5 Digital Learning Tools Your Company Needs for Better Training in 2022

In 2021, over 20 million new individuals registered for Coursera courses, according to an article by the World Economic Forum.¹ The article explained that this number is “equivalent to total growth in the three years pre-pandemic. Following the COVID-19-induced shift to remote working, people are increasingly looking to digital learning to develop the skills to navigate today’s constantly evolving world of work.” Clearly, remote training is a rising trend. 

The predominant reason why most organizations have chosen to allow some employees to work remotely is to promote safety and help protect workers from COVID-19. But there are other benefits to having a remote workforce, for both employees and organizations. A Findstack article cited the following²: 

• ​​16% of companies in the world are fully remote, but 44% of companies do not permit employees to work remotely 
• The main reason why people choose to work remotely is because it promotes better work-life balance 
• 77% of those who work remotely say they’re more productive working from home
• Remote workers make $4,000 more per year than those who work from the office 
• 85% of managers say remote teams will become the “new norm”
• According to 74% of employees, having the option to work remotely would decrease the likelihood of them quitting
• There are three distinct challenges associated with remote work: unplugging after work, loneliness, and communication/collaboration 

This indicates that remote work not only promotes safety, but also boosts productivity, yields better salaries and work-life balance for employees, and can decrease staff turnover. 

To effectively train remote employees, most organizations have to implement a remote/online learning model. Digital learning tools can make remote corporate training easier for organizations to manage and for workers to participate in. 

Digital Learning Tools Enable Collaborative Corporate Training for Remote Employees

One of the challenges of training remote workers is enabling collaborative learning, a learning style that emphasizes teamwork and social connection. A few examples of collaborative learning include study groups, case studies, peer editing, group writing, group projects, and knowledge sharing, per the article 10 Benefits of Collaborative Learning by Indeed.com.³ 

Collaborative learning features a host of benefits. Cornell University listed a few⁴: 

• Development of higher-level thinking, oral communication, self-management, and leadership skills
• Increase in student retention, self-esteem, and responsibility
• Exposure to and an increase in understanding of diverse perspectives

These benefits apply not only to the education sector, but also in the workplace. 

The Indeed.com article also praised collaborative learning. According to the article, collaborative learning:  

• Improves problem-solving skills
• Encourages social interaction
• Promotes diversity
• Improves communication skills
• Inspires creativity
• Creates trust
• Improves confidence
• Encourages engagement
• Allows people to have fun
• Develops critical thinking skills

“Collaborative learning depends on communicating effectively to complete a task,” the article stated. “Participants use their verbal communication skills to share ideas, explain concepts and provide feedback in clear and concise ways. They might also use written communication skills if the assignment involves tasks such as group writing or peer editing. The more people practice their communication skills in these types of settings, the stronger they tend to become.”

This is beneficial because it is critical that dispersed workers have strong communication skills. It’s also important that remote employees maintain a sense of connection to their colleagues and employers. 

For some organizations, collaborative learning is the key to corporate training success. Digital learning tools enable administrators to ensure training is collaborative and engaging for remote workers. 

5 Digital Learning Tools Organizations Need for Effective Corporate Training

The best corporate training is collaborative, but collaborative learning experiences can be tough to create when learners are dispersed. These digital learning tools help organizational leaders create corporate training that is collaborative, engaging, and effective: 

1) Miro - Miro is a free whiteboard platform that promotes collaborative learning. It allows learners to structure ideas while simultaneously driving collaboration between peers and teams. Miro enables teams to brainstorm, give and receive feedback, plan activities, make presentations, and more. The platform has built-in comment, chat, and video features, making it an ideal collaborative learning tool for corporate training. 

2) Articulate 360 - Articulate 360 is a cloud-based learning solution that can help organizations produce and publish video-based online learning courses. According to an article by Software Advice, Articulate 360 allows users to create individualized slides/project templates.⁵ These templates can be stored in a repository for future reference and use. “The solution offers a host of features such as text-to-speech conversion, customizable recordings, video/questions import, multilingual translation, content library, auto-recovery, 360° images, and more,” the article explained.

3) Zoom - Zoom has helped many organizations make it through the pandemic in one piece. It is widely used for a good reason: it helps individuals and teams connect through video conferencing, online events, calls, meetings, chats, and more. These features promote collaborative learning. At no cost, Zoom users can host up to 100 participants, hold unlimited group meetings for up to 40 minutes, hold unlimited one-on-one meetings for up to 30 hours, and use the chat feature. To host more people and access more features, Zoom users must purchase a plan. 

4) Slack - Slack is another great collaborative learning tool for organizations. A Business Insider article said Slack was originally an internal chatting program for one company and has “grown into the primary communication and workflow platform for companies, nonprofits, and other organizations around the world. Slack is…built to sync with the apps that your company uses every day, like Google Calendar and Google Drive.”⁶ The article also explained that administrators can install applications in Slack, which allows the apps to be used without participants having to leave a chat. 

5) TOPYX LMS - TOPYX LMS (learning management system) is a remote learning platform that allows organizations to create, deliver, track, and report on remote and blended learning. All an employee needs to access training stored in TOPYX LMS is internet access and a mobile device. TOPYX LMS can also be used by organizations that want to sell their training content. 

TOPYX LMS is an ideal choice for organizations that want to deploy a complete remote training program using an online learning solution with unlimited customization and customer support. TOPYX’s dedicated customer support teams are there for clients every step of the way, from software implementation and throughout the entire time that the client uses TOPYX LMS. 

TOPYX LMS can be used alongside other digital learning tools, such as the aforementioned platforms, a content management system, a learning experience platform, etc. TOPYX’s LMS integrations ensure the LMS deploys seamlessly across an entire organization with no disruption to other systems or digital learning tools that are already in place.  

Why TOPYX LMS is the Best Digital Learning Tool for Your Company

An LMS is a digital learning tool that will give you the most bang for your buck in delivering remote training to dispersed workers. With in-depth learning features and pre-built content to support remote workers and develop skills, TOPYX Quick Start LMS includes everything you need to get started with a learning and development program for up to 500 learners, available through a flat-rate pricing model.

Here are a few of the TOPYX LMS features that will enable you to deliver collaborative, engaging remote training: 

• Mobile learning - Mobile learning is critical to learner success. It allows employees to access training on-demand, from any mobile device. Mobile learning drives learner engagement by allowing LMS users to learn on their own time. This often frees up their time and promotes productivity. Also, mobile learning ensures greater accessibility for all learners and promotes reasonable training costs for organizations due to no added hardware or connectivity charges (most employees already own smartphones or tablets).
• Social learning - Social learning, or collaborative learning, is a TOPYX LMS feature that enables blended learning, real-time chat, community-building, and activity feeds that allow learners and experts to easily interact. Social learning also accelerates content curation and knowledge sharing, enhances productivity for remote teams, promotes the creation of sustainable learning communities, and ensures learners and administrators have ongoing support in their roles. 
• LMS reporting - LMS reports allow administrators to email or export reports in Excel, PDF, and many other formats, communicate facts to executives with direct reports, and quickly pull data on user activity and performance. Insights gained from LMS reports can help administrators create corporate training that is more collaborative, effective, and engaging. LMS reports also give learners access to transcripts, report cards, and competencies, which can boost their engagement with training. 

TOPYX Quick Start LMS helps organizations set up and fully deploy an entire remote training program in a matter of days. Interested in getting started with TOPYX Quick Start LMS? Request a free LMS demo. 

References: 

1. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/01/online-learning-courses-reskill-skills-gap/. 
2. Findstack. https://findstack.com/remote-work-statistics/#:~:text=Key%20Remote%20Work%20Statistics%20in%202022&text=77%25%20of%20remote%20workers%20say,will%20become%20the%20new%20norm.
3. Indeed.com. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/benefits-of-collaborative-learning. 
4. Cornell University. https://teaching.cornell.edu/teaching-resources/active-collaborative-learning/collaborative-learning. 
5. Software Advice. https://www.softwareadvice.com/lms/articulate-360-profile/. 
6. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-slack.