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The Problem
Large businesses like Northern Rock need everyone within the organisation to be familiar with the company’s values, products and services. Training is an ongoing concern for both workers and employers in today’s economy, yet it can be challenging to implement truly effective training programmes. Too often companies take up valuable time and resources with expensive, impractical training courses that cost thousands of pounds to implement, or dull, complicated self-study guides that employees find to be utterly impenetrable.
Independent studies conducted at Xerox, IBM and Federal Express and other leading companies have found that E-learning typically reduces individual employee training time by around 40% when compared with traditional classroom-based training methods.
The same studies found that E-learning methods also impacted positively upon the effectiveness of communication within training scenarios. Trainees reported increased rates of retention, remembering what they had learnt for longer and in greater detail. These increased rates of retention help trainees to use the information learnt in training to improve their performance in the workplace, showing a higher rate of skills and knowledge transfer resulting from the use of E-learning programmes.
(Details of the above investigations into E-learning, including acknowledgements, can be found at the following Internet address: http://www.privatelessons.net/ddi/Studies.htm)
The Solution
The demand for E-learning is on the increase as both public and private sectors strive to achieve best practice and provide the optimum level of performance. E-learning’s flexibility gives companies access to an extensive selection of courses to meet the needs of their workforce. Even companies with ongoing static learning courses are seeing the benefit of E-learning, using its flexibility in tandem with the structured approach provided by static courses to offer a blended learning experience.
| The benefits of E-learning include |
| Flexibility – the ability to learn anytime, anywhere |
| Cost Savings – vastly reduced travel expenses, travel time, and instructor fees |
| Adaptable workplace - 24/7 online presence |
| Real time information - information can be updated continuously and rapidly |
| Instant progress reports – reports on progress and compliance requirements can be generated at any time, for no cost |
X-Exam is a Learning Management System that allows organisations to develop, manage and deliver e-learning courses via Orchidnet. The application provides an open-ended, adaptable learning resource that can be tailored to provide appropriate educational material for management, employees, students, customers or partners as required.
| Key Features |
| User Management - Integrates fully with Microsoft Active Directory and Novell Directory Service using LDAP protocol, meaning that there is no need to manage user records, security, usernames or passwords |
| Unlimited Capacity - create as many exams or assessments you want, with an unlimited number of questions |
| Fully Adaptable – you can link E-learning presentations to X-Exam using Flash, Powerpoint or other third party e-learning authoring tools |
| Fully Customisable – Exams and assessments can comprise several sections, creating a programme of structured learning |
| Randomisation - questions can be randomly picked from a question bank to ensure trainees are fully conversant with every aspect of the training programme |
| Automatic Email Notifications – automatic notification informs trainees of upcoming courses and assessments online |
| Comprehensive Reports Facility - generate statistical reports on user behaviour, including knowledge gaps and training opportunities |
| Browser Based - X-Exam is 100% browser-based, which means that there is no software to install. Anyone (with the necessary usernames and passwords) can access it to carry out training |
| Consistent Content- X-Exam enables an organization to establish a common learning management system for all e-learning courses. |
| User-friendly Interface - X-Exam is very easy to use. The platform has been designed with the user in mind. |
| Accessible Applications - Users are capable of developing and launching courses after only two days of training. |
The Results
X-Exam has become the definitive learning management system used within Northern Rock; the company adopted the solution as the cornerstone of their commitment to E-learning. As a result, Northern Rock asked all vendors to integrate all future training courses into the X-Exam application to ensure that all other E-learning solutions attained the same high standard. |
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“Orchid Software have been easy to do business with. We are delighted with the relationship we have with them”
Graham Crosby, Assistant IT Director, Northern Rock plc |
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“Orchid Software have been easy to do business with.”
Graham Crosby, Assistant IT Director, Northern Rock plc |
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