The ROI of training can be determined (if it indeed has one). There is a chain of evidence to be followed that goes beyond the acquisition of knowledge (although that makes a good starting point).

Presumably, the training results in the acquisition of knowledge and skill. Let's treat them separately for now.

The acquisition of a new skill means the trainees are able to do something they could not do before. Typically, skills are taught or developed when what the trainees are to do is known and specified in advance.

Knowledge has value with respect to performance only when it is applied in some way. Knowledge provides the capability or capacity for action. However, the precise nature of the application can't be specified in advance and so it is often the case that the performer must, at least in part, figure out what to do.

Both cases (skill and knowledge) tie eventually to the performer doing something in an on-the-job setting. That something, whatever it is, has direct and immediate effects. These effects might be felt in the form of changed information, transformed materials, or changes in other people. The direct and immediate effects of action also "ripple through" the structure of the larger situation or context in which the performance takes place, making themselves felt elsewhere. For example, a direct, immediate effect of a salesperson's proposal to a customer might be an order. That order is then booked and later shows up as an incremental increase in the organization's sales. It might also be used in some functional calculation such as orders-per-salesperson, etc. In any case, there are indirect and delayed effects of actions to be considered.

The chain of evidence of the ROI of training that I referred to earlier goes something like this:

Training --> Improved/Increased Skill/Knowledge --> New and Different
Actions --> Direct and Immediate Effects of Actions --> Indirect and
Delayed Effects of Actions.

The effects of actions, whether direct and immediate or indirect and delayed, are typically such that economic value can be assigned to them. This is what makes it possible to ascertain the ROI of training. The typical focal point for evaluating training (i.e., the acquisition of skill and/or knowledge) is only a starting point in the chain of evidence.

PARIS, France and CUPERTINOA, Calif.

SEQUANS Communications, a leading developer and provider of fixed
and mobile WiMAX silicon and software, announced that it is now
sampling its WiMAX mobile station chips to select customers.
Supporting the recently ratified 802.16e-2005 broadband wireless
access standard, the chip provides equipment makers with a fully
integrated physical layer and media access control (MAC) layer
solution and the lowest power consumption for developing low cost
and high performance WiMAX mobile stations.

"The results of our tests so far exceed our expectations and we are
now confident in releasing the mobile station chip to our key
customers and ODM partners," said Bertrand Debray, Sequans VP of
engineering. "The team executed brilliantly in developing a high
performance chip in record time."

Sequans' SQN1110 system-on-chip (SoC) is a highly integrated, low
power 802.16e-compliant, baseband solution. Its high level of
integration and ultra-low power consumption make it suitable for use
in mobile devices¯handsets, smartphones, PDAs, PC cards, USB dongles—
as well as fixed devices.

Sequans new mobile station chip was designed to include all MAC and
PHY features required to attain WiMAX certification, expected later
this year. The SQN1110 mobile station chips are sampling now along
with evaluation kits for the SQN2110 base station chipsets; general
availability for both is scheduled for September 2006.

For more:
http://www.sequans.com/site/news_july1106.html

Free Mobile Learning Module on Networking Fundamentals
Hot Lava Software's free "Networking Fundamentals" test will let you know much you know about LANs, WANs, Ethernet, 802.3, 802.11 and all the other components of computer networking. This test will help you design and pull together a plan to prepare your company and your computer network for a world of networking.

This module will also help you gauge your readiness for taking the MCSE, CCNA and NET+ certification exams.

Mobile learning is the future of education and training. Using Hot Lava Software educational courses learners work when they want where they want without any barriers. Elearning requires a PC and an internet connection mobile learning happens from your PDA.

Currently there are over 79 million copies of Palm OS and Pocket PC os active in the world. This number is projected to be 250 million by 2007. People with these powerful handheld devices need to have more applications that do more than games and stock quote checks. Mobile learning is the perfect next big application for Palm OS and Pocket PC devices and Hot Lava Software, Inc. is leading the way with its new Learning Mobile Author development environment.

This free Networking Fundamentals test was created to prepare individuals who are prepping for the MCSE and CCNA exams how to better prepare the exam and over 1,000 copies have been downloaded.

Download this free mobile testing module now:
Palm OS users go here:
http://hotlavasoftware.com/product_info.php?cPath=16&products_id=72

Pocket PC users go here:
http://hotlavasoftware.com/product_info.php?cPath=16&products_id=73

The module was created using Hot Lava Software's Learning Mobile Author mobile learning content creation solution.

Please contact Hot Lava Software at http://hotlavasoftware.com/contact_us.php

The Economist article in 2005 says it best a?|

Rather than trying to close the (digital) divide for the sake of it, the more sensible goal is to determine how best to use technology to promote bottom-up development. And the answer to that question turns out to be remarkably clear: by promoting the spread not of PCs and the internet, but of mobile phones.

Plenty of evidence suggests that the mobile phone is the technology with the greatest impact on development. A new paper finds that mobile phones raise long-term growth rates, that their impact is twice as big in developing nations as in developed ones, and that an extra ten phones per 100 people in a typical developing country increases GDP growth by 0.6 percentage .

And when it comes to mobile phones, there is no need for intervention or funding from the UN: even the world's poorest people are already rushing to embrace mobile phones, because their economic benefits are so apparent. Mobile phones do not rely on a permanent electricity supply and can be used by people who cannot read or write.

Mobile CRM Arrives

Mail systems equipment company Pitney Bowes Inc. is set to roll out a Europe-wide mobile customer relationship management (CRM) system to 900 field-engineers equipped with Windows PocketPC devices.

Instead of taking hand-written notes and phoning in job details, or dropping off hard-copy forms at the office for clerks to manually enter into the company’s proprietary database, engineers can now file live reports and retrieve updates on callouts directly to their wireless handheld devices. The result is a much lower-cost, more efficient operation, with more responsive customer services, says Ray Lawes, vice president of service operations at Pitney Bowes UK.

“You’ve automated a large administrative process,” says Lawes. “It’s got a payback time of less than a year.”

There are also “soft benefits” that wouldn’t, themselves, justify the deployment. These include engineers being able to do things like call customers directly to make appointments for on-site visits as soon as jobs are logged on the system and, further down the road, reducing the company's spare-parts inventory.

Pitney Bowes began the rollout in February 2006, following a successful implementation by its parent company in the U.S. that now supports almost 2,000 users. For now, the European deployment supports around 400 users in the U.K., Austria, Germany, and Switzerland but will ramp to 900 users over the next 18 months, as France and Scandinavia come online.

Being able to draw on the experience of Pitney’s U.S. parent has helped smooth the deployment, and the system may actually perform better in Europe thanks to better mobile network coverage. The biggest challenge was getting internal systems and processes into line. “We’re actually better organized now,” says Lawes.

“We now have a common service information system across Europe, whereas before we had local systems [in each country]... It’s gone better than expected."

The mobility platform and systems integration was handled by specialist enterprise wireless applications company Antenna Software Inc. , which ports to the Siebel CRM system and reformats it for use over mobile networks to devices running the Antenna client software.

Without the need to send and receive large amounts of data, the system runs over standard General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) mobile networks. In the U.K., Pitney Bowes uses O2 plc as its wireless carrier, but each country can negotiate this separately, as the application is network-agnostic. Lawes does not anticipate an increase in telecom costs, since field engineers are making fewer and shorter mobile calls. “It washes out about the same so far,” he says.

— Gabriel Brown, Chief Analyst,

Wi-Fi City, Anaheim CA, USA
The city of magic, Anaheim, CA, which houses Disneyland, is soon to be
turned into a completely wireless city. The CEO of Earthlink, Charles
Betty, is the one responsible for installing little boxes to more than
1,500 traffic lights across the city, which emit a Wi-Fi connection
throughout a large radius.

At the end of June, Betty will cut a ceremonial wire, which will
activate all of the boxes throughout the city. Residents will then be
able to pay $22 a month to tap in to the city-wide connection.

Anaheim is not his only target. He also has already secured contracts
with Philly and New Orleans for the same kind of infrastructure, and
he is eyeing Honolulu, Minneapolis, Arlington, Va. and, with help from
Google, San Francisco, as well. If the Anaheim project works out well,
expect other cities to be getting in on the action too.

More:
http://www.i4u.com/article5942.html

LMA User's Group Meeting
Mood:  sharp

I had the pleasure of attending a Conference yesterday where a group of individuals spoke of what LMA, LMS, LMC and Hot Lava had affored them the opportunties to do. 

I learned about ‘Chunking content into appropriate Nuggest for m-Learning.’ I found out there is a Mobile Content Developer Certification program in the works out of Singapore, that was very much interesting. 

Listened to a sharp gentleman from Mem-Cards Corporation was there speaking on that product and how it was using LMA and Mobile Learning to get their product out to people.  You can visit www.mem-cards.com and click on ’suggested uses for Mem-cards’ under ‘corporate programs’ to see what is available.  We were given a sample of a set of cards they did for Club Med, using CM’s color scheme.  What a great personal coaching tool these little cards are.

Heard a gentleman spoke about ‘Using LMA in solutions on higher education & capturing feedback.’  Speaking in relation to the University level and how these students were using their Razor phones, or even Ipods to help with their continued education.

And a very fascinating individual from Naois spoke about IMELS (Integrated Education and Learning System) enabling the disabled access, via mobile technology, the educational content they might need to become more independent. Did you know that 6.4M students are in some way utilizing some form of Assistive technology?  These individuals have physical, cognitive, and speech disabilities. 

60% of disabled students never use a computer, verses 25% of non-disabled students.  9:1 student have computers in urban areas.  Less than 10% of disabled students have internet access (38%).   

Also, the potential for this technology to be used in the Restaurant world to train new employees, or retrain old employees.  It’s not just the Restaurant world, what of the Service area, HVAC service Techs, or even Auto mechanics.  Tracking of inventory, performance evaluations, etc.

This is some pretty amazing stuff.

Learning Mobile Content Discussion
There is a new Discussion board dedicated to Learning Mobile Content. However, any variation there of can be a topic. Learning Mobile Authoring, delivery & tracking solutions using LMAs. Anything you wish to discuss, learning, or share is welcome.
Learing Mobile Content Discussion

Are you ready for Mobile Learning?
Are you an educator and find it difficult to believe an instructor lead course could possibly be taught souly using mobile devices?

Are you not willing to consider that it would free up your time for bigger and better opportunities? That is would free up your students time to allow them to persue other avenues of continued education? All at the same time still provide the same results that an instructor lead course would?

Why are you so unwilling to let go? Can you not imagine your time being spend doing something else rather than standing in front of a class? Let me here from you. Tell me what you are thinking?