ROI on voluntary leadership is huge
New research on voluntary leadership provides a clear research base for substantiating what Senior LERN Leaders experience: a huge ROI on becoming more involved with LERN. The data shows that programs with voluntary leaders in LERN actually gain more from their sharing than other programs without such involvement. In 2014 we are now offering two Executive Leadership
Newest Webinar focuses on visual social media
Continuing education and lifelong learning programs already use the “Big Three” of social media – Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn – to market their classes. However, the increasing popularity of visual blogging sites Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram makes them a prime way to reach your key audiences
Another outstanding UGotClass teacher
Shown here wearing Google Glass is our Video Marketing instructor Rob Lee. Lee is a Google Top Contributor, testing new features, products and services.
7 Ways to Shorten the Project Development Timeline
Fall Registration Survey Results In
Results are in for the annual registration survey for the field, the most important survey in continuing education and lifelong learning every year. For the results, just email Tammy at info@lern.org.
State of Lifelong Learning in 2014
The field of continuing education and lifelong learning is making the transition in responding to the new economy, adapting to online marketing, and meeting the demands and interests of learners in the new economy.
New Mentoring Program
A new mentoring program for LERN members under age 36 starts this month. LERN leader Mark Mrozinski of Palatine, Ill., created the program design. Anyone under age 36 who wants a mentor, and anyone older who wants to be a mentor, should email info@lern.org to become involved.
First Future Leaders Chair
Susan Davis of the American Society of Civil Engineers in Washington D.C. has been named the first Chair of the new Future Leaders Council, serving members under age 36. She leads the first meeting of the Future Leaders Council in San Francisco.
Print Still Critical
Roughly 80 percent of all mail delivered is opened compared to only about 20 percent for emails.
Gen X & Y Now Majority
Gen Xers and Gen Yers attending the big LERN conference are the majority for the first time ever, according to birth years of those attending.
Use Google+ in Marketing
Use Google+ in your marketing, eMarketing expert Suzanne Kart is telling people in the Top 10 Promotion Ideas of the Year session at the big conference.
End of the Auto Age
New LERN data show that programs in suburban areas are already feeling the effects of the decline in auto driving and younger people moving back into cities. A special report, “The End of the Auto Age,” marks the 10th Anniversary of the classic Nine Shift book predicting the changes occurring now. The report is part
UGotClass Registrations Up 36%
LERN members registered 36 percent more students for UGotClass online courses in November than last November. The 2013 UGotClass Annual Report is a special free 30-minute webinar Thursday, Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. ET. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Top UGotClass Course
The top new November course for UGotClass is “Creating Visual Presentations” with Jenna Soard, instructor.
A Lot to be Thankful For
With membership income up and a record conference this month, LERN has much for which to be grateful.
Staff Productivity is a Top Member Question
The most frequently asked question LERN’s lead consultant, Greg Marsello, has been asked during the last six months when visiting with programs has been “How do we increase staff productivity?”
Gender Story Gets Rave Reviews
Julie Coates’ original research and story in your fall LERN magazine got rave reviews from members. For example, she found the pinkish Engineering Barbie a stereotype that does not work with most young women. Coates will present more of her latest research on learning at the big LERN conference in San Francisco. Join her there.
Top Customer Service Ills
Provide your customers with all the information you would want in their situations and treat them with the same courtesy and respect you would want to receive.
Who met Obama?
Come to the big LERN Conference in San Francisco and find out which LERN staff member met President Obama last month.
Latest Member Questions
Every day LERN answers your toughest questions. To ask your question, send an email to info@lern.org.
Prezi: New and Hot
Prezi, an online course taught by Kimba Green of Washington, D.C., was one of the top new courses premiering this month for UGotClass.
You Set New Record
More than 150 LERN members set another new monthly record of registrations for UGotClass. Registrations were up 25 percent over last September. Thank you!
Top Summer Photo
Participants in our Certified Online Instructor (COI) program last month found our summer 2013 photo of a lake in a national forest calming. Some 100 people registered to become COIs last month. For a group rate on COI training, email Tammy at info@lern.org
Expect Strong Attendance in San Francisco
As of Aug. 1, more than 500 people have registered for the LERN annual conference in San Francisco Nov. 20-23, up 10 percent from last year at this time. We expect strong attendance of more than 900 people.
How Internet Tools You’ve Never Heard of Will Improve Your Marketing
New Internet tools you’ve never heard of can improve your marketing, says Dan Belhassen, the leading eMarketing guru for lifelong learning and continuing education.
Breaking news! Enrichment courses stage comeback
During the tough recession people cut back on avocational and leisure courses and focussed on professional development. Now, enrichment courses appear to be on their way back.
The Top Facebook Mistake
You don’t have any photo or contact information for people to see when they first hit your page. Without a photo, your page has no identity
Give it away
When potential students have the chance to receive a free how-to guide, white paper or webinar, they aren’t the only ones benefiting, even if your program is giving the content away for free.
New evidence your program is critical
There’s new evidence your program is critical to the economic well being of your community. It’s called “knowledge spillover,” and the data suggests that whenever anyone takes one of your courses, others who don’t take your courses still benefit from the knowledge spillover.
Where's Greg?
Greg Marsello, LERN’s lead consultant, was recently in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He visits a program every week, all over Canada and the United States.
New Mentoring Program Kicks Off in San Francisco
A new mentoring program for younger professionals in the field will be created at the big LERN annual conference in San Francisco Nov. 20-23. Mark Mrozinski of Palatine, Ill., will conduct mentor training and help lead the new effort.
Upcoming Webinars: Online Training Starts in September
LERN’s online training starts in September. Choose from the Certified Program Planner (CPP), Contract Trainer; Certified eMarketer Professional (CeP) or our new Certificate in Teaching Adults.
Privacy, what privacy?
Last year’s NineShift had fun with a singing telegram of bank account numbers, passwords and medical diagnoses to the horror of the presenter, and delight of the audience.
Flatten the Pyramid
In order to serve business in the new economy, programs will need to be structured and operate like new economy businesses, LERN leaders Greg Marsello and Wm. Draves told the executives at the Executive Leadership Institute this spring. To illustrate the point, Brandon Tucker of Ann Arbor, MI, reported his program recently completed a project
Telework Gets Tattletalers
Some LERN members are reporting that staff are working from home informally and behind the scenes. And office workers who fear telework now sometimes tattle to institutional superiors about those working from home. The telework movement will continue. As one LERN Institute participant said, “Everyone knows you can’t get any work done in the office.”
One Year Business Plan Now Critical
Greg Marsello, LERN’s lead consultant, says having a one year business plan is now critical. “The One-Year Business Plan sets very specific division programming, marketing, sales, and operations direction and pushes the division to be more accountable,” he notes. Marsello will be doing a new session on the topic at the big LERN annual conference
Top Challenges for CEOs Right Now
Staff issues dominate the top challenges of lifelong learning program executives right now. Some of the leading executives in the field, gathering at the annual LERN Executive Leadership Institute in Tucson, voted on the top challenges for 2013. They are all staff related. In order, here they are: 1.Managing productivity; 2.Motivating staff to change; 3.Creating
Marketplace is expanding
By a 20:1 margin, continuing education executives said the marketplace right now is expanding for continuing education. Surveyed at the LERN Executive Leadership Institute in Tucson executives said we are still in an era of frugality, with cost controls and greater need for efficiency and productivity. Nevertheless, they overwhelmingly said the opportunities are out there
Content marketing: Find your story
“Content marketing is a way to find your story,” says Michael Weiss, a leader in web marketing and a SuperStar presenter at the big annual LERN conference in San Francisco Nov 20-23. He also teaches a UGotClass online course on content marketing. Weiss continues, ” Then use content to engage your audience. If your web
A sample template for reporting to your superintendent or school board
The following template has been developed by LERN Consultants to provide you with guidelines on how to prepare a report to your Superintendent or School Board. The goal of this template is to guide you in selecting information that will provide critical information necessary for you to demonstrate that you have solid information about your program’s performance and to positively
How one Boston continuing ed program increased revenue 58 percent
The staff of the Bunker Hill Community College community education department has taken the art of making connections to another level. Today, people are seeking them out on a daily basis, and it’s partially thanks to a happenstance LinkedIn strategy the staff of three adopted in 2010. When Wayne K. Johnson came on board in
7 reasons you need to create new lifelong learning programs
When and why do you add new courses or seminars to your lineup? New offerings are now critical to maintaining the vitality and viability of your programming, and LERN recommends that every program offer 20 to 30 percent new activities or seminars each year. There are seven very specific and very important reasons to create
7 places to look for new programming ideas
If you and your staff are struggling to meet demand for new courses, or, if your current continuing education lineup is falling flat, there are a few places to look for guidance you might not have considered. Here are seven places you can find ideas for new programming and courses: Pinterest: You can search for
Creating an effective staff evaluation process
By Laura T. Wetherald, MS, CPRP Bureau Chief, Howard County Recreation and Parks Columbia, MD Staff Evaluation can be the most important opportunity between a supervisor and employee during the year. The process of planning goals, coaching, mentoring, and evaluating can change an employee’s performance at many levels. Not meeting with the employee annually or
Great programming for the 55+ crowd
Don’t call them seniors and don’t expect them to want ordinary programming. T he 55+ crowd is more active and demanding than ever before and, that means there are now more opportunities to deliver to them high quality, original programming that delivers a great return on investment. Greg Milano, the recreation supervisor for the Los Altos, Calif. Recreation Department, said programs run by his department do well because they incorporate camaraderie, learning, activity and variety. Tap into
6 tips for hosting a successful race or fun run
They come in all different sizes and themes and, if done right, they can be lucrative for not only your parks and recreation program, but for your entire town. Races and walks are among the most popular parks and recreation department activities out there and with so many fitness-focused and fun loving participants, the sky’s
Webinars’ revenue problem
While very popular with association members, the problem with webinars is revenue. Webinars continue to provide meager income compared to in-person education. The problem has been made worse in that association members have become accustomed to expect webinars to be inexpensive, sponsored, or free. A typical fee range for an individual registering for a one-hour webinar
Association Reports the First Blended Course
The first association is reporting a planned blended course to start by the end of this year. Ozzie Logozzo, a LERN member and association executive head of the Ontario Real Estate College in Toronto, Canada, told LERN recently, “We offer courses via correspondence, classroom and online and have done so since 1997. We are currently mapping
State of Association Online Learning
More than 80 association executives accessed our new State of Association Online Learning for 2014. Thanks for your interest! If you want to access the four-page report, click below to start the download.
Online and Face-to-Face Impact Each Other
The biggest thing in face-to-face (F2F) learning is online. And the biggest thing in online learning is F2F. Once considered separate and opposites, they are now impacting each other. LERN’s classic book on teaching, with more than 100,000 sales, has just been updated with a new Fourth Edition. The new edition has all-new chapters on:
Are there "learning styles"?
Yes, says LERN’s Julie Coates, one of the leading learning style researchers. Coates was interviewed by Psychology Today this spring on generations in the workplace. Coates says all the research shows there are learning styles, including sensory, gender, generational and neurological (e.g. Asperger’s) learning styles. Coates says the denial of learning styles by some may
Welcome newest member!
Welcome to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International as our newest LERN member. Kevin Perry, Manager of Professional Development, is the primary member contact. SAE engaged LERN to do consulting several years ago. SAE International is headquartered in Warrenburg, Pennsylvania. Here’s a great story on the SAE website called “Building the Sector Knowledge Base.”
Latest Consulting Project
Tonya Deskins and the Southeast Valley Regional Association of Realtors (SEVRAR) has engaged LERN to do consulting and a review of its educational programs for members. LERN did a previous consulting project with an association in Washington State when she was there. So it’s great to be working with Tonya again.
7 ways to host the best movie or music night your town has seen
Outdoor movie nights and musical performances are summer staples in many towns, and even parks and recreation departments with small budgets and staffs can take part in the fun. Here are some ideas for having the best movie or music night possible: 1. Pick a location that makes sense Just like with fun runs and races, a great location can make or break