Association members grow and change over time, and their needs grow and change with them. Unless the association addresses these changes, members won’t see the value of their membership. But how do associations accomplish this? Through a learning management system (LMS). Learning management systems have taken over how associations distribute and generate revenue from their professional development materials. MORE

With less than two weeks to the ASAE Annual Meeting and Expo 2016 , the largest event for Associations each year, we are putting in place our final preparations to exhibit at Booth #515. As we pack and ship our materials, arrange meetings with partners, clients and interested associations, and put the finishing touches on our demos, we started thinking about all the opportunities that the ASAE Annual Expo 2016 provides. MORE

Social learning. It is essential for any association learning management system (LMS). Yet no one can define “social learning” in a nutshell, because there is no universally accepted meaning. As LMS consultants , we’ve helped many different types of associations define their learning technology requirements. Public social media vs. private association social learning? Manager, AICPA. MORE

ASAE Annual Meeting 2016 is the biggest Association conference of the year and the schedule is jam packed with educational sessions, learning labs and social events. WBT Systems are looking forward to making the most of our time there, both by attending sessions and while exhibiting our learning solutions for Associations in the Expo Hall at Booth #515. The next version of TopClass LMS will be launched to coincide with the ASAE Annual Meeting and Expo. MORE

So, when an LMS provider say they have a SaaS LMS, they’re really saying we offer a cloud LMS. Because you aren’t purchasing hardware and hiring IT support staff to go along with your software solution, your up-front costs are lower than they would be if you simply purchased an LMS that was not hosted elsewhere. Taking this on by yourself could be a hassle, as you first have to find skilled IT staff, and then they have to learn the LMS. MORE

At Digitec Interactive we’ve been busy forming new partnerships, enhancing our technology, offering new solutions, and winning awards. What new trends will be important to association leaders? As a company, we consistently strive to transform learning to change lives. The Knowledge Direct 7 learning management platform, is a major upgrade of the company’s flagship learning management system (LMS). MORE

As we approach the end of June, and with a little inspiration from last week’s blog on Reflective Learning , we thought it was a good time to look back at some of the most popular association learning blogs of the first half of 2016. Retention is one of the most critical metrics for associations and membership organizations today, but what benefits truly increase value for association members and ensure they renew their membership? MORE

You’re shopping for an LMS and behold FREE OPEN SOURCE LMS pops up. Yes, it sounds like a good idea, but if you own a business or run an association, you might want to think twice about open source. If it’s free, it may be because it’s an over-simplified bare bones LMS, counting on you to customize and make the platform what it should be. If it’s a free open source LMS then it’s probably not coming with technical support. A proprietary LMS vendor. MORE

Digitec Interactive is pleased to announce its partnership with the Meals On Wheels Association of America to provide a new online portal, accessible through Digitec’s Knowledge Direct® association learning management system (LMS). It will act as a single, unified repository for self-paced and blended learning courses, including emergency preparedness training, for the network of nutrition professionals the Association serves. “We MORE

We have come across several interesting articles in the past couple of weeks, which discuss some of the social, political and economic changes that are currently impacting how we work and learn. In this post, we have collected some articles that we think will be interesting for associations, and that touch on some of the challenges and opportunities for association education programs today. Six Issues Associations Are Having Difficulty Responding To. MORE

Increasingly, associations are adopting Learning Management Systems (LMS) to help simplify the administration and delivery of education and certification programs to a membership that is more geographically dispersed, increasingly busy, and dealing with a changing economy which can make it more difficult to attend meetings and conferences in person. Ensuring members are engaged in learning is a key challenge for associations. MORE

With less than a week to NiUG Discovery 2016 , we are excited to be sponsoring this great, interactive, learning and networking event for the iMIS Community! As we pack and ship our materials, arrange meetings with partners, clients and associations, and put the finishing touches on our TopClass demos, we started thinking about our top technology strategy tips for getting the most out of the conference. MORE

Is your association a learning organization? A learning organization is one “that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself” According to this definition , this type of organization is more responsive to external pressures, has a faster pace of change within the organization, and is better able to innovate and remain competitive. A learning organization becomes more like a community that members can feel a commitment to. MORE

For the second consecutive year, WBT Systems’ TopClass LMS has been named the #1 Learning Management System for Associations in the Talented Learning LMS Vendor Awards. This award honors the learning solution vendor which best caters for the unique and varied requirements of associations that provide education and certification programs for their members. TopClass LMS had previously been named the Best Association LMS in 2015. MORE

The Irrigation Association (IA), the leading membership organization for irrigation companies and professionals, has selected the Digitec Knowledge Direct learning management system for its online certification, continuing education and recertification programs. With the addition of the association’s new online learning portal, IA is able to deliver and track eLearning courses, learner progress, completions and continuing education units (CEUs) earned. MORE

Associations are moving to eLearning every day, but with limited resources, it can be a challenge to produce quality online courses. The International Sign Association (ISA) has overcome this challenge by partnering with Digitec on a cost-effective solution to create custom eLearning courses for its members, who are manufacturers, users and suppliers of on-premise signs and other visual communications systems. MORE

Sometimes it’s nice to take a step back from all the news, busy work days, our hectic social and family lives and take some time to reflect, refocus, and refresh. Conferences can be a great place to do this, while also reconnecting with your peers, sharing experience, and learning about new ideas. The results that Harley Davidson have achieved by leveraging the stories and passion of their community are incredible, and are outlined in this Harvard Business Review article. MORE