Many associations have, at some point, considered the benefits of choosing an open source LMS for delivering their education programs. This is especially true of associations that may be considering implementing an online learning platform for the first time, or those with a limited budget. This may also impact on the availability of staff resources for other projects, resulting in delays and other costs to the association. 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

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. Want to learn more about the new version of TopClass LMS and Digital Badges? MORE

Rather than creating all your course content from scratch, learning content curation can help you to update and extend your member education programs with new material. From the Latin ‘curare’, curate means ‘to take care’ and ‘curator’ refers to the person who is responsible for taking care of and managing a collection. As L&D Managers know, reviewing and refreshing your content is important to ensure that your members are engaged and interested in learning. MORE

Blended Learning programs are the ideal way to deliver leadership development programs as they are more effective at creating behavioral change and deep learning. When your organization is concerned with “Building Strong Girls” as is Gamma Phi Beta, the first women’s organization to be called a ‘sorority’, a blended learning approach supports the development of both leadership skills and organizational growth. 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

With just a couple of weeks to the end of the year and a huge variety of association learning solutions being showcased this week at ASAE Technology Conference 2016 , it’s a good time to look back at the association learning trends that were predicted for 2016 and see which of these are still relevant. Which trends will be relevant to the associations attending ASAE Tech 16, looking to enhance or revise their learning technologies? MORE

“ The Association Role in the New Education Paradigm ”, a recently published whitepaper, outlines the potential for Associations to lead a much needed change in the current education industry. The authors of this whitepaper make a compelling case for associations to step in and bridge the growing education-to-employment gap by offering alternative, affordable, industry specific education programs for professional development and credentialing. MORE

Hosted by Personify , this conference will run from April 8-11 and provide users of Personify360 and Small World Community the opportunity to “discover resources and solutions for automating processes, increasing profits and of course, optimizing relationships with your constituents” WBT Systems helps associations to build and deliver world-class education and certification programs with TopClass, the #1 Association Learning Management System. 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

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

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

Back at the office, this process is paralleled as the new year kick-starts strategic planning sessions to set goals for association management, covering everything from membership growth and retention to updating education and certification programs. Whether your association is planning to launch new education or certification programs, or revitalize and restructure existing programs, our suggestion for your new year resolution is to invest in association learning technology. MORE

Is your association generating as much non-dues revenue as it needs to, wants to, or has the potential to? One great way to do this is to look to your online education and certification programs – with your Association Learning Management System, generating non-dues revenue is easy! Here are five ways your LMS can help you to generate non-dues revenue for your association: Ensure your LMS has eCommerce Capability. 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

Conferences can be a great place to do this, while also reconnecting with your peers, sharing experience, and learning about new ideas. The Twitter conversations during this session also sparked some interesting thoughts about how associations can inspire their member communities to become passionate about what their association has to offer. This week, however, we want to inspire you to reflect on the story your association education programs tell your members. MORE