CreativeU – Customized eLearning Solutions

The Need:

eLearning is to traditional learning today what email was to letter writing a generation ago. The old way isn’t going away, but we’re seeing a lot more of the new way. Similar to email then, people and organizations are taking up eLearning quickly because it’s cost-effective, accessible, scalable, and –this is crucial– that’s the direction everyone else is moving. eLearning is proven to be effective for increasing learning and performance when blended with other forms of learning.

But the move to eLearning takes some adjustment, and some guidance towards what works well. eLearning is successful when learners have a good platform, learning management system, good quality content, and connection to social learning networks and communities of other users.

Organizations know they need eLearning, to keep up with the latest in learning and remain competent and competitive, and teach and train the way new learners want to learn.

The Numbers:

In 2011, global spending on eLearning was $36 bn. In 2016, it will be an estimated $102 bn. Four years ago, 45% of learning was in classrooms only; 50% was “blended” (classroom mixed with online); and 5% was solely online. In 2016, only 10% of learning will occur exclusively in classrooms; 75% will be blended; and online (or mobile) only learning will triple to 15%.

Over the past two years, Creative Associates International spent $1m developing CreativeU, to use for our own staff learning, and in our global development assistance programming, which is built on learning, training and capacity building. We now have, completed or on order, six custom iterations for use in USAID projects and by other organizations. Our offering –the ability to work with clients and users to build high-quality, custom eLearning solutions– is a highly attractive asset for NGOs/companies and projects with learning components (meaning virtually all development programs and organizations).

The Pitch:

CreativeU meets a surging global demand to move to eLearning, incorporating it into traditional learning and training programs; aggregating, creating and delivering online/mobile content, and connecting users to one another and communities of practice and interest. As with many products that use technology and have high start-up costs, the initial development and customers are centered in rich countries. But, because technology is only nanoseconds behind, and eLearning is more accessible and cost-effective, the developing world will leap-frog more forcefully and fully into eLearning just the way they have leap-frogged into use of mobile phones over landlines.

Creative Associates invested in building CreativeU because we knew we had to move our own learning and training into the 21st century, and because we understand the needs of our partners in the developing world, particularly when it comes to education, youth, life skills, workforce development and organizational and project management.

As soon as we built CreativeU and started showing it to projects and other organizations, they said, “Oh, we’ve been meaning to do that,” or, “We have something similar; but we don’t like it. Yours looks better.” They want to know: How can we get one for us?

Contact: Sean Carroll (SeanC@CreativeDC.com) orMichael McCabe (michaelmc@CreativeDC.com)

Contact@CreativeU.com www.CreativeU.com

What customer problem are we solving?

CreativeU responds to the need that many of our partners (in our projects and other organizations) have of wanting a state-of-the-art eLearning platform that is customized and integrated into their own website and learning plans, but that doesn’t require a whole team and investment on their end to develop and manage. We aggregate and customize content in collaboration with our partners, and provide a high-quality, user-friendly platform on which they can track their users’ progress.

Why is Creative the one to solve it?

Creative’s 40 years of global experience in learning and capacity development, coupled with a newer focus and leadership on technology for development, makes it an ideal partner for other organizations, particularly those working in international development, looking to deliver quality, modern learning. We understand effective approaches to local solutions and systems building, as well as how to train others to design better blended-learning solutions. Our network of partners in 90 countries where we have worked leverages the collective wisdom of development and learning professionals globally. Finally, our eLearning product – customized, high-quality, holistic eLearning solutions – is simply better.

FAQs - The Detail Questions:

Cost? We work hard to make our e-learning solutions both the highest quality and the best cost-value for our partners. A typical set up of a customized iteration of the platform on your site could cost as little as $25,000, plus $12,500 for annual licenses, including hosting, support, maintenance, and upgrades (for < 100 users). This functionality helps your organization be more competitive in its work, and allows you to scale your trainings for pennies a month per user.

Content? – What do you offer and how good is it? Creative leverages its global partner network to aggregate the best and most relevant e-learning. We aggregate about 80% of content and develop 20% on our own (or with the client) through our e-learning designers. We can work with your team to train them in the development of blended-learning solutions and customized modules. We have 100s of courses already; but, more important, we have access to 1000s, including the right ones for you.

Low band-width? Will CreativeU work on my mobile device or in low-band-width areas? We work in many low band-width environments, so we offer courses and learning/sharing sites that can operate effectively through our low band-width mode, be downloaded and done offline, be put on mobile SIM cards, or routed through local, portable servers, such as Raspberry-Pi. We are also building a mobile app for CreativeU and can for you too.

Support and sustainability? Creative’s commitment is to provide our partners with exceptional customer support through our team. Creative has 40 years as a leader in the development field and does not run the risk of suddenly disappearing. Your customized iteration of the platform will benefit from an ongoing process of upgrading to the newest technology and features compatible with your system.

How do I integrate eLearning into my existing training? Creative’s capacity development team works with partners to conceptualize and design blended-learning approaches for your training. We can both do it with/for you, as well as train your staff in how to do it for the future.

Who is your real target audience? CreativeU is built on Creative’s experience working with development professionals around the globe. Our process starts with a specific target group, identifies the needed competencies, focuses on aggregating or developing the appropriate content to meet those competencies, and, finally, puts that content on a customized iteration of the platform integrated into your website. We customize CreativeU to any audience / learners / user group that represents the target audience of our partner/client.

How is CreativeU different from all the other LMS/eLearning portals? There are a lot of LMS providers out there. What distinguishes CreativeU is its exceptional user-experience and how we customize the platform for your user group needs. We work with your team to understand how to maximize the effectiveness of your blended-learning solutions. Finally, we understand development and this allows us to adapt the platform to the realities and the environments in which our partners work.

Contact: Sean Carroll (SeanC@CreativeDC.com) orMichael McCabe (michaelmc@CreativeDC.com)

Contact@CreativeU.com www.CreativeU.com