Whether it's navigating a new town, train system, or even a shopping mall, most of us have used maps to pinpoint our location, examine routes to our intended destinations, and see what to expect along the way. And the same can be said for mapping out your learning ecosystem—because having a map is critical if you want to truly understand how and where your learners are receiving information.
Learning Ecosystems: A Quick Reminder
So, what's a learning ecosystem? Basically, it's a diagram that represents all the tools, technologies, resources, and places where learning happens across your organization. (This isn't the same as a data ecosystem, which shows all the tools and technologies that comprise your organization’s overall data infrastructure.)
Key Takeaways
This blog series is ideal if you're new to learning and data ecosystems, need help getting started mapping out your own diagram, or are simply interested in understanding how technology, xAPI, and measurement fit into these types of ecosystems.
We explain these organizational ecosystems, how you can effectively discover and create your ecosystem from design through implementation, and share a few real-word examples.
- An Introduction to Modern Learning Ecosystems
Explore ecosystems of learning and how they relate to data ecosystems. - Discover Your Organization’s Ecosystems
Learning happens in many places across your organization and with tools other than your LMS. See some examples of the types of learning and related tools that might comprise your ecosystem. - The Ripple Effect: Learning & Data Ecosystems
See how changes to different elements of an ecosystem can impact not only learning experiences, but also other elements in the ecosystem. - How to Develop a Learning Ecosystem Strategy
Think strategically about creating a "big picture" about your ecosystem and explore how your ecosystems interact with other business systems across the organization. - How to Add Data Sources & Iterate
Look at how to choose a good starter data source, connect it, and build from there. - How The Behr Paint Company replaced the LMS
In this L&D spotlight, see how The Behr Paint Company replaced its LMS with a learning ecosystem. - How Visa & Verizon built learning and data ecosystems with LMSs
In this second L&D spotlight, see how Visa and Verizon have kept their LMSs and continue to use them as part of their ecosystems alongside other platforms.
Recommended Resources
We've also compiled some of our favorite related resources just for you.
- How to Build a Data Ecosystem Diagram with Room to Grow
Find out why visualizing a data ecosystem for your organization is important and how you can build your own. - Webinar: How to Build Your Learning Tech Stack
If you want to build and scale your learning programs for the future, you have to start with a solid technology foundation. In this recorded webinar, see how to build or restructure your learning tech stack foundation.
About the author
As Watershed’s director of learning analytics strategy, Tim Dickinson is skilled in leading organizations through strategic changes, getting positive results through learning analytics, and translating complex ideas and trends into easy-to-understand explanations.
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