Social Learning Using SharePoint

Social Learning Using SharePoint
Summary: Social animals are creatures that are greatly interactive with other members of its species, with an individual animal's success highly dependent on the overall cohesion and propagation of the group. As humans, we are programmed to flock toward social situations; so it makes sense to add social features into training programs in order to create a much needed atmosphere for success. This article will explore how SharePoint provides the social tools necessary to achieve desired training outcomes.

Social Learning Using SharePoint: SharePoint Goes ‘Social’ For Training

It’s no surprise that learning managers are catching on to the benefits of social, which is why we’re seeing an increase in collaborative tools as a top priority in a Learning Management System. Tools, such as SharePoint, are gearing up this year to offer companies an easy way to improve the impact of their training initiatives.

Using Social Features To Enhance Training

The pressure is increasing for training managers to create a straight line that links training with a company’s performance. This, of course, is no easy feat which is why it’s a top priority. And, according to previous Brandon Hall research, this is achieved by adding more informal ways of teaching into the mix, such as social collaboration.

As of now, many companies are spending above and beyond their LMS budget in order to include social features. If you’re already using SharePoint, there is no need to purchase any additional social tools.

There is no argument that SharePoint has saturated the business landscape far and wide. In fact, it is estimated that one in two companies use SharePoint regularly. While it’s commonly used for its content management capabilities, many do not utilize the amazing social features that it has.

SharePoint is a complete content management and enterprise collaboration platform that assists in many processes essential for any business.

One of the best features of using SharePoint for social is that your IT team has already synced the entire active directory so all employees are linked and ready to be ‘social’ immediately. No more remembering multiple passwords, just the same one they use to log in to their work computer every day.

Each employee will be assigned their own personal MySite within SharePoint. It all begins with the employee and gets more social from there. The MySite is the perfect place to ‘show off’ – achievements, projects they’re working on, portfolio. It gives a glimpse into what you’re all about, much like a profile page in other social media sits such as LinkedIn. People can do a search to find a person within the company to help them with work-related issues or to find a mentor to follow, as an example.

The next step after individual MySite’s is the Team site. It is more common than ever in the workplace to be put on a team for a project. SharePoint Team Sites are perfect for this type of scenario. Everything you can imagine is available from document libraries, calendar, task lists, and discussion boards. Now you can work collectively with workers from all over the world and in any time zone.

There is always a need to reach out to the masses and this is where SharePoint Community Sites are helpful. If you’re a new employee for instance, it’s easy to post a question on the community board for your fellow coworkers to assist. Or, maybe you are curious about an upcoming training opportunity and wanted to get some feedback before signing up. With tools that are very much similar to other social networks, users can tag posts, use topical hashtags, and generate a lively discussion.

Exploring Social Technology

As mentioned previously, many companies are already paying extra for additional social tools beyond their LMS. And, a recent study shows that companies are still prioritizing social as an important technology requirement.

In addition, they also want a better user experience and more integration between systems like HRIS, content management, compliance and ERP.

SharePoint LMS Offers Social And More

SharePoint could be classified as a ‘Jack of all Trades’ for all the numerous features needed for business and training - social/collaboration, content management, mobile, analytics, and integration.

There is a huge trend of dissatisfaction with LMSs and this stems a lot with the challenging role content plays in training. Content is king and the backbone of any training program so it’s imperative to get it right.

Right off the bat, SharePoint wins major points for its content management ability. Create and edit learning courses with multiple contributors, track versions and workflows. This is especially helpful for those in compliance regulated industries where it’s imperative to keep an audit record.

While SharePoint offers an array of much needed requirements by the training industry, it is not built to be a fully functioning Learning Management System. However, it can provide a great foundation from which to build upon.

Why buy another system when you can expand upon the one you already have? Using a SharePoint-based LMS makes sense on so many levels.

SharePoint offers content management for training material as well as social for collaboration. A SharePoint LMS will add in additional functionality such as learning paths, compliance, advanced reporting and certification to name a few.

Condensing all the aspects of training under one roof simplifies and makes everything more efficient. Imagine how easy it would be for your IT department since the system is already configured with all your other business systems?

Using social for training is gaining in popularity and many companies are adding it as a staple to their regimen. While some are choosing to pay more for social features, others are utilizing software they already have more effectively, like SharePoint. As a result, they are experiencing increased engagement and productivity while lowering costs.

To learn more about how a SharePoint-based Learning Management System can solve your training problems, click here.

eBook Release: ShareKnowledge
ShareKnowledge
ShareKnowledge is an enterprise LMS that integrates with existing technologies while automating training, reporting and other business processes.