EDITOR'S NOTE:

Who's the chubby guy with the bow and arrow?

I grew up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where Valentine's Day was rarely celebrated and if it was, it was strictly between the "adoror" and "adoree". I always thought it was rather silly considering the fact that you were dying to tell someone you were crazy about them, yet sent an anonymous card! What was the point? Then I moved to Canada with my family and discovered that North America celebrated Valentine's Day in a whole new way! The children busily made Valentine cards at school for everyone, from Grandma and Grandpa to long lost cousins and friends. This time everyone knew who the Valentine came from, but this practice raised the same question in my mind ... if Valentine's Day represented romance, then why on earth were people sending cards to just about everyone they knew? What was the point?

Whatever your view of Valentine's Day, we can probably all agree that it is a day when we think about those who are important to us - which of course is the point of this celebration. Who are the important people in your world? Who inspires you? Who has touched your life in same way and made it better? What about your business team? This is a perfect opportunity to say "Thank You" for a job well done.

EXPERT'S CORNER:

Basic Screens - New "Udututorials":
Here are a new set of Udututorials for you to view. Each one is designed as a quick "POP Feature" approximately 1 minute long. No frills, just the facts.

Udututorial 7 - How to create a basic screen
Udututorial 8 - How to change the screen orientation
Udututorial 9 - How to create links in the “more info” screen
Udututorial 10 - How the jump function works
Udututorial 11 - How to upload a PDF document

TIPS, TECHIQUES AND IDEAS:

The "4 Ms" of course design

When it comes to designing training courses, there are a number of aspects to consider. While there are often controversies in the field of instructional design, placing your attention on the targets and design issues through use of the "4 Ms", ensures you focus on the heart of the matter.

1. Meaningful
2. Memorable
3. Motivational, and
4. Measurable

Read more ...

FEATURED ARTICLE:

Serendipitous Learning
By Roger Mundell - CEO, Udutu Learning Systems Inc.

In any large organization the amount of learning that occurs from organized formal training, such as online courses, face to face training and workshops, printed materials etc., is relatively small when compared to the “informal” or “serendipitous” learning that occurs every day.

I am talking for example, about the learning that happens when a coworker is asked “how do I…. “ or “what is the policy on….”, or the learning that happens when people observe others in certain practices, or when a comment over lunch leads to an “aha” moment. It also applies to the time that workers take to show something to a colleague outside of the structure of a formal training plan.

Read more ...

RAVE REVIEWS:
Delek US Holdings Inc.
By Gary Baker, Director of Learning & Development

"I recently was challenged to build an automated, online Hiring, Orientation, and Training system for Delek US Holdings, Inc. (DK), a 3+ billion dollar energy business focused on petroleum refining and supply, and retail marketing operations in the Southeast United States."

The technical challenges of this project are almost too numerous to list, but each and every time the Udutu team was able to come up with an innovative solution that worked.

Simply put, I could not have accomplished the first phase of the project without the visionary leadership, technological prowess, and the novel creativity of this fascinating group of avant-garde pioneers. Their efforts in this development have set new standards for business excellence in this industry. We plan to partner with Udutu for many years to come."