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A series of tips and practical advice on how to get the best from e-learning & Internet Marketing.... |
The Academy Internet team welcome you to the new e-learning newsletter, we hope that you find our news, tips and tools useful. |
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Academy Internet's Topics |
Academy Internet's NewsAcademy Internet achieves top marks Academy Internet acquires assets.. Post graduate certificate in e-learning design |
 e-Learning wow factor |
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Video can be one of the most powerful tools to engage a learner. Don't underestimate the power of a well-crafted narrative when complimented by a powerful music score, professional photography and a presenter (or actors) with believability and screen presence. This does not necessarily require a Hollywood budget. Video was the attractive 'wow' option to 'train the masses' in the Eighties. Corporations had large training budgets to match the economic crest of the yuppie boom era and often lavished them on professional video training productions featuring household name stars. Times have changed, such lavish expenditure is often frowned upon in these days of budget accountability, but has the need for video training become eclipsed by the perception that its cost outweighs its value with regards to a successful e-learning outcome? Our experienced e-learning video team disagrees. |
We believe that the same rules used to create the finest Hollywood productions can be applied to creating engaging and behaviour-changing video at e-learning budget prices. The recent advances in low-cost professional film production technology coupled with an independent filmmaking 'can-do' spirit mean that the 'wow' factor can be put back into e-learning for a fraction of the cost, when managed responsibly by e-learning specialists with a penchant for storytelling. But does your training course need video.? When setting up a project you should always go back to the learning objectives and identify 'What is the right creative treatment to engage my learners?'. In many cases this may well include a video component.
If you are confused as to what treatment might be the best way of communicating to your learner,
Lee Bailes: Senior Designer |
 Dispatches from the front line |
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Academy Internet's Creative Director, Richard Middleton, reports back from the front line of e-learning development When I first started in the business some years ago as an e-learning Instructional Designer, at the beginning of a Project I would immediately start scripting interactions and graphics. That was after all what my job title said I should do and what clients expected. But regardless of the creativity of the interactions and graphics I and my fellow designers scripted, clients often seemed vaguely dissatisfied with the end product. Why? With hindsight the answer seems obvious. Bad content. |
Whilst great e-learning design is important, it could never disguise bad content. It couldn't disguise the tracts of badly phrased, ill-thought-out, illogical, irrelevant or incomprehensible verbiage that we often had to work with. So these days my team and I start our projects with a Content Definition phase. Before we get anywhere near e-learning design or scripts we work with our clients to ensure that the content is clear, honed, well-thought-through and relevant. Often we spend twice as long working on content as we do on scripts. The result? Satisfied clients and learners. As well as being highly interactive and looking great, their e-learning has something more: it makes sense. And because it makes sense, it makes a difference.
Richard Middleton: Creative Director |
 The business of e-learning |
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As the focus for HR departments to show tangible results from their budgets increases, more and more companies are looking for a way to generate a significant return on investment. A increasingly popular way is to re-sell bespoke eLearning content to similar companies to try and reduce the amount of spend that internal budgets have to bear. For example, a large financial institution may commission an expensive bespoke piece of courseware based on their Health and Safety requirements. It is a fair assumption that many blue chip corporate companies have very similar internal issues, and while the terminology used within these companies may differ, the fundamental issues are the same. |
Therefore, it is often possible to re-use some or all of the eLearning content that may have been developed for a particular company can be turned into a generic or 'white label' version, ready to be branded with another companies identity with little rework required. Clearly this is a very attractive proposition to a company that may have invested a significant amount in not just physical currency, but also in terms of internal resource to ensure the project reached a successful conclusion. Academy Internet are currently in discussions with a number of clients to perform exactly this role, so please call us to find out how you can make a real
Tim Harrington: Sales Director |
 e-Learning tools and tips |
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Academy Internet's highly experienced Project Manager Carlie Giddings provides practical tips for clients on how to run successful rapid e-learning projects. Rapid e-learning projects are like normal e-learning projects except everything is under considerably more pressure. If something goes wrong you just won't have the time to fix it! Avoid issues (and sleepless nights) by: Understanding the e-learning development process and your role. The process will hinge on collaboration and communication - both of which will require your attention and participation. You will save time, money and effort if you agree what is expected of each team before the project starts Understanding up front how your supplier works with Change Control. If the scope or content is likely to shift and you want to avoid having to change the scope and cost of your project halfway through, plan a contingency budget to cover an agreed amount of change |
Remembering that an elearning project is a software development project AND a training/learning project - so involve your IT department early to avoid any costly mistakes Being aware of the risks and being prepared to help alleviate them. A good supplier-side project manager will discuss risks and risk mitigation openly with you. Managing your internal stake holders. Avoid introducing a powerful stakeholder late in the project as this often leads to unplanned and painful changes Booking your Subject Matter Experts (SME) early and brief them about the amount of time they will have to dedicate to the project. The project will fall at the first hurdle if the content isn't there to build the project around.
Carlie Giddings: E-learning Project Manager |
Academy Internet achieves top marks
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Academy Internet has today announced its achievement of the Business in the Community "Communitymark" kitemark standard. Academy Internet is the first e-learning and internet marketing company to be awarded Communitymark in the UK having gained the highest mark of any company in the IT sector. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has until recently been viewed as an issue that only large companies could afford to be interested in and Academy Internet has demonstrated this is no longer the case. |
Academy Internet achieved 41 marks out of a possible 44 for its CSR programme which is completely aligned with its business and marketing strategy and which has contributed to Academy Internet growing its business by a further 60% during 2006. find out more......
Speak to Galia about CSR To contact Galia call: 01273 733 433 or email galia.orme@academyinternet.com
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Academy Internet acquires assets and employs
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Academy Internet is growing its revenues by more than 60% per annum and is on track to becoming one of the top 25 digital media businesses in the UK within 3 years. The company is constantly looking for opportunities to expand in its chosen areas of internet marketing and e-learning and the new acquisition represents a step closer to achieving their business strategy. Maxim was known and respected for the quality of its e-learning production and has won many awards for its work. Key to Maxim's success has been its Originate rapid e-learning authoring tool and the core team's understanding of how to create effective e-learning content. Six core members of the former Maxim e-learning team including Richard Middleton (Creative Director) and Tim Harrington (Sales Director) have now joined Academy Internet to lead and continue the profitable growth of its e-learning business. Academy Internet has also purchased the exclusive global intellectual property rights to the Originate rapid e-learning authoring tool which makes it quick and easy to review and update e-learning content. Originate is already operational at the Academy Internet offices, and plans to further develop its capability are in progress. |
More than ten of the former Maxim e-learning clients have chosen to work with Academy Internet to complete their projects and continue their successful relationships with the e-learning production team. Three ex-Maxim projects - for a major retailer and a top 4 UK bank have already been completed by the team who are now working productively at the Academy Internet offices. Tim Harrington, Academy Internet's Sales Director explained why this deal made sense, "despite strong pressure to disband, my team has kept faith in itself and its ability to impress customers by choosing to work with Academy Internet. We are now debt-free, profitable and cash generative; giving us the freedom to develop the business." Jason Woodford, Academy Internet's Development Director commented, "Our near 100% success rate in retaining the former Maxim customers is clear testimony to the strength of the relationships we are entering into. I would like to thank our new customers and e-learning team for the faith they have put into Academy Internet. "
For more information & photographs please contact: Jason Woodford
Development Director,
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The post graduate certificate in e-learning design |
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E-learning companies in Brighton were struggling to recruit experienced Instructional Designers. This course was designed to meet this specific need and is a result of collaboration between Brighton e-Learning Alliance (BeLA), Wired Sussex, University of Sussex and University of Brighton. A number of other organisations (from both the business and education sectors) contributed to its design and funding. January 2006 saw the launch of this course, with 10 students starting the first module in Learning Theory. The other modules cover technology, design, project management and an optional work-based project. Academy Internet's Nikki Ashley was in the unique position of both working with the group designing the course content and being in the first group of students. |
Nikki says: "Working with the group designing the course enabled me to put forward topics I wish I'd been able to learn in one structured course, plus those topics I which I knew were relevant, but in which I had less experience. For example, coming from a training background, I had gaps in my technical experience. Attending the course has already given me many benefits. Out tutor encouraged lots of discussion and practical application of the learning. Most of my fellow students were also working in e-learning, like me, so it was great to see how other companies worked too. It's been hard work, but also great fun." To find out more, contact.. http://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/1-2-2-5.html 
Nikki Ashley - Learning & Training Specialist
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We measure customer satisfaction |
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Customer satisfaction is a critical success factor at Academy Internet. So much so that pay rises, bonuses and the promotion of people working on your projects is partially dependent on the feedback we get for the projects our staff have worked on. I am responsible for measuring current satisfaction and for identifying opportunities for potential improvements. This means our customers get regular emails from me asking how the work is going including the $64,000 question."would you recommend us?" Why do we keep asking whether you'll recommend us? Well, it's the simplest way for us to measure your satisfaction and therefore our likely future success. |
Our aim is for 40% of our new business to come from referrals from existing or past customers and this measure gives us an indication of how likely we are to achieve that. It also helps us to better align our team with the needs of our customers. Our internal target is for 90% of customers to feel they would recommend us (I personally think that's still too low) so please take the time to respond to our short feedback request. It really will help us to help you. And if you're not currently a customer of ours, why not ask your current supplier if they measure customer satisfaction or even have a process in place to act upon it. We feel it's one of our differentiators. 
Galia Orme Training & Projects Manager
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Award for e-learning website |
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The Brighton e-Learning Alliance (BeLA) website http://www.be-la.co.uk won the coveted title of 'best e-learning site' in the recent Brighton and Hove web awards. Beating seven other sites by an enviable margin the site received most votes from the public in an open poll. E-learning companies based in the city account for over 10% of the UK market share, worth more than £50 million per year, equivalent to all companies in the London cluster. The formation of BeLA in 2004 was a move to strengthen this cluster and recognise the international significance of the companies that it constitutes. The recent success is owed largely to the new Wiki, built by Academy Internet, which allows members of the e-learning community to submit and update information on the subject, much like the Wiki's older sibling, Wikipedia. Adding their opinions on the current state of accessibility, live e-learning, user generated learning and much more, members have created a knowledge bank which pools their collective experience. Celebrating the social network that makes up BeLA, the Wiki encourages all involved in the alliance to impart their knowledge for the benefit of the community as a whole. As this was the first year of the new e-learning category in the web awards, competition was fierce amongst the short listed companies. Awards organiser Mark Walker from the Sussex Community Internet Project (SCIP) commented, 'the creation of this category was a response to feedback from voters asking to recognise the glut of e-learning companies. It's impossible to ignore their significance to the local, digital community.' |
BeLA member and Director of Academy Internet, Jason Woodford discussed his reaction on receiving the award, "Be-la members want to share their knowledge, experience and points of view with other e-learning professionals and this very practical first step in the use of social media is ideal for exposing that talent to the wider community" Notes to editors In 2004 a number of the UK's leading e-learning companies joined forces with Wired Sussex to form the Brighton e-Learning Alliance (BeLA), which aims to develop and promote the city as the European Centre of Excellence for e-learning. The members of BeLA are; Academy Internet, Brightwave, Cognitive Applications, digitalbrain, Driven Systems, Epic, Futuremedia, Imparo, KnowledgePool eLearning and Worth Media. The BeLA partners and supporters are: University of Brighton, University of Sussex, City College, Brighton and Hove Council, Sussex LSC and SEEDA BeLA was created and is managed by Wired Sussex who, along with Brighton & Hove City Council, conducted the research in this release. For more information contact: info@be-la.co.uk :  Be-La Wiki built by Yanni Papaioannou
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