prnewswire | June 04, 2020
Curriculum Associates recently added new features to i-Ready to meet emerging educator needs during school closures and beyond. These features include a new instructional report for educators as well as new reading comprehension lessons for middle school students. Today, the award-winning i-Ready program serves over eight million users nationwide and approximately 25 percent of all K–8 students across all 50 states."We are always listening to our educators and working to improve our programs to meet their evolving needs, especially in challenging times like these with extended school closures," said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates.
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Endurance Learning | August 17, 2021
Endurance Learning has launched a new website going in-depth into 51 Elements of Amazing Learning Experiences, as defined in Brian Washburn's book, What's Your Formula?: Combine Learning Elements for Impactful Training. The companion website lets anyone in the Learning & Development field dig deeper into all 51 elements and find more resources to learn and explore.
"When Brian came to me with his first draft of the book, I almost immediately thought about how valuable this information could be in a free resource on the web," said Tim Waxenfelter, COO and co-founder of Endurance Learning. "Our hope is that the elements and formula analogies help trainers to more easily visualize strategies which they can apply immediately to their learning programs."
From critical gas-like elements like the air we breathe, present in every training room (think instructional design or visual design), to radioactive elements, powerful and dangerous yet commonly used (think PowerPoint), the new site lets every learning and development professional explore the elements and how they interact. Whether you're an experienced learning designer or new to the field, this website, and the book that inspired it, was created to help you find inspiration for your next training program.
"I'm incredibly proud of the book and believe that readers will and should want more from it once they finish. If we're trying to innovate and create a more powerful learning experience, experimenting is going to be part of that process. 51elementsoflearning.com was built to support professionals as they try new approaches to learning." said Brian Washburn, CEO and co-founder of Endurance Learning.
About Endurance Learning
Endurance Learning was founded by instructional designers with a deep background in adult learning. Endurance Learning has leveraged its experience developing custom in-person, virtual and elearning to create Soapbox. Above all else, Endurance Learning believes that every learning experience should be engaging and lead to sustainable change.
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CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS
Skillsoft | December 03, 2021
Skillsoft, a global leader in corporate digital learning, today released new research exploring the current state of women in tech including the challenges and barriers to inclusion they face and how employers can better support them. Findings from Skillsoft’s 2021 Women in Tech Report reveal that while female employees have gained hard-fought ground in the workplace, a large gap still exists when it comes to opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
According to the report, there is a misalignment between the workplace benefits women in tech are seeking and what is currently being provided. For example, while 86 percent of respondents cited opportunities for professional development and training as extremely or very important to them, just 42 percent said their employers currently offer this as a benefit. Additionally, when asked about the top challenges they have faced while pursuing a tech-related career, nearly a third of women surveyed (32 percent) pointed to a lack of training.
The research indicates that women in tech want to learn, and when asked which tech-related areas they are most interested in, business analysis, cybersecurity, analytics, AI, and machine learning, and leadership and management topped their lists. With Skillsoft’s recent IT Skills and Salary Report finding that 76 percent of organizations currently face skills gaps in their IT departments, providing opportunities for training and professional development is a major benefit for employers and employees alike as it can help fill crucial shortages and skills gaps and put women on a path for career advancement.
“Organizations around the globe are looking for ways to address their skills gaps, and in many cases, the answer lies within via their existing workforce. Women make up less than 40 percent of the global workforce, and for that number to increase, female employees must be empowered with continuous training, professional development, and career advancement, as well as equal pay. The time is now for organizations to tackle gender disparity head-on. By doing so, we can build more inclusive, equitable, and competitive businesses.”
Potoula Chresomales, SVP, Product Management, Skillsoft
Skillsoft’s 2021 Women in Tech Report highlights a few ways organizations can better empower female employees, including:
Provide and encourage opportunities for certification: When asked how certifications have helped advance their careers, respondents reported gaining more responsibility (52 percent), earning higher salaries (34 percent), and receiving promotions (32 percent), among other benefits. Despite business analysis and cybersecurity being identified as leading areas of interest, just 22 percent and 18 percent of respondents, respectively, hold corresponding certifications.19 percent report holding no certifications at all.
Make a concentrated effort to reduce gender bias in STEM: 70 percent of women surveyed reported that men outnumber them in the workplace at ratios of two-to-one or greater. Additionally, Skillsoft found that compared to men, women in tech must work longer to climb the corporate ladder. The highest percentage of men in leadership roles have 15-20 years of experience versus 26 or more years for women. To encourage more women to pursue tech-related careers, respondents said organizations should provide opportunities for professional development and training (55 percent), childcare (47 percent), career coaching, mentoring, and counseling (43 percent), and an equitable work culture (41 percent).
Alleviate the unique on-the-job challenges women face: While overall job satisfaction for women in tech is strong – 91 percent of respondents report being extremely or somewhat satisfied in their roles – they face numerous obstacles. 38 percent of respondents list their biggest challenge as a lack of equity in pay. This is followed by balancing work and life (36 percent) and a lack of equity in opportunities (33 percent).
Ensure training is timely and topical: When selecting a training provider, women in tech seek scheduling capabilities (34 percent), relevant course availability (32 percent), and opportunities for hands-on practice (32 percent).
About Skillsoft
Skillsoft is a global leader in corporate digital learning, focused on transforming today’s workforce for tomorrow’s economy. The Company provides enterprise learning solutions designed to prepare organizations for the future of work, overcome critical skill gaps, drive demonstrable behavior-change, and unlock the potential in their people. Skillsoft offers a comprehensive suite of premium, original, and authorized partner content, including one of the broadest and deepest libraries of leadership & business skills, technology & developer, and compliance curricula. With access to a broad spectrum of learning options (including video, audio, books, bootcamps, live events, and practice labs), organizations can meaningfully increase learner engagement and retention. Skillsoft’s offerings are delivered through Percipio, its award-winning, AI-driven, immersive learning platform purpose built to make learning easier, more accessible, and more effective.
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