How do our customers feel about LearningStone? In this blog, Annelies Tegel shares her experience. Approximately 31 years ago, she founded Trainers Academie. Together with well-versed experts, she put together two training courses: first one for trainers, then another one for coaches. At Trainers Academie, future professionals get the chance to familiarize themselves with the profession (learning more about educational theory and pedagogy, among other things) and develop on a personal level. “I wanted all this to be reflected in our online learning environment.”
“A system built around participants”
“Initially, participants were given a large binder full of documents, such as a syllabus, handouts, and professional literature,” says Annelies. At one point, accreditation institute Cedeo said the method was outdated. “I set out to look for a system that would be in line with what we do. We like to pay personal attention to our participants, so it had to be built around them.”
“After a few unsuccessful attempts – terrible learning environments I couldn’t work with – I happened upon LearningStone,” says Annelies. “We’d only had one meeting when I said to myself, ‘This is the system I want to use.’ We joined forces right away.” Annelies still believes it was a good decision: “LearningStone has worked perfectly from the very first moment!”
“LearningStone offers convenience, both now and with the future in mind”
“It’s very convenient that we can copy a training course for the next group,” says Annelies. “Because of the learning environment, we have an overview, and we don’t have to print out a lot of things. Given today’s environmental issues, it’s a major advantage. Furthermore, LearningStone helps you radiate professionalism: you can organize training materials and present them in an orderly manner.” Another thing Annelies appreciates is that LearningStone is always ready to help: “Whenever I have a question or comment, LearningStone immediately goes out of its way to assist me.”
Participants, too, find LearningStone convenient: “We’ve uploaded the contents of the large, information-filled binder to the online learning environment so it’s easy for participants to prepare. They can post messages on the Facebook-like wall. There is some hesitation in this area, though. I’ve noticed that they often need a little nudge – in the form of a question, for example. It encourages interaction.”
But if you ask Annelies, she hasn’t yet made the most of the possibilities the learning environment offers. “I know LearningStone can do so much more. Currently, I’m working on it. The system makes it a lot easier to experiment with our form of education. Because once you’ve developed something new, you can upload it to the learning environment in a trice!”