Online Learning Prtal Best Practices Guide best practices guide This dcument prvides Micrsft Sftware Assurance Benefit Administratrs with best practices fr implementing e-learning thrugh the Micrsft Online Learning Prtal. IMPORTANT NOTE: Please d nt access r launch curses n the new site until yu are ntified yur rganizatin has migrated. Ding s may cause data discrepancies in yur e-learning entitlements and any curse prgress will be lst. Table f cntents Table f cntents... 1 Chsing the Online Learning Prtal as yur deplyment ptin... 2... 2 Setting up learner accunts... 2... 2 Planning fr learning plans... 3... 3 Establishing grups... 4... 4 Creating learning plans... 5... 5 Sftware Assurance Online Learning Prtal best practices guide 1
Online Learning Prtal best practices guide Chsing the Online Learning Prtal as yur deplyment ptin The Online Learning Prtal prvides tw distinct functinalities Business Prtal (Administratr access) and Learner Prtal (student access). Business Prtal (fr Administratrs) The Online Learning Prtal is where Micrsft Vlume Licensing custmers with Micrsft E-Learning access can manage their Micrsft E-Learning prducts. Micrsft clients wh reprt n e-learning cnsumptin and wh track learner prgress use the Online Learning Prtal t meet thse needs. In additin t reprting, Administratrs n Online Learning can create targeted learning plans t streamline prfessinal develpment f specific grups f learners. An Online Learning Administratr can: Manage e-learning access fr learners. Create and assign learning plans t emplyees r grups. Track learning benefit cnsumptin and training prgress acrss the rganizatin. Learner Prtal (fr students) The Learner Prtal is where Micrsft Online Learning students access e-learning curses available t them. NOTE: T access the Online Learning Prtal either the Administratr r the Learning functinality a Micrsft accunt (frmerly Windws Live ID) is required. After yu have decided t use the Online Learning Prtal fr yur e-learning needs, it is recmmended that yu cntinue t use nly the Online Learning Prtal fr nging e-learning management. Yu shuld either chse t distribute access cdes btained frm the Vlume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) site r t distribute access cdes and/r assign learning plans frm the Online Learning Prtal. It is nt necessary t d bth. Setting up learner accunts There are tw ways fr learner accunts t be created in the Online Learning Prtal. They can be created via access cdes (which are distributed t learners allwing them t self-register), r they can be imprted int Online Learning and then assigned a learning plan. In the latter case, learners receive an activatin email requiring them t click an activatin link. This maps their Online Learning learner accunt t their Micrsft accunt. If yu set up learner accunts via the imprt prcess, yu can then assign them t learning plans. Yu d nt need t use access cdes. If yu create access cdes n the Online Learning Prtal and distribute the cdes t users (which allws them t self-register n the Online Learning Prtal), yu will nt use the imprt prcess t create accunts. Sftware Assurance Online Learning Prtal best practices guide 2
Online Learning Prtal best practices guide Planning fr learning plans Learning plans are specific sets f e-learning curses that guide learning fr yur users. Administratrs with the Manage Learning Plans privilege can create, edit, and assign custmized learning plans. Learning plans can be assigned directly t individual learners r t the grups that yu have already established. Learning plans can als be assigned via Online Learning access cdes. Redemptin f the access cdes allws learners t self-register. Befre creating learning plans, yu shuld first d sme planning and make decisins regarding: Targeted audience. Identify the specific learners r grups f learners wh are apprpriate fr each learning plan. Relevant cntent. Determine which cntent is mst relevant fr the specific audience fr each learning plan. Management buy-in. Obtain management apprval t ensure the success f the verall training prgram. Marketing strategy. Prmte yur training prgram by mapping t rganizatinal bjectives. Establishing targeted audience As a first step in managing the training and develpment f yur rganizatin, yu shuld establish the varius training audiences within yur rganizatin. T d this, determine training needs, based n the prfessinal develpment plan fr the varius grups within yur rganizatin. They shuld map t the verall training and develpment bjectives f yur rganizatin. Yu can then establish a grup structure hierarchy and build learning plans arund thse grups t meet the specific training needs. Determining relevant cntent fr each audience After yu have established a grup structure t identify targeted audiences within yur rganizatin, yu can wrk t build ut learning plans t target specific cntent fr learners within thse grups. One way t identify relevant cntent is t define the jb skills fr yur rganizatin. Jb skills are cmpetencies necessary t perfrm in a jb and can be mapped t curses which can then be the basis fr a learning plan. Cmpletin r mastery f the curses and/r resurces can indicate cmpetence t perfrm a specific jb. Management buy-in/managers and Executives becme Prgram Champins A critical cmpnent t the success f any training prgram is management acceptance and supprt. This ensures that management will prmte training fr persnnel within all departments thrughut the rganizatin. Yu can als cnsider making Managers and Executives within yur rganizatin the Prgram Champins t help rganize and drive a successful training prgram. Adpt a Marketing Strategy, with prgram success criteria and business bjectives Yur Marketing Strategy shuld include cmpnents which prmte the business bjectives and criteria f the prgram t ensure the verall success f yur e-learning prgram. Sme f the key cmpnents in yur marketing strategy include: Relevance. Establish the verall relevance f the training prgram. Objectives. Map individual bjectives t departmental bjectives which ultimately drive the verall cmpany bjectives fr persnnel training and develpment. Gals. Establish gals with timelines fr training that map t individual perfrmance plans and are prmted by management. Sftware Assurance Online Learning Prtal best practices guide 3
Online Learning Prtal best practices guide Establishing grups A grup structure can be built t define targeted audiences based n training needs within yur rganizatin. Quite ften, a grup structure fr learning will map t the structure f yur rganizatin. The grup structure can be made up f a hierarchy f bth parent and child grups, similar t an rganizatinal hierarchy. After it is established, grups can be used t assign persnnel t apprpriate learning plans and can aid in reprting. The grup naming cnventin shuld be lgical fr the persnnel f yur rganizatin. Yu shuld always create grups prir t beginning wrk n learning plans. See the fllwing samples f grup structures that can be created n the Online Learning prtal: Sample 1. Single level: Facilities Finance Human Resurces Legal Marketing Operatins Sales Sample 2. Multi-level: Facilities Finance Billing Payrll Human Resurces Legal Marketing Operatins Sales Nrtheast Nrthwest Sutheast Suthwest Sftware Assurance Online Learning Prtal best practices guide 4
Online Learning Prtal best practices guide Creating learning plans Yu shuld map learning plans t the strategic bjectives f yur rganizatin fr each specific audience/grup f targeted learners. By ding s, yu ensure that the prfessinal develpment f yur emplyees/learners wrks tward the cntinued strength and grwth f yur verall business. Establish a naming cnventin fr yur learning plans. An apprpriate naming cnventin fr each learning plan has meaning/recgnitin fr the targeted learners. Nte, as an example, that the sample learning plan cntains targeted learning fr the Operatins Team within the rganizatin. Als, it s imprtant t use learning plans t prvide learners with a subset f cntent that is lgical fr the targeted training fr each specific grup f learners. The sample learning plan that fllws is specific t Prject Managers within the Operatins Department. Sample learning plan Fr additinal infrmatin n all the functinality f the Online Learning Prtal, see the Online Learning Admin Guide. Micrsft prvides this material slely fr infrmatinal and marketing purpses. Custmers shuld refer t their agreements fr a full understanding f their rights and bligatins under Micrsft s Vlume Licensing prgrams. Eligibility fr Sftware Assurance benefits varies by ffering and regin and is subject t change. The Terms and Cnditins f yur Vlume License Agreement and the Terms and Cnditins under which any specific Sftware Assurance benefits are ffered will take precedence in the case f any cnflict with the infrmatin prvided here. Fr eligibility criteria and current benefit prgram rules, see the Micrsft Prduct List. [Publicatin: 112012 Online Learning Prtal best practices guide] Sftware Assurance Online Learning Prtal best practices guide 5