Most people in our industry have heard about Google and Twitter allowing employees to work remotely on a permanent basis. We’ve all experienced it with our customers and most of us are working from home, if not full time then at least most of the time. But have you heard about Novartis, Capital One, JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, and State Farm Insurance? They’ve done it too, at least partially.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve heard from many training providers saying how business will get better when things get back to normal. When I pushed them on this, it was clear that they expected to resume onsite training events. While that most certainly will return at some point, the question becomes to what degree? If you accept that virtual work teams and remote or work from home is the “new normal”, then the onsite training will be a fraction of what it used to be. Let’s face it, we’ve all become comfortable with Zoom or Teams or WebEx and a few courageous people will even admit to liking it.

Here's the good news! You are a training provider that partners with Logical Operations. The CHOICE platform was built for this specific purpose, and you have access to it at no charge when you purchase digital content from LO. Our extensive lab offerings further ensure that you can manage a virtual class with a standard student configuration without wrestling with activity file access and platform inconsistencies. In other words, if you use CHOICE and LO content, many of the headaches that could be present in a virtual event are already accounted for.

Since March of 2020 when the world went remote, Logical Operations has trained over 4,000 instructors on how to be successful in a virtual classroom. Modern Classroom Certified Trainers are experts on handling the instructional nuances of a virtual event. In fact, many instructors feel that they can be MORE effective in a virtual classroom than in a physical classroom. MCCT is a great way to get your instructors prepared for virtual training delivery.

Your customers, just like Lincoln Financial Group and Deloitte, have gone virtual. Have you?

Even as the world returns to normal (is there such a thing anymore?), the training industry is poised to be forever changed by the events of the past year. According to Global Workplace Analytics, over 56% of Americans hold a job that is compatible with working remotely. They also believe that by the end of 2021, 30% of the total workforce will be working from home multiple days a week. This means you’re going to be offering training to an increasingly remote, fragmented work force who will not be able to participate in traditional “brick and mortar” learning. 

Your future is in remote training. Your clients are going to want it in increasing numbers. You’re going to want it because it will allow you to reach a wider audience and offer a larger variety of classes. Your instructors will love the freedom that comes with being able to work a more diverse schedule and teach more interesting classes. Your only challenge is making sure your organization is prepared to offer virtual training. 

Can your LMS support virtual delivery? Are your instructors trained on platforms like Teams® and Zoom, and do they know the best techniques for virtual education? Are you ready to market to new audiences outside of your regional location? Are you ready for 2021 and beyond? 

The next year is going to have a profound impact on your business. Logical Operations is ready to help you make the transition from your traditional “brick and mortar” business model to a model that can thrive using a mix of in person and virtual classes. Don’t navigate this alone, we’re here to help make 2021 your best year yet.

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The last year has made the virtual-communication platform as ubiquitous a productivity tool as a cell phone. No matter what a person’s level of comfort in the virtual world might have been in March, 2020, you can bet that in March, 2021, that person is spending all or part of their day in one or more of these virtual environments.   

And while there may be many platforms – Google Hangouts™, Adobe® Connect™, Cisco WebEx®, GoToMeeting – over the last year, it’s clear that two have risen to the top. In a corporate environment, it’s Microsoft® Teams®, because it’s Microsoft. And in any other context – small business, education, non-profits – it’s Zoom, because it’s free.* 

Each of these tools is excellent in its own way. And fortunately, both are relatively “discoverable,” meaning that hosts and participants can generally poke and stumble their way through the interface well enough to get their jobs done. But that’s not always an efficient way to proceed. (Raise your hand if you have NEVER been on a Zoom call with a participant who couldn’t mute their mic, find the Chat box, or share their slides. Didn’t think so.) 

Fortunately, just a small amount of training can greatly increase users’ comfort level and expertise with both of these tools, and thus their effectiveness in their professional lives. Logical Operations is here to help! We offer you compact, thorough, and efficient curriculum products so you can meet all these learner needs. 

• Microsoft® Teams® (Desktop and Browser)

• Zoom Meetings

Check them out today!   

*For participants that is; or for hosts who don’t need the specific features in the paid edition.  

New Horizons at Logical Operations provides a wide range of technical and business application classes to businesses and individuals across Western and Central NY. Courses are delivered in traditional classroom format as well as virtual classroom format by a group of six staff trainers spread across New York state, and are supported by local operations personnel in all cities.  

Information workers employed by organizations served by New Horizons increasingly have core skills with Microsoft® Office, and as time goes on, need less and less training in order to be productive in their job roles. However, information workers are being asked to handle and decipher larger and larger amounts of data throughout their daily jobs, and frequently require tools beyond Microsoft® Excel® to do that work – which is leading to an increase in demand locally for training on Microsoft® Power BI®, Tableau®, and SAP® Crystal Reports® (among other programs).  

New Horizons positions the Microsoft® Power BI®: Data Analysis Practitioner (Second Edition) course as a “starting point” for anyone using Microsoft Power BI. The class is offered in an ILT/virtual format (blended class), with the goal of ensuring clients newer to this technology are still able to receive training in a traditional classroom setting if they feel they require it. For advanced Power BI users, or users who are familiar with SQL querying and even into SQL Server®, New Horizons generally recommends Microsoft Learning’s new role-based course for Power BI, which is aligned with the Microsoft DA-100 exam. For non-Microsoft partners, Microsoft® Power BI®: Data Analysis Professional (Second Edition) is also a good choice for preparation for the Microsoft DA-100 exam.  

• CMMC-CP Boot Camp
• Microsoft® Teams® (Desktop and Browser)
• Zoom Meetings
• Advanced Programming Techniques with Python® (update of 094012)
• Get Going With QuickBooks® 2021 for Windows
• Keep Going With QuickBooks® 2021 for Windows
• ​​Get Smart With QuickBooks® 2021 for Windows
• Microsoft® Power BI®: Data Analysis Practitioner (Second Edition)
• Microsoft® Power BI®: Data Analysis Professional (Second Edition)
• Data Analysis and Visualization with Microsoft® Excel® (D.A.V.E.)
• Introduction to Programming with Python®

Logical Operations revises student and instructor materials based on technical changes, customer feedback, and our own assessment of necessary changes. The revision notes for the most recent updates are below as well as posted on the new Content Revisions page. Use this page as a resource to quickly access and view all revision details for any of our recent course updates. 

Reminder: When viewing a product on the store, check the Revision Information tab to see the summary description of the most recent revision for that product at any time.

Preparing to teach virtually for any educator is a challenge, but it doesn’t need to be a reason for you to avoid VILT altogether. There are two easy steps you can take to make sure your Instructors/Educators are prepared to offer virtual training: 

1. Make sure they are comfortable and familiar with all the features of your virtual delivery platform. If you are using Zoom or Microsoft® Teams®, Logical Operations has training materials that can help you or your instructors get ready for all facets of virtual delivery. If you don’t know the tools, you certainly can’t run effective classes. 

2. Beyond knowing the tools is knowing the pedagogy of effective online delivery. You cannot simply lift and place what works in a traditional classroom into a virtual one and expect the same results. The Modern Classroom Certified Trainer (MCCT) program has helped over 4,000 professional educators prepare for online delivery of materials. The $95 certification prep class covers information on pre-class prep, keeping students engaged, and how to run an effective online virtual training class.   

Teaching is a universal skill. Delivering content over a virtual platform like Zoom or Teams is not. Don’t let your instructors get fatigued, frustrated, and/or disenfranchised because they aren’t prepared to deliver virtually. Logical Operations is here to help! 

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Zoom or Teams? Why choose between these half-day courses? Broaden your skill set and help your students learn BOTH by customizing them together in a one-day class using our CustomCHOICE Tool.   

Go paperless and provide a digital experience for your students!  

• Microsoft® Teams® (Desktop and Browser)

• Zoom Meetings

A CustomCHOICE experience will provide all the same components as the mainstream CHOICE instructional product you purchase today, such as supporting files and access to the CHOICE platform. The benefits of Custom content include adding your logo, mixing and matching lessons, deleting unwanted topics, and personalization. The benefits to your business and students include filling skill gaps, meeting specific learning objectives and learning styles, and the cost effectiveness of the Custom product.  

For more information on how to customize Teams, Zoom, and other courseware to meet specific needs, contact me directly for a personalized demo. Or feel free to email at cprint@logicaloperations.com or phone at 1-800-456-4677 option 4. I look forward to discussing how our CustomCHOICE solutions can help your business grow!  

Andrea Montanarella

Manager, Custom Production

cprint@logicaloperations.com

1-800-456-4677—Option 4 | Direct: 585-350-7014