in modern workplaces, either as a part of a broader program or different parts of the learning cycle, are immense. In fact, a study suggests that such short content helps to drive more than 20% more information retention than long-form content. Unlike traditional learning methods, the essence of microlearning is much quicker, smarter, and sharper learning nuggets or bite-sized exercises, offering a number of benefits to the modern workforce. Among the common microlearning examples include a combination of the following types of content: Audio– especially useful when learning a language Videos– under 6 minutes long are preferable Images– helps illustrate various topics/ points from the videos or text Text– summaries, cheat sheets, and information Gamification– helps unlock levels and add further interactivity Quizzes– helps to test knowledge and add a layer of interactivity [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Top 5 Use Cases of Microlearning” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1630401392248{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Although microlearning as a training approach can be adapted to suit most of the corporate industries, it is most beneficial for firms that undergo constant change in terms of the work environment and need to close knowledge or skill gaps quickly. Here we are discussing the top 5 microlearning use cases in enterprises – 1. Product Knowledge Training There is an ongoing need for product knowledge training for employees of organizations that operate on a national or international scale and release new products on a regular basis. Microlearning is an ideal approach in such a scenario as it allows companies to create chunks of online modules to include new product images along with the main features and benefits. This helps employees to quickly learn and get trained about the new products on their mobile phones or smart devices. 2. Employee Onboarding In businesses with high employee turnover (such as the retail industry), there is always a need for effective onboarding. Microlearning based bite-sized approach helps to simplify the process of employee onboarding and get all the new hires up-to-speed quickly by offering the right information at the right time. A microlearning approach primarily focuses on delivering the most important and actionable knowledge instead of overloading the new hires with the information they don’t need. Reducing the amount of material, they are exposed to helps in increasing the retention rate substantially. Here are the 5 best practices in Employee Onboarding. 3. Compliance Training Organizations in highly regulated industries such as healthcare and aviation can be benefited most when it comes to imparting compliance training using a microlearning approach. Compliance training in most organizations is largely focused on policies, data, rules, and regulations. Designed to meet specific employee needs, microlearning allows you to make your training courses shorter, crisper, and easier to follow. Using different content types and tests at your disposal, you can easily turn a mandatory compliance process into a fun and enjoyable experience and can ensure high completion rates at the same time. The above example shows a microlearning nugget featuring conversational language and interactive & engaging visuals to take learners through varying levels of data security, along with giving them tips and best practices to protect data. Here 7 modules your compliance training resources must include. 4. Professional Skills Training Traditionally, microlearning has been used by organizations to improve soft (non-technical) skills such as leadership skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, and more. But the trend is fast changing as an increasing number of firms across the globe are now employing microlearning to teach various technical skills, including data analysis, software proficiency, project management, coding, and programming languages. Depending on the varying needs of employees, some of these modules can address the basics of a subject, whereas others can handle more advanced concepts. Microlearning is especially suited for imparting technical skills to employees with short attention spans. Further, enhanced usage of smart devices and tech-savviness of present-day employees makes these bite-sized courses an ideal choice to deliver technical training. 5. Introducing Company Policies and Culture Microlearning can be a great way to introduce employees to the company’s policies, procedures, and overall culture. An excellent corporate training tool, the approach can cover diverse topics and concepts, including career advancement pathways, leave policy, organizational structure, office conduct, and equipment use.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1572956227964{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;background-color: #dee7f0 !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1572956198356{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Guide: How to Create Custom eLearning Content for Every Budget [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1572956165932{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-right: 20px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][button size=”mediumlarge_rd_bt” use_icon=”yes” icon_color=”#ffffff” t_color=”#ffffff” b_color=”#f55744″ b_hover_color=”#3ac77f” url=”https://stag.hurix.com/how-to-guides/create-custom-elearning-content/” target=”yes” position=”ta_right” icon=”wb-download”]Download Now![/button][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”How Microlearning Can Benefit Organizations” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1586963478030{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]When designed in alignment with formal training methods and executed systematically on online platforms, microlearning can be a robust training strategy that has the potential to support the professional development of employees across industries. Here is how organizations across can benefit from microlearning- Ideal for Mobile Learning Microlearning is an ideal option for mobile-based learning, as employees can easily participate in short learning modules based on their work commitments or convenience. They can access the content on their mobile devices from any place and enhance their skills/knowledge level. Easy to Create and Update These short information nuggets are not only super quick to create but also easy to update, reducing the overall training turnaround-time for organizations. Boosts Employee Motivation Helping employees to ﬁnish short training modules and acquire the needed skills, microlearning can be a great way to drive employee motivation levels. Employee-centric Microlearning allows organizations to embed bite-sized

Anand Kumar February 17, 2023 No Comments

Best PDF to OCR Conversion Service Providers

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With rapid digitization of content today, including images, videos, and music, the need for converting image-based files such as PDFs to a digital format is also at an all-time high. OCR or Optical Character Recognition is a technology that allows the electronic conversion of these files to editable text. Image-based files here refers to documents that have been scanned from different text-based sources (textbooks, magazines) and are usually saved in PDF format.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Top 7 PDF to OCR Conversion Service Providers” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1648115664993{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]In this blog, we will look at the top 7 OCR readers to help you edit your scanned PDF file. 1. ABBYY FineReader ABBYY FineReader is one of the best PDF to OCR conversion tools to make the process of extracting text from PDFs and other image-based files very simple. Apart from PDF, the software can extract text from almost all kinds of popular image formats such as JPG, BMP, ePUB, RTF, PNG, and TIFF. The following are some of the key features of the software – The software analyzes the source file and automatically determines various sections of the file with the extractable text It allows you to either have the complete text extracted or specific chosen sections The software uses AI to improve character recognition while extracting texts from documents written in other languages Other features include numerous font styles/sizes, extensive language support, and image correction tools for PDF files sourced from cameras and scanners Available on Windows and macOS Pros Easy to use Intuitive interface, robust features and functionality Convert PDF and other document formats and make them searchable Cons Priced on the higher side Strict licensing procedure 2. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC Adobe Acrobat is an OCR system that allows you to convert scanned PDF files and other images into searchable or editable documents. One of the highlights of the software is that it provides custom fonts that look very similar to printouts. It is a full PDF ecosystem that works seamlessly on the web, desktop, and mobile apps. Below are some of the key features of Adobe Acrobat – Allows you to export your PDF files to Microsoft office With Adobe Acrobat, you can edit any printed document instantly The software enables you to easily cut and paste the text into other applications It is an excellent tool that helps you to maintain the look and feel of documents similar to the original one Pros Allows cloud-based commenting and sharing Features text indexing for quick searches Offers full editing features in mobile apps Cons Lacks a few of the high-powered OCR proofreading tools found in other software 3. OmniPage Ultimate OmniPage Ultimate is yet another professional PDF to OCR conversion software to convert your PDFs to digital files. The highlight of the software is its ability to accurately digitize PDFs, images, and documents while making them both editable and searchable. The following are some of the key features of OmniPage Ultimate- Supports a wide range of image formats, including JPG, PNG, TIFF, RTF, and more Features the ability to detect the image layout and automatically rotate the document in the correct orientation Allows you to schedule large volumes of PDF files for batch processing using an automation tool The software can detect more than 120 languages and process images and documents accordingly Supports various output file formats including PDF, DOC, PPT, HTML, ePUB, CDR, and more Available on Windows Pros Great OCR capabilities Comprehensive features Offers custom workflows Excellent accuracy Text-to-speech features Good at complex document reconstruction Cons Priced high 4. Ocr.Space Ocr.Space is a great tool to help you get text from PDF files and also convert images containing text into an editable file format using OCR. Below are some of the key features of Ocr.Space – You can use the software to get an editable file into a multi-column text format The tool enables you to choose a specific language for your document Helps you to transform a screenshot of text documents The software does not store your confidential data on the server Pros The software is free to use Supports PDF, JPG, PNG, and GIF images or documents as input The tool supports multi-page documents and multi-column text Cons Lacks some of the features Unreliable accuracy 5. Amazon Textract Launched by Amazon, Textract is a powerful OCR software for PDF to OCR conversion, which features a machine learning model and has been trained to use a massive volume of documents. Given below are some of the key features of Textract – The tool can automatically detect printed text from PDF files, images (JPG and PNG) and render it digitally with great accuracy Apart from texts, the software can also extract numbers, tables, fields, and key values The platform is available on Web, Windows, macOS, and Linux Pros Provides AI capabilities along with OCR Offers a pay-per-use billing model No need to apply custom rules to extract relevant information Cons Only available through AWS and not as a desktop application Accuracy is not very satisfactory 6. Softworks OCR Softworks is a powerful OCR program that helps you to easily extract data from PDFs and images. It also enables you to minimize manual entry and offers an automated solution for your business. Given below are some of the key features of Softworks OCR – Accepts numerous input sources and helps you to improve the quality of scanned documents The tool can easily detect existing layers of texts within an image or document Softworks OCR uses a powerful computer vision algorithm to analyze the processed page Pros Comprehensive features Easy to use Intuitive interface Cons Accuracy isn’t entirely reliable 7. Readiris Readiris is a professional application for PDF to OCR conversion with an extensive set of features. Some of the features are listed below – Supports a range of formats, including BMP, PNG, PCX, and TIFF The tool can source images from scanner devices and lets you set custom processing

Anand Kumar October 11, 2022 No Comments

eLearning Content Development for Effective Training

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]You have a Team Offline and a Team Online. While Team Offline is receiving L&D content through classroom training, Team Online receives eLearning training through online content available at all times.Here’s how both the teams learn job-related content: For Team Offline, the HR arranges a classroom training by: Inviting a Trainer Inviting a Subject Matter Expert Arranging a classroom or boardroom Arranging refreshments during the training Clearing the schedule of the team and sending calendar invites For Team Online, the HR uploads the content to the LMS and employees access it whenever they have time – even from home. Which of the two methods do you think is more feasible and effective? L&D initiatives are crucial for the growth of employees. eLearning offers the right training and development opportunities to the staff without additional costs. According to a study, the eLearning market across the globe will touch USD 325 billion by the year 2025. This number was just USD 107 billion in the year 2015. As the eLearning market is constantly growing, so is the need for customized content and strategic learning. The primary goal of the employers is to create training content based on the competency of employees, market needs, and personal needs of the employees. (Best Elearning Courses for You: Custom Content or Off-the-shelf Courses) However, it is necessary to keep in mind that the right eLearning training strategy requires the proper goals and objectives. You need to evaluate your organizational needs to move in the right direction, create the right content, and deliver it through the right medium. For example, if you are developing a course for developers, you can’t give them theoretical knowledge. You need to give them some practical knowledge. So, let’s move forward and understand the importance of eLearning training and how you can create an eLearning course with the right goal. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”eLearning Content Development for Effective Training” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1667306613482{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]eLearning training is not only beneficial and cost-effective for the business, but also it comes with an array of opportunities. Here’s more on how to optimize your eLearning ROI. Let’s deep dive into why you need eLearning: You always have an option to customize your elearning solutions. For example, you can make an online repository and give access to your employees, or you can gamify the content to improve the engagement of employees. Based on the needs of your business, it is possible to customize and tweak your solutions. One of the most practical options that eLearning gives is the ability to offer L&D modules across multiple locations. You can create a central repository for every office branch and provide unified content to employees across every location. Here’s more on How to Transform Employee Training with Bespoke L&D Solutions You can offer on-demand learning. Meaning your employees can access content whenever they want, wherever they want. Many organizations conduct surveys before creating their eLearning course. They send this survey to employees to understand their requirements and preferences. The results help the L&D team to develop a feasible, preferred, and optimum eLearning training course. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Make an eLearning training Course in 5 Easy Steps:” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1576674538129{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Although we believe every organization has a perfectly synchronized process of developing courses, you can follow these common steps for better outcomes. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Stage #1: Start with the Training Needs Analysis (TNA):” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1576674575280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The major step for developing an eLearning course is to conduct a requirements analysis. Here, you have to analyze the following factors: The current abilities of your employees. The courses that can be taught online effectively. The content that can’t be moved online. The efficiency and current acceptance of eLearning in the workplace. The purpose or major goal of learning. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Stage #2: Thoroughly Comprehend the Content:” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1576674619892{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Creating valuable yet simple content ensures the consistency of the eLearning course. Hence, audit your content and make sure: It is simple to understand minimal usage of complex words; except in technical content. Delivers extensive, detailed knowledge as per the competency level. Includes relevant graphics and visuals to make it more engaging. Includes some survey data to make the content more valuable and worthy. Includes a questionnaire to judge the received knowledge and encourage learning. Lastly, always confirm that your content is authentic and not outdated. [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Stage #3: Clarify Learning Objectives:” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1576674675797{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]You may have already defined the goal of the eLearning course in the first stage. In this stage, you need to define the goal of a particular subsection. Set quantifiable mini-goals to evaluate the performance difference based on the knowledge delivered through content. In fact, this is a great time to look back on your major eLearning course goal to confirm that it is measurable and specific.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Stage #4: Decide Your Design:” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1576674729486{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Once you have decided all the above factors, focus on the content delivery designs. You have the following options for the same: Virtual learning through LMS. Mobile learning. Gamification Blended learning. Blended learning means mixing two or more of the above methods for learning. Traditionally, it was using the classroom and virtual learning mixture. But, now, it has an extended meaning. You can offer mobile learning, virtual learning, digital learning, and classroom learning, all under blended learning. Here’s a Guide to use Blended Learning for Corporate Training[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Stage #5: Create a Survey:” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1576674761051{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Create a survey to understand the viability and feasibility of the course. This survey should include questions through which your employees can deliver their feedback. Depending upon the feedback, revisit the above steps and make

Anand Kumar October 15, 2020 No Comments

Best Learning Experience Platforms to Consider for Online Education

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Over the last few years, we have witnessed innovations in the eLearning sphere with newer and adaptable ways of imparting and consuming content. LMS and traditional classes, though educational, don’t always provide for students’ varying learning abilities. Learning experience platforms solve this problem entirely. LXPs provide easy-to-consume and highly stimulating content. We all absorb knowledge differently. Some students may learn better through text material, while others might find videos more engaging; LXPs take care of different learning abilities in students. With changing times, educational leaders need to adapt to relevant solutions. LXPs help educators by turning course material into engaging learning experiences. As COVID-19 engulfed the world, the education system turned upside down. During the pandemic, eLearning solutions like LXPs became the wooden panel to stay afloat. So, what is it that makes LXPs stand apart from the crowd? Simply put, it is the impact. LXPs are user-adaptable online tools that cater to your abilities with content curated to best suit your needs. What do you need to look for in an ideal LXP? Accessibility across devices Easily consumable content Effortless navigation & intuitive interface Adaptive content Insights & analytics Seamless integrations [/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Here are the best Learning Experience Platforms (LXPs) available for you to choose from.” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1602773685301{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text] Aula Aula redefines eLearning for teachers and students alike. The LXP works with the idea of bringing the community together and making it the central point for imparting knowledge. Aula partners up with academics to create premium content for superior learning experiences. The LXP prioritizes communication and encourages discussion, just like on a social platform. Aula lets you share your own content on the platform. You can deliver synchronous and asynchronous teaching and manage assignments. It comes with a range of seamless third-party integrations like Turnitin, Nearpod, Padlet, Github, CodePen, and SlideShare, to name some. Aula also comes with a mobile app for better accessibility. 2UOS 2UOS’ learning design focuses on three main ideas – Feel, Do, and Think. 2UOS Feel is about empathy. As a university partner, 2UO helps you create an immersive environment where you can provide a supportive and positive learning experience. Do is about discarding the idea of passive learning and inculcating active learning. Finally, Think is about feedback and changes. 2UOS comes with 135+ degree programs, by 75 university partners, and 170+ short courses. The LXP works with its online education platform – Atrio, which is powered with a robust tech ecosystem. 2UOS also provides analytical and marketing tools. The LXP also launched 2UOS Essential to help its partners continue delivering quality education during COVID-19. EduFlow Educators and instructors can get started with their first course on this LXP within 2 minutes as it requires no prior training to use. With an affordable pricing model and WCAG standards, EduFlow aims to provide an accessible platform for delivering curated learning experiences. The learning experience platform comes with a variety of resourceful features like – a modern, intuitive UI, in-app video recordings for training and task submissions, in-app & email notifications, in-depth analytics, and integrations with tools you’re using. Eduflow LXP lets you create personalized learning paths for your students so that you can cater to them individually and generate a high learning impact. The platform is FERPA, CSPC, and GDPR compliant. Woz U Working on an Education-as-a-Service model, Woz U offers a tech-driven learning experience platform focusing on three verticals – software development, data science, and cybersecurity. The white label LXP has a fully designed curriculum that can be accessed through its partnership programs. Woz U provides faculty support to instructors through activities and student performance analysis. It has a team of in-house mentors who provide additional support to students throughout the program. Edvay Just like with EduFlow, you can set up your courses to deliver meaningful learning experiences within minutes. This LXP allows you to set varying levels of access control for instructors so that you can track and allocate responsibilities within your university/college. Some of Edvay’s features that make learning an enjoyable experience for both you and your students are – round the clock customer support, strong analytics to deliver better education, and options to white-label the solution according to your needs. The LXP is constantly upgraded with the newest updates and comes with regular maintenance of the platform. It also gives you unlimited storage space, a built-in library, and acts as a course marketplace for academics. CanopyLAB This social learning experience platform functions as a community for learners with a personal profile, newsfeed, direct messaging, and social features like follow, like, comment & share. The LXP follows a personalized approach of working with personal dashboards to track and manage progress, accessibility across devices, and options to white-label. On CanopyLAB, your students will get to learn through gamified experiences, interactive activities, and intensive collaboration. Learning on CanopyLAB is enriched through the use of AI. The feature gives smart recommendations, meta-tagging of content through NLP, and helps with curating relevant exercises for your learners. The LXP recently launched a feature to make the student-teacher learning experience smoother. It comes with a better grading system, ability to assign deadlines, and a classroom indicator. CanopyLAB offers solid privacy settings and is GDPR compliant. eThink Partnered with Moodle, eThink goes a step further and takes care of gaps any regular LMS has. As an affordable and scalable solution, eThink has the required tools to manage any number of courses. It provides room for synchronous and asynchronous teaching sessions to best suit your needs. eThink comes with real-time integrations to help you take instantaneous actionable steps. With penetrative analytics and reporting, you can trace your students’ progress and know when to intervene. The platform also boasts of other features like seamless third-party plugins, and mobile-friendly access.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”In conclusion” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1602773522998{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The use of learning experience platforms have increased in the last couple of years.

Anand Kumar October 5, 2020 No Comments

10 Ways a Moodle LMS Can Transform Corporate Training

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Corporate training is an essential part of every enterprise. Businesses need to train new employees regarding in-house practices and their roles and responsibilities. You also have to train employees to use new software or a new business process you’re planning to bring in. The need for training in an organization is endless, and so is the search for the best training platform. During this quest you will definitely come across the term Moodle. In this blog, we will talk about what is Moodle and how can a Moodle Learning Management System or a Moodle LMS transform corporate training?[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Benefits of Using Moodle for Corporate Training ” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1601904469072{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Before learning why you should opt for a Moodle-based LMS, it is pertinent to understand what Moodle is. Moodle stands for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. It is an open-source platform that was developed in 2002 by Martin Dougiamas to facilitate the creation of personalized learning environments. Moodle is used by educational institutions as well as corporate enterprises, to enable easy and seamless access to online learning modules. Here are some of the benefits of using Moodle for corporate training. 1. Open Source The biggest advantage of using Moodle for corporate training is that it is an open-source LMS platform. Being an open-source platform, it is free to use, and you have access to the source code. Moodle is distributed under the General Public License. You are free to change the source code as much as you want to make sure that you have an LMS that reflects your company’s style. 2. User-Friendly It would be a shame if the training platform you want to deploy needed prior training to use. Moodle for corporate training is an extremely user-friendly platform with an intuitive design. Anyone who starts using it will have no trouble understanding how to navigate the courses and access the various features. The user-friendliness of an LMS platform is important because employees from various departments will be using it. You cannot expect everyone to be tech-savvy. The platform is also to be used by those who aren’t experts at using the software. Therefore, Moodle’s user-friendliness is a serious advantage. 3. Customizable You can add your company’s name and logo on every page, customize the font, add graphics when needed, and design your own course plan and evaluation technique. The possibilities are endless, with an open-source LMS platform. It also means that every Moodle training system will look different. You won’t be able to look at two LMS and instantly guess that they are both developed on Moodle. Your users will have a unique experience that will be reflective of your company’s style. 4. Supports Multiple Devices All your employees may not be accessing the LMS from the same type of device. Some may use their personal computers, some may use their laptops, whereas some others might use their mobile phones. Therefore, your LMS must be compatible with all the devices. Moodle is compatible with computers and mobile phones equally. It doesn’t diminish the user experience when they switch from one device to another. 5. Track User Progress Tracking the progress of each user is crucial for an effective LMS. Moodle LMS provides an excellent tracking and reporting system. Not only does it tell each user about their progress and their learning journey so far, but it also informs the management about the overall progress of the employees. Based on this information, you can gauge the impact of the training on the employee’s work. Accurate progress tracking is key to the success of any employee training. 6. Cost-Effective As mentioned above, Moodle for corporate training is an open-source LMS platform, which means it is free. All you need to do is customize and modify the platform to suit your needs. If you have in-house Moodle developers, then you won’t even have to spend extra on the customization. But if you do not have resources with the necessary skill sets, you can still hire Moodle developers to customize it for you. The cost of customizing Moodle is much lesser than the cost of purchasing a readymade platform or developing an LMS platform from scratch. 7. Offline Access Not every employee may have internet access at all times. Some may take the training during their daily commute to and from office, and the network connection may not be very reliable during the commute. Moodle allows users to download course content for offline access. It enables your employees to get their training even when the network is unreliable. 8. Ease of Integration An LMS platform is not the only business process platform that you may be using in your company. Your human resource management, workflow management, compliance system, and various other such processes may be using different software tools. You will need to integrate the training details with a few of these systems. It is extremely easy to integrate Moodle with other systems within the organization. 9. Global Community Support Another benefit of using an open-source LMS platform is that it has a large user base and the support of the global community of developers. Most of them use Moodle and, therefore, know what the users want. The global community is always striving to improve Moodle and introduce various plug-ins that can help in adding features and customizing the platform. 10. Secure Your training material may contain sensitive company information, making it crucial that the LMS offers content security. By using Moodle for corporate training, you can ensure that all users can log in to the platform securely. You can also control which users can access what data. The secure login and user access control features make it a very secure LMS platform.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Step Up Your Corporate Training with Moodle LMS” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1601904771613{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]A well-designed training program not only helps the employees upskill themselves and learn about the tools

Anand Kumar September 30, 2020 No Comments

Online Classes: Building Blocks to Transition Away from Offline Classes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Online classes are tricky and we might just have the right trick for you to overcome that. You remember how you were underwhelmed after watching a movie based on your favorite book? Sure, the plot, the characters, the conflicts, and the resolution were the same. But something was missing. Whatever that ‘something’ was, there’s a chance that it will go missing when you translate your classroom sessions to online learning. The stakes are higher though. Your students don’t just risk getting bored. Your students risk not learning anything at all. However, all the good stuff need not be lost in translation. Think of all the movies that have successfully traveled from books to screen. These are the stories that used the medium best. You also just need to understand the online classes space better to make sure that your transition is effective.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Here’s how you can get started and just so we keep going with the book to movie theme, we’ve used movie titles to convey our point. It works as a list of good movie recommendations as well.” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1601436329232{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]1. Great Expectations Keep expectations reasonable. In a class, your students are kind of a captive audience. They are in front of you and are sharing space with other students who have assembled for the same reason. In online classes, they are sharing space (and maybe even devices) with other people who don’t have the same agenda or goals as them. This is the foundational difference that you will need to address. Tips: Can you plan and structure your class for each week such that you provide all reading materials, assignments, etc. right at the beginning of the week? Enable students to pace themselves during the week. Consider providing them details of the assignment beforehand, such as lecture notes, podcasts or recorded videos. Design coursework such that you use online sessions meaningfully to build on what learners have explored in their own time. For example, instead of a 1.5 hour session on Schrodinger’s equation, you can split the session into three 30-minute classes. In one session, you explain the context. Give students time to understand it and how it is derived. Set up an online forum where students can clarify doubts and crowdsource solutions. Then reconvene for another half hour session where you go over an assignment. You can also set aside some time a few days later for a quick refresher. 2. Schindler’s List Maintain a safe space for your students. Online learning can be a space for deep community building where students learn from each other. Or it can also be a space for cyber-bullying. The 2017 School Crime Supplement (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice) indicates that, nationwide, about 20% of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying. It is not reasonable to expect that all your students will participate equally in the class or even be sensitively behaved. If you can create and nurture a space where students feel encouraged to share their ideas and also be open to dissent without feeling defensive, you have a successful program on your hands. Tips: Set up a strong code of conduct. Have ice-breaker sessions with students online. Maybe have a coffee and cake session where everyone discusses their travel plans post the lockdown. Do not assume that they will all know and connect with each other online, the way they do offline. The rapport for online classes has to be built, often from scratch. Set up precedent for what is or is not acceptable. You may choose to moderate every comment to a discussion group if you have the time. Alternatively, call out and respond to every instance of breach of code of conduct. 3. Hidden Figures Be inclusive with online classes. The profile and pattern of student engagement in online classes differs from an actual physical classroom. In the real world, you can gauge the interest of a student, even if they are silent. However, in the online space there is no accurate way to understand whether the student is bored, confused, or has switched off mentally. (Keeping cameras on during online sessions is good but not a surefire way to understand this.) Online courses also bring up unique concerns related to accessibility. Can every student access and learn from the material you have shared? Do your presentations include colors that will alienate students with color-blindness? Tips: Go through the accessibility guidelines of your zone or state. Revisit your training content to see that it meets these guidelines. You could work on a master checklist regarding the same so that there is some uniformity in the way content accessibility is treated. Have periodic check-ins with students one-on-one. This could just be a message or a short call to understand how they are feeling, where they are placed, and if they need help with something. You could assign online class mentors to help you with managing students. This is ideal for complex, smaller classes where students are receptive to hand-holding by a peer. If you do go ahead with this approach, you will need to spend some time to prepare the mentor. 4. Devil Wears Prada Yes, we’ve all heard about how superb videos are and how incredible infographics can be! But be careful when sprucing up your presentations or repurposing your calculus information to fit a video format. Do not swap style for substance. Simplicity is the most important barometer for increasing retention. However, keeping things simple is a whole other discipline. Here are some tips that can serve you well. Tips: Organize your content. Is everything really necessary to be taught in class? Can some of the information be part of an assignment? Can you spot any repetition or redundancy that you can remove? Prepare an outline of the type of content that you usually cover and decide a treatment accordingly. The following table is based on Ruth Clark’s identification of

Anand Kumar September 29, 2020 No Comments

Cloud Optimization – Should You Consider Migrating from AWS to GCP

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]While Amazon Web Services is the oldest cloud computing service provider, with the highest number of customers to its credit, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is making deep inroads on the back of the competitive advantage it offers. Due to this, a new trend has come to light lately, which is that several large enterprises such as Snapchat, Spotify, adtecho.com, NYTimes and Netflix have started to migrate from Amazon Web Service (AWS) to Google Cloud Platform (GCP). While part of this can be attributed to Amazon, this transition is mainly governed by the competitive advantage GCP offers over AWS. Amazon has an ever-changing ecosystem, which means that its focus is constantly divided. GCP on the other hand is completely technology-focused and offers industry-leading tools in deep learning coupled with data analytics and machine learning. This is just one reason for AWS to GCP migration.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Benefits of GCP over AWS” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1601392818742{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text] Google’s Anthos, a well-regarded multi-cloud engine has found much favor with the customers as it makes their applications modern and compatible across any public or private cloud environment, even providing the advantage of AI and ML. With GCP, enterprises don’t have to worry about legacy code, and so they benefit from a fast go-to-market. GCP also provides added benefits in terms of pricing, along with all the necessary functionality and security measures. Google’s budget-friendly pricing structure offers significant cost savings over AWS and involves no upfront costs. GCP’s always-free tier is also more robust than AWS, offering per day, 9 backend instance hours and 28 frontend instance hours on the Google App Engine. Besides, customers can also access 1GB of storage on Cloud Firestore, 5GB of Regional Storage on Google Cloud, and GCP’s NoSQL document database. Also in terms of developer experience, GCP has an edge over AWS. GCP provides a varied range of services including DataProc and Dataflow. GCP also uses Tensorflow, which is one of the most used Machine Learning libraries available for Deep Learning. GCP also outscores AWS in terms of the wide range of customization it provides for any Instance; customization in the case of AWS is limited. In terms of maximum Instance size, AWS has 128 CPUs with 2TB of RAM, whereas GCP has 96 CPU Instance with 1.4TB of RAM. The other major difference between AWS and GCD is in terms of Kubernetes services. Kubernetes is an open-source platform developed by Google to manage containerized workloads and services. Leveraging a wide range of tools, the platform facilitates both automation and configuration. Kubernetes services, tools, and support are part of the GCD package. On the other hand, AWS also offers Kubernetes services but the catch is that rollouts on AWS are always delayed. The home-field advantage doesn’t end just with Kubernetes services. Google is one of the largest contributors to Open Source Solutions that are now integral to any cloud space. Over the last decade, Google is credited with more than 2,000 open source projects. While AWS gradually benefits from these, Google has the first-mover advantage. Another reason that is prompting an AWS to GCP migration is security. As the largest search provider, Google is constantly the target for cyberattacks, and therefore, has more knowledge and hands-on experience in security. It is known to provide industry-leading protection. By default, Google encrypts all data transitions between its customers, data centers and also data in GCP services. AWS data encryption services, on the other hand, are not available by default. This makes AWS more vulnerable to potential attacks. In fact, many cyberattacks are a result of misconfigured cloud servers. Google also provides the Cloud DLP tool which developers can use to identify and manage sensitive information; and redact sensitive data from text streams before writing to disk, generating logs, or performing analyses. Another factor in favor of GCP is that Google is the third-largest server manufacturer in the world; however, the company does not sell its servers, it builds them solely for its own use. This ensures that the company has complete control over the entire building process to ensure the highest levels of security. Also Read: Top 8 Cloud Security Best Practices[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”So should you migrate from AWS to GCP?” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1601393116207{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]As of now AWS boasts a higher number of customers than GCP. AWS is great for small businesses and startups that are just getting familiar with the cloud. It also works well for educational institutions. AWS is also a great way to start off a cloud project as it is almost free for the first year and customers can also obtain Amazon credits through programs such as Amazon Activate. However, once you cross some milestones it may be time for you to migrate from AWS to GCP. This is because GCP offers more exciting opportunities for the developers; they can easily access top of the line tools to build their apps. GCP offers more in terms of monitoring, developing and user-friendly integration modules such as Kubernetes, Pubsub and Cloud. Also, GCP gives more discount on its products coupled with a calculator that is transparent with no hidden fees/charges. Also Read: 6 Best Practices for Cloud Cost Optimization[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”In conclusion” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1601393384882{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Many major enterprises are migrating from AWS to GCP. While there are several factors that are prompting this AWS to GCP migration, some of the more prominent ones are the fact that GCP is more budget-friendly and offers a host of features that make development exciting. Besides, GCP allows for more customization and products, along with machine learning and artificial intelligence. GCP also scores over AWS in terms of security. All data in GCP is encrypted by default. Besides, Google also enables encryption of cloud applications at the application layer to achieve the highest levels of data security. This being said, both AWS and GCP are constantly

Anand Kumar April 23, 2020 No Comments

Top 8 Cloud Security Best Practices

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Technology today has come a long way with an increased reliance on cloud computing in an enterprise setup. Recent times have, in fact, seen cloud services completely transforming the way businesses work. Such is the disruption caused by a cloud infrastructure to the traditional business models, that studies predict public cloud spending to reach a whopping $500 billion by the year 2023. Although there are numerous advantages of adopting the cloud, security remains one of the primary areas of concern for enterprises. In this blog, we have focussed on some of the cloud security best practices that enterprises can adopt in order to ensure the safety of their data. Continuous improvements in technological development have increased various types and forms of risks, including threatening viruses and malware or the cyber thefts with malicious intent that the organizations and their sensitive data need to be safeguarded from.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Top 8 Cloud Security Best Practices” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1596527421860{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Here we are discussing top 8 cloud security best practices that allow you to strengthen your organization’s risk management strategy-[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”1. Access Control Management” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1596527428554{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]While the cloud platform you pick can offer the right tools, it is up to you and your organization to set up the right access controls to ensure data safety. For instance, in cases of insider theft or social engineering, the only thing that can help you ensure data safety is the right access control policies. It is important, therefore, that nobody gets access to the data stored in your cloud without proper clearance. The key here is to manage access control policies strictly that allow you to restrict the users attempting to enter your cloud environment. The best way is to align access control settings with each employee’s job function so that they perform their role efficiently, leaving no scope of data misuse. The other way to improve access control management is by assigning specific rights and access policies to different users with least privilege policy. This will help you ensure that the access rights for your high-level security administrators and low-level cloud users remain separate and easily manageable. Also Read About: Cloud Cost Management[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”2. Consistent and Rigorous Vulnerability Testing” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1596527434768{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]To stay in control of the cloud security aspect of your cloud environment, it is crucial for your organization to maintain ongoing visibility into all of your cloud technology assets and services. This can be done by constantly monitoring user activity by setting alerts to get an understanding and real-time information about the usage of your cloud infrastructure. Further, to make sure that all the latest industry-leading vulnerability and incident response tools are properly implemented, stringent vulnerability testing and security to identify vulnerabilities and risks should be conducted by the enterprises on an ongoing basis, in fact it should be part of the SDLC process. Not only will it offer a detailed insight into the loopholes and system gaps, but an automated security assessment will also be helpful in designing better solutions. This will be a great way to strengthen the overall security environment and minimize vulnerability.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”3. Data Encryption” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1596527440741{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Encryption of data holds great importance when it comes to cyber security. To be able to fortify your cloud infrastructure security, you need to encrypt data of whatever nature and kind your enterprise has. The encrypted data in cloud infrastructure protects you from online cyber-attacks and helps you minimize the instances of data security breaches substantially. Encryption of data should be done during transit and at rest. Encryption in Transit: – All data traffic should be encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.2) with an industry standard AES-256 Cipher. Encryption at Rest: – It is recommended, however, to not rely on cloud service encryption as it gives the cloud service provider access to your encryption keys. To be able to fully control access, it is advisable to use your own keys with a centralized encryption key management server to deploy stringent encryption solutions before uploading data to the cloud. The focus here should be on implementing comprehensive data security solutions that enable you to locate any kind of sensitive or confidential information in the company’s network, endpoints, databases, and cloud storage units.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”4. Offer Employee Training on Cloud Security Practices” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1596527448195{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Many times, the security threat to your cloud technologies isn’t from outside sources but from your own organization and its employees. To prevent this, conduct regular employee training so that any kind of misuse, either due to lack of knowledge or negligence, can be avoided. Training internal staff on best security practices related to cloud environments can help you prevent any kind of internal security threats. Also Read: 6 Best Practices for Cloud Cost Optimization[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”5. Establish Robust Cloud Data Deletion Policies” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1596527455073{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Whether you have plans to migrate to a new cloud infrastructure or move back to an on-premise architecture, managing your old clients’ data should be the topmost priority. After a client’s data retention period (as specified in the contract) has ended, that particular client’s data should be programmatically deleted. Organizations need to establish robust data deletion policies to safely and securely remove the data from the system while maintaining strict compliance at the same time.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”6. Machine Learning for Threat Prevention” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1596527463451{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]An increasing number of organizations have started using machine learning technology for identifying suspicious behavior and indicating threats to their cloud infrastructure. Machine learning algorithms can help to boost your cloud security in many ways. For instance, it is equipped to detect if any of your confidential

Anand Kumar April 13, 2020 No Comments

Learning in the Times of COVID-19 – How to Develop Your Online Learning Material

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The novel Coronavirus outbreak is disrupting the ‘normal’ way of life the world over, and its ripples are being felt in the education sector as well. Be it in COVID-19 hotspots such as US, China, Italy and Spain or countries grappling with secondary waves of transmission, a vast majority of educational institutions are shuttered. The situation means that the need to diversify means of learning is more pressing now than ever. In the US, universities are shifting to an online model of teaching and learning. The online learning material needs to be focused, crisp and interactive, so as to provide an engaging learning experience to students. How do institutions shift to online learning with the right content approach?[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Stages of Online Course Development ” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1586786588196{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Even though e-learning modules can vary greatly in their content, form, model and approach based on the subject matter and the audience they’re catering to, the basic process of online course development remains the same. This process, comprising the following seven stages, needs to be followed precisely to ensure that the online learning material delivers on the desired results:[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”1. Analyzing the Content” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1586786661354{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The analysis is the foundation on which solid online learning material and e-learning modules rest. You should set out by analyzing the profiles of your target audience and the end goal of the training/teaching program as well as the available content material. The key is to have a grip on what you and your students seek to accomplish through an online learning module. This, in turn, helps in the creation of a well-rounded instructional strategy supported by an engaging presentation of the course material. Here are 6 Reasons Why E-Learning is Replacing Traditional Higher Education Courses[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”2. Creating the Instructional Design Document ” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1586786757844{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The Instructional Design Document, or IDD, as it is called by the eLearning experts, is a detailed plan encompassing every element of the course material from an instructional standpoint. It is at this stage that you’ll take important decisions on presentation of the course material – will you break down the course into modules or present them on screens? Will there be different formats for a single course? What about customized learning? And gamification? These are just some of the variables that need to be addressed with concrete answers. If you are creating online course material for different subjects, each one of these will require a unique IDD.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”3. Generating Online Course Material ” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1586786825963{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]At this stage, the content to be included in different e-learning courses is finalized and broken up into smaller bits, as per your preferred model, for better comprehension and retention. For instance, if you are using modules for your online course material, the content is broken down accordingly. Alternatively, if you are using screens, the content placement for each screen is finalized.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”4. Developing Prototypes” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1586786904105{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Once a basic structure of the online course material is finalized, the work of building a prototype begins. At this stage, the entire course material is squeezed into a few slides, and the elements of written, visual, and audio format are finalized. This is also where every detail pertaining to the presentation of the content – from fonts to color, images, videos, animations, and tasks – is locked and sealed. This process of the course development process can often get stretched out, as educators and content developers tend to go back and forth a lot, writing, revising, and rewriting different elements until that perfectly harmonious combination is achieved. The prototype is then tested on your chosen content management system for e-learning to gauge its effectiveness.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”5. Creating Course Material Sans Audio ” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1586786997826{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]All the elements of the course material, except the audio script, are put together at this stage. From text to visuals such as images and videos, as well as interactive elements, are strung together in sequence. Your online course material is now starting to take shape. This version is then submitted for a review to all stakeholders.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”6. Adding in the Audio” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1586787085627{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]After the stakeholders give the go-ahead for the online course material, the process of adding audio to it begins. This process is held off right until the end because creating audio files can be extremely cost-intensive. So, the recording of audio voiceovers begins only after the script has been finalized. The audio is then developed in tandem with the text and visual elements of the course material. There has to be perfect harmony between the two, and the pronunciation, diction, and voice modulation have to be perfect.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”7. Launching the Learning Management System Version ” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:900%20bold%20regular%3A900%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1586787213995{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text]All of the above stages of developing online course material are of a creative nature. However, in the last leg of the process, things get a tad more technical. The online course that you have developed now needs to be adapted into a Learning Management System version. All stakeholders must be invested in reviewing the material and double-checking compliances to ensure that once released online, the course has a smooth run on the chosen Learning Management System. And that’s that. Your course is ready to go live.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1572956227964{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;background-color: #dee7f0 !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1572956198356{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Guide: How to Choose the Right LMS for your Needs [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1572956165932{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-right: 20px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][button size=”mediumlarge_rd_bt”

Author: Anand Kumar

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