Martin Tripp Associates e-learning Archives

Points of Differentiation in E-Learning Platforms

Chris Sutcliffe 23rd May 2019

May contain graphic images

E-learning is big business. The share of people in the UK taking online learning courses more than doubled between 2007 and 2016 (4% to 11%), and globally the e-learning market is expected to reach $65bn by 2023. The advent of cloud-based infrastructure and a rise in competing e-learning platforms means there is more choice than ever for companies looking to boost employee skills through digital learning.

Between e-learning platforms like Docebo, Grovo and LearnUpon, there are many points of similarity. All are aiming to provide comprehensive learning tools at scale, and the majority are building out customised learning modules and courses that are tailored to consumer needs in an attempt to dominate the markets in which they operate. Many e-learning providers are also keen to promote their international efforts in line with the globalisation of the companies they market to: Learning Technologies Group (LTG) recently announced the launch of ‘Instilled,’ a new learning experience platform, with the explicit promise of aiding international companies, with the ability to “disperse content globally and translate it into more than 100 languages.”

In 2018, ten percent of UK respondents reported purchasing digital products in the e-learning category

But as more platforms build out similar solutions to common problems, the need for points of differentiation between competitor platforms is becoming ever more acute. From the gamification of e-learning to introducing more sophisticated points of contact between peers, here’s how the leading platforms are attempting to stand out and dominate the world of e-learning.

Pearson made the right choice in selling the Financial Times

Martin Tripp 23rd July 2015

There has been much hand-wringing about the sale of The Financial Times to Japanese media firm Nikkei. But the deal makes a lot of sense and – in many ways – is the least worst option for the newspaper and its associated publishing interests.

The FT Group has, for some time, been an anomaly in Pearson’s portfolio. In the heady days of multi-interest conglomerates – when Pearson also owned Alton Towers and Madam Tussaud’s – there was no reason why the newspaper and a range of magazines could not be incorporated into a portfolio of interests. But in the years under Marjorie Scardino, and more recently under John Fallon, Pearson has become increasingly focused on a singular vision: to become the largest global educational publisher.

Educational publishing: Are MOOCs better suited to corporate learning than high ed?

Alan England 30th June 2014

Use of MOOCs in educational publishing Until recently, Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs) were seen as one of – if not, the – key mechanism through which future higher eduction schemes would be delivered.

From their first use in 2008, educators, entrepreneurs, and reformers had been queuing up to talk about the virtues of a learning model that offered the prospect of an education system where thousands of people could learn together.

Throughout 2012, and even up until last year, the idea that MOOCs would represent a fundamental part of the future of higher eduction was still common – but then something changed.

Educational publishing jobs: the future is developing customisable e-learning content and platforms

Alan England 29th May 2014

Graphics of educational publishing jobs terms For educators, students, parents, and politicians the shift to online learning presents an opportunity to improve achievement, reduce costs, and deliver tailored learning experiences. For educational publishers, this change is as much a headache as an opportunity.

Educational publishing is undergoing profound upheaval, and for some traditional firms managing the shift to a digitised world is proving tricky.

Publishers are often guilty of focusing too closely on how customers engage with their existing offering rather than asking themselves the fundamental question: what do my customers really need?

So, what do they need?

Brands are getting interested in ‘efficacy’ – how digital media helps firms get what they plan for

Alan England 1st May 2014

In recent weeks the concept of “efficacy” has become something we have been thinking about more and more. In conversations with clients and prospects, the ability for them to ensure a desired or intended result with the services and products they supply has been high on their list of concerns.

How do we – the conversations go – ensure we produce stuff our customers really want or need? How do we ensure a great reception for the things we produce or the programmes we run?

Increasingly, the answer is to establish a better understanding of the customer – and the way to do that is to talk to them more directly, more personally, and in an overall smarter way.

Marjorie Scardino’s Pearson era – she’s safeguarded quite a few media jobs

Martin Tripp 3rd October 2012

So, Marjorie Scardino is leaving Pearson after 15 years in charge. A paean of praise has been heard since the announcement – much of it well-deserved. After all, she has re-engineered the business away from an odd hodgepodge of diversified holdings (James Ashton reminds us that Madame Tussaud’s and Alton Towers were both Pearson properties when she joined) to a more coherent – and sustainable –proposition. But one stat struck me as

Category: e-learning