CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS
PRnewswire | April 17, 2023
Anthology, a leading provider of education solutions that support the entire learner lifecycle, today announced that its flagship learning management system (LMS) Blackboard Learn is increasingly the solution of choice for institutions worldwide. The growth is attributed in part to significant investment in the product since it became part of Anthology's portfolio in 2021. This investment has driven the availability of more than 200 new features since the merger accelerated development. That feature development is powered by an unprecedented level of client input. Recent competitive wins across the globe and a 55 percent increase year-over-year in the use of courses that unlock the benefits of Blackboard Learn Ultra further demonstrates growing global interest in the new Blackboard Learn.
"Institutions are seeking personalized, data-informed experiences for their students. As they evaluate whether they have the right tools in place, they are increasingly selecting the new Blackboard Learn to drive the future of learning on their campuses," said Jim Milton, Chairman and CEO of Anthology. "With Blackboard Learn, we're providing institutions with a market-leading LMS, where client and user feedback shapes future roadmap. We're focused on delivering the best experience in the industry and these wins and the momentum they represent reflect that commitment."
In April, Anthology will have developed and deployed more than 200 significant features for Blackboard Learn including self-expression tools, an adaptable test-taking experience designed to reduce student anxiety, superior progress tracking tools, and embedded insights. Accelerated feature development is occurring hand-in-hand with an industry-leading level of client and user input. More than 60 focus groups are providing user and instructor-level feedback and 80 percent of the top client and user-identified features are in active development. That user guidance is directing feature development like deeper student progress tracking and a more holistic overview of each student. Enhancements enable instructors to monitor student progress, manage outreach to students who haven't started an activity and provide a comprehensive view of where a student stands, including their overall grade, when they last accessed the course, accommodations, and feedback. Together, they're empowering instructors to have more personalized interactions with their learners to help guide them on their unique journey. In addition to the investments in product features, Anthology has invested significantly in the tools and resources to help clients implement the solution and transition to Blackboard Learn Ultra courses.
"We've redefined the Blackboard Learn Ultra adoption journey with free, easy-to-use resources and tools as well as a dedicated adoption team available to all clients that simplify the process," said JD White, Chief Product Officer at Anthology. "The new Learn Ultra Adoption Toolkit is an end-to-end solution designed to guide campus administrators along every step of the journey to benefit from the powerful tools available in Learn Ultra as quickly and efficiently as possible."
Blackboard Learn continues to build momentum with recent wins across the globe. Anthology's LMS is replacing Instructure Canvas at EC-Council University in New Mexico; the Culinary Institute Lenotre in Houston, Texas; and at the Amity Global Institute in Singapore. Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa and Transnet in South Africa also recently selected Blackboard Learn following competitive reviews.
The wins run the gamut, from long-time clients continuing their relationship, to current institutions deepening their relationship with additional Anthology solutions, to new clients selecting Blackboard Learn to replace their existing LMS. Colleges and universities are all gaining simpler, more-powerful teaching and learning experiences to support the needs of the modern classroom.
About Anthology
Anthology offers the largest EdTech ecosystem on a global scale for education, supporting more than 150 million users in 80 countries. With a mission to provide dynamic, data-informed experiences to the global education community through Anthology Intelligent Experiences™, we help learners, leaders and educators achieve their goals by offering over 60 SaaS products and services designed to advance learning.
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ONLINE EDUCATION
PRnewswire | April 28, 2023
Intellum, the leader in EdTech for Business, today announced that Reputation-Based Gamification is now part of the core Intellum platform. Intellum is the first education technology company to move beyond the behavioral-focused game mechanics found inside other learning management systems and education platforms. The new capabilities empower clients to better motivate learners by tying the consumption of content and the acquisition of skills and knowledge to peer recognition.
Many businesses adopt gamified learning models in an effort to motivate employees, customers, and partners to complete corporate learning initiatives by awarding digital badges or points. While this approach has been somewhat effective in driving engagement, it fails to tie recognition and reward to what matters most: content mastery and efficacy.
"Engaging learners is critical, but most gamified learning initiatives drive the wrong behavior, encouraging learners to speed through content just to earn a badge, as opposed to motivating them to learn for the right reasons. Over time, we've proven that this type of behavioral engagement has no impact on the success of a business education initiative," said Chip Ramsey, CEO of Intellum. "However, learning science research has now demonstrated that reputation is the best motivator for self-directed learning. Our new approach to Reputation-Based Gamification finally connects the dots for the learner, illuminating the personal benefits of acquiring the right knowledge and motivating them to learn by tapping into everyone's desire to be recognized and respected by their peers."
Intellum has offered industry-leading gamification and social learning functionality for years, and the new Reputation-Based Gamification combines both social motivation and gamified learning experiences in an all-new way. Learners are now encouraged to build reputation by consuming content tied to specific skills and competencies (as defined by the client). Reputation points accrue and are displayed on the learner's profile, skill-by-skill, so learners can easily be identified and recognized for their respective skill sets and expertise. Proven game mechanics like timed challenges and leaderboards keep learners engaged and motivated, and clients can offer awards like shareable credentials for learning achievements.
"Intellum provides a platform where learners are encouraged to challenge themselves and their peers with friendly competition. It is essential in driving continued growth through training, which in turn leads to increased sales and customer satisfaction," shared Alyssa Morris, Associate Director of Design for Cricket Wireless.
Intellum's new approach to gamification includes:
• Skills-based Learning and Reputation Accumulation – earn reputation across key skill competencies after completing relevant content. Share skills acumen on profiles and with peers.
• Credentials Acquisition for Topic Mastery – earn Credentials by completing specific learning paths or sequenced coursework, which can be shared on profiles or through professional and social networks, showcasing subject mastery.
• Timed Challenges and Leaderboards – accelerate skills and reputation building by competing against peers in timed, topic-based Challenges. Climb Challenge Leaderboards and track peers' activity on progress.
• Rewards Store Support – earn "Gold" when finishing courses, completing Challenges, or earning Credentials, and redeem it for prizes.
• Self-Service Admin Settings and Reporting – set up and manage game mechanics, as well as track skills progression, topic mastery, learner engagement, content performance, and "Gold" balances and transactions.
"We're seeing more and more thought leaders and partners in our industry get certified and post on LinkedIn. And those are the people who are going to share their accomplishments and participate in other forums or communities," explained Samantha Parsons, Director of Partnerships Experience Academy at impact.com. "For that reason, we're giving our learners the ability to earn reputation points and add additional credentials while mastering a particular topic. Gamification is a very integral piece of our education initiatives—and a much larger growth strategy for us. That's why we're super excited about Intellum's new reputation-based in-platform capabilities."
About Intellum
Intellum provides the #1 customer, partner, and employee education platform that large brands and fast-moving companies rely on to engage audiences and improve product knowledge, utilization, retention, and revenue. Intellum's scientific, data-driven approach is based on 20+ years of industry experience, and the Intellum Platform includes all of the tools an organization needs to create, deploy, manage, track, and continuously improve highly personalized, engaging educational experiences.
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CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS
PRnewswire | April 04, 2023
Spark Education Group ("Spark"), one of the world's largest provider of small-group online classes for K-12 education, is celebrating 5 years since its first online class in March 2018. With its award-winning programs such as Spark Math, the edtech has served over 650,000 students in more than 100 countries and regions.
Since its inception, Spark Education has focused on prioritizing students' learning experience for optimal education outcomes. Its team of over 1,000 curriculum researchers and designers use research-based, proven teaching methods, focusing on building a strong foundation with deep understanding rather than memorization. The company's investments in interactive technology to create proprietary systems and courseware ensure students are engaged and able to connect in real-time with teachers and peers. Taking a collaborative approach with pedagogy experts, curriculum designers, child psychologists, engineers, and designers, Spark has set out to challenge traditional classrooms and ways of learning, to re-imagine what the optimal learning experience could be for kids. This has resulted in improved academic performance and strong problem-solving skills in Spark's students. Parents have been strong supporters of Spark's programs with about up to 80% annual renewal rate and about 77% of new students coming from current student referrals in some regions.
The launch of the Canadian Spark Education Learning Center coincides with Spark's 5th anniversary. With a student-centric education philosophy, the center will offer fun and engaging classes including math, language learning, problem solving and more. Lessons are designed to empower students to learn, visualize, and connect real-life experiences to classroom content.
"We are extremely proud to launch Spark's first learning center in Vancouver, which has already attracted not only local families but also those who drive from further afield," said Susan Pan, Head of Canada Spark Education Learning Center. "We firmly believe that our interactive learning experience will make learning math and languages more fun and effective for Canadian students, and we look forward to continuing to expand our physical locations to increase our impact."
The center provides an opportunity for students and parents to see and interact with the Spark Education experience, talk with its teachers, and maybe even meet some of the main characters from their class adventures, all in a welcoming and educational space. This marks another step in the edtech's mission to spark passion for learning, igniting lifelong growth.
About Spark Education Group
Founded in 2017, Spark Education Group is headquartered in Singapore. Its portfolio of education brands aims to combine research-based pedagogy with technology to improve the learning experience and education outcomes for students around the world. It was recently awarded "Best Interactive Learning Experience" at EdTech Asia, and recognized as a Parent and Teacher Choice Award Gold Medal Recipient.
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