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Designing Effective Learning: Key questions for engaging and motivating learners
When we are working with our clients to design learning activities, there’s three key questions we need to answer. What’s the end game? What will learners do differently in their jobs when all is said and done? What do they need to understand in order to make the change? How do we engage and motivate…
Communicating change is about listening
This article from BEM describes the all too familiar challenge of the change team believing that communications are being handled well, and the staff believing differently. It outlines a useful checklist for planning communications, but the real value is in calling out the need for two-way dialogue. When the change team sees communication being…
Maximising generative AI in organisations
After the initial excitement of generative AI, organisations are now looking at the challenge of translating potential into tangible value. Many have learned that capturing gen AI’s advantages requires not only technology tools but also organisational capability development. As with any new technology, value is only realised when it’s applied to solve real people and…
Harnessing the power of AI in LMS
We are often asked how AI tools can be integrated into LMS platforms. Here are the most common ways we’re seeing this done: Chatbots and virtual assistants have been around for some time and can offer learners instant support and guidance at any time Generative AI enables course creators to develop content, generate course summaries…
Starting with the ‘why’
Effective organisational change relies on effective communication. Thought leader Karen Ferris advises in this 2023 podcast and blog post Navigating the Organizational Change Management Process: Insights from OCM Expert Karen Ferris (invgate.com) against assuming everyone is on the same page, and focusing on two-way communication as the key to creating successful change, starting right at the…
Reflecting on 2025 change management trends
Change Management Insight listed its top 10 change management trends for 2024 here https://changemanagementinsight.com/change-management-trends-2024/ As we look forward in 2025 in Aotearoa New Zealand, there is really a small subset of these that we are hearing most about. AI, automation and data analytics are moving from attractive concepts to delivering real value on the ground….
Change management is having a game plan
This quick guide from ISO provides a useful introductory summary of key aspects of the change process. It includes setting frameworks, choosing the right model, and commentary on making change stick. If you’re an experienced practitioner it’ll be pretty familiar, but if you’re building your baseline knowledge of change management, it’s a good jumping off…
Major change management plan template
If you’ve been tasked with implementing major change, it may be one of the most challenging assignments of your career. This Major Change Management Plan Template from Business Enterprise Mapping provides a high level summary of the sorts of objectives and process steps that should be covered in your strategy. It doesn’t provide guidance on…
Overcoming challenges to make onboarding a success
Bringing new people into an organisation presents challenges. Two of the challenges common to practically any onboarding are: People in new situations can easily be overwhelmed. They need to rapidly learn how to do their new job in the new environment, safely. Starting a new job is a vulnerable time in anyone’s life – even…
Announcing our CASS partnership with Ambrosia Training Limited
We’re excited to announce our partnership with Ambrosia Training Limited, who has joined us as a subscriber to our Content Authoring Software Service (CASS). Here’s what Mark Burtenshaw from Ambrosia Training Ltd has to say about their experience with CASS: “We at Ambrosia Training Ltd decided to partner up with Synapsys and subscribe to their…
Totara 19 is here!
Totara V19 has just released, and with the release, it is now much easier to manage goals and personal development. The new Totara Perform features help employees and managers work together better. For example, Goal Tasks break big goals into smaller, actionable steps. Linked Courses connect learning directly to goals, helping people gain the necessary…
A tikanga-forward approach to onboarding success
When we bring new people into the team, we usually have three main goals: We want our new people to be engaged with the organisation, which includes being connected with their team. We want them to be able to contribute in their role as soon as possible. And we want to set them up for…
Mark Your Calendars: Totara 19 Arrives This Month!
Totara is releasing it’s latest version of Totara LMS, Version 19, in January 2025. We’re pretty excited about this release and the benefits it will bring. Totara 19 offers practical features that make learning management more straightforward and effective. The new Course Enrolment Approval workflows let organisations control who can access training with customisable approval…
What 2024 has taught the Synapsys team
As we will soon close out the year, the team at Synapsys has been reflecting on what 2024 has taught us. It has been a year of growth, success, challenges and unexpected moments. From learning to embrace the unexpected, to finding joy in small things and appreciating those around us, our team has shared their…
Using induction to drive change
Attitudes towards induction programmes are changing. There has always been a focus on meeting the team, health and safety, and operational systems. However, there is a growing recognition that induction/onboarding programmes can be powerful tools for driving and embedding organisational change. In our experience, you have three months to set the culture for new employees….
Beyond compliance and training: how your LMS can improve performance and drive growth
Learning Management Systems (LMS) have evolved from simply managing compliance training and cutting learning delivery costs, to becoming an essential tool for supporting wider business goals. We still see clients looking for confidence that compliance reporting is robust, but more and more the vision is for developing organisational capability, building a culture of learning and…
Values alignment key to successful change?
This 2008 research paper from Emerald Insight – Achieving organisational change through values alignment – investigates the importance of values alignment in successful change strategies. It concludes that widespread resistance to organisational change is caused by a failure of current organisational change strategies to attend to a values alignment process for all those people affected…
Your LMS as a growth tool: Aligning technology with business objectives
A Learning Management System (LMS) is a significant investment, so you would think that it would be linked explicitly to the strategic value it delivers to an organisation, as you would find for core IT infrastructure or production facilities, right? Not necessarily. We’re surprised by the number of organisations that do not have a clear…
Proactive strategies for safe use of AI
As AI capabilities expand, concerns about privacy, bias, inequality, safety and security are growing. With this rapid advancement, it can be overwhelming for organisations to ensure their data remains safe. The most highly publicised issue is queries and content submitted to AI engines unintentionally entering the public domain. Typically, this happens because the engine ‘learns’…
How is AI influencing change management?
This article from Primeast explores how AI is impacting change management. It argues that in the change space, AI is transforming task management and improving the effectiveness of change management by driving efficiency, providing predictive insights and automating routine tasks. It argues that with a more agile, data-driven approach, AI helps change managers lead smoother…
Key strategies for using AI to create eLearning content
While AI tools and their use in content creation are no longer groundbreaking, it’s surprising how many people still struggle to craft effective prompts. Many users treat AI like a simple Google search, which limits the value they can gain from it. To make full use of the effectiveness of AI, mastering the art…
Lewin’s Change model
Are you a change manager or senior leader, looking to navigate transitions effectively? Check out this comprehensive post from July on Lewin’s Change Model. The model is a great tool for anyone planning or implementing organisational changes, from IT upgrades to company-wide restructuring. The article breaks down Lewin’s three-stage process – Unfreeze, Change, and Refreeze –…
We won the NZATD award for Best Online Learning Project!
We are over the moon to have won the NZATD Best Online Learning Project alongside Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora for the National Cervical Screening e-learning modules that we developed! This was very much a team effort, with close collaboration between Te Whatu Ora’s clinical experts and Synapsys learning designers. Te Whatu Ora…
Maximising the value of Ai in learning content.
The Gartner Hype Cycle is well-documented, and we’ve seen countless learning technologies pass through it. VR is a prime example of the trough of disillusionment that has swallowed up many enthusiasts. Ai, however, is different. It’s broken the curve, or at least the curve is of a scale and pace rarely seen. But just…
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2024 – A Forever Language
As Tāngata Tiriti, our commitment to building our reo Māori is an everyday thing. The trick has been to build te reo into our daily routines. We’ve landed on three ways that work for us During Tū Mai (our daily stand-ups) we check in on each other and our work for the day using te…
Synapsys is turning 20!
Kia ora! This month we’re off for a knees-up to celebrate that we’ve been supporting change in Aotearoa for 20 years. When we started out in 2004, the world was a simpler place. Learning was the domain of Human Resources and we helped HR teams deliver value across their businesses. We learnt though that…
Diagnosing the need for change
If you’re interested in frameworks and models for diagnosing the need for change, this article provides a useful summary of the more common diagnostic tools, including Weisbord’s Six Box Model, the Burke-Litwin Causal Model, Force Field Analysis and the 7S Framework. All of them stress the interrelated nature of change drivers and the need to…
Answering the right questions – why should we invest in a Learning Management System?
Most L&D professionals know that investing in a Learning Management System has many benefits for their organisation, but how do you make those benefits tangible and connect to what matters to the C-Suite? Sometimes the things that matter to learning professionals are very different from the priorities of senior leaders. Learning culture is key to…
Excited to announce: Our e-Learning project is a finalist at the NZATD Awards 2024
We’re thrilled to announce that the National Cervical Screening Programme e-learning initiative that we developed for Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has been selected as a finalist for the NZATD Awards 2024 in the category of Best Online Learning Project! 🥳 We believe the learning we’ve developed is truly impactful, empowering individuals, and…
Free Training for Farm Advisors: The Our Land and Water Modules have now launched!
We are thrilled to announce the launch of the farm advisor modules we developed in partnership with Our Land and Water! This free training has been designed to support rural professionals in their work with farmers. It enhances their ability to identify effective mitigation actions for farm environment plans, communicate efficiently, and assist farm businesses…
Initial Evaluation Reveals Strong Engagement in NZ Landcare Trust’s E-Learning Programme
We are thrilled to be doing an initial evaluation of the e-learning modules we developed last year for NZ Landcare Trust – Ngā Matapopore Whenua – the Aotearoa Catchment Extension learning programme. This nationwide initiative supports those who work with, in, or for New Zealand’s catchment groups, offering valuable, voluntary learning experiences. Working with Casey…
Celebrating Success: Online Learning Modules for Beef + Lamb New Zealand
It has been great working with Beef + Lamb New Zealand to build farmer capability in developing integrated farm plans through the development of online learning modules. The integrated farm plans are a key pillar of farm productivity gains and good stewardship, and the programme helps farmers and their trusted advisors to create robust plans…
New Client top ticket items #3: Making the most of Ai rapid content authoring
We have the privilege of working across a wide range of sectors and organisations. Interestingly, we often find new clients asking the same questions. In this series of posts, we’ll address the most common challenges occupying people’s minds. Here’s #3: How do we make the most of Ai-powered Rapid Authoring Tools? Digital learning authoring systems…
The importance of a growth mindset in change and transformation
Image Source: Teaching a Growth Mindset – Carol Dweck (YouTube, Stanford) In this presentation, Carol Dweck from Stanford University explains how people’s views on their intelligence, talents and abilities affect their (and their organisation’s) performance. Carol argues, “Learning a growth mindset transforms the meaning of effort and difficulty. Students with a growth mindset take on…
Getting organisational buy-in for change
Image source: elearning.com This article from elearningindustry.com provides a useful list of things to think about when planning for e-learning programme development and rollout. In part, it speaks to how leadership support can improve adoption by communicating benefits, providing adequate resourcing and setting clear expectations. All good stuff when you have leadership team buy-in, but…
New Client Top Ticket Items #2: To Customise or Not…
We have the privilege of working across a huge range of sectors and organisations. So, it’s interesting that we often find new clients asking the same questions. In this series of posts, we’ll cut across the most common challenges occupying people’s minds. Here’s another big one: Whether to customise or not to customise your LMS/LXP…. …
Recharge and Relax: Making the Most of the Long Weekend
In just over one month, we will be heading into the second half of the year, making this upcoming long weekend the perfect time to recharge and relax. In such a fast-paced world, prioritising our well-being and making the most of these breaks matters. Whether your long weekend plans include spending time with loved ones,…
New client top ticket items #1: Making change stick
We have the privilege of working across a broad range of sectors and organisations. So, it’s interesting that we often find new clients asking the same questions. In this series of posts, we’ll cut across the most common challenges occupying people’s minds. Here’s a big one: How do we get confidence that we’ll achieve sustainable…
Exciting features of Totara v18
As a Totara Gold Partner, the Synapsys’ team is excited to work with the latest Totara v18! Among numerous new features, two stand out as particularly exciting for us! Firstly, the capability to duplicate learning programs significantly reduces administrative time. Whether you are a course administrator, a system administrator, or a course creator, you can…
Navigating Change: The Path Ahead with Synapsys NZ
Kia ora, At the end of each year we always feel tired, ready for a break. December 2023 felt different. There was a real sense of exhaustion across the board. We felt the relentless acceleration of change and the pressure to keep assimilating to it. We felt economic pressures – on us personally and on…
Synapsys take on big L&D trends for 2024
TrainingIndustry.com have identified three big L&D trends for 2024. Here’s our take on them, and a couple of others you may want to consider as well. 1. AI, EI, and growth mindset take centre stage. It’s difficult to disagree with the idea that responding to AI, building emotional intelligence, and having a growth mindset (being…
Merry Christmas from the Synapsys Team
Kia Ora Synapsys Whānau! As we wrap up an awesome, albeit challenging year, the Synapsys NZ crew came together to reflect on the year and think about the road ahead. We had a great time discussing ways of strengthening our relationships with our partners and extending a welcome to new members of our Synapsys whānau….
Smart learning technology in action
With over 20,000 learners, The Career Academy is an internationally recognised online education provider who partners with industry to help learners advance their careers. At that scale, operational efficiency goes hand in hand with seamless, compelling learning experiences. As their Totara partner, our job is to ensure their learning platform achieves both goals – compelling…
Navigating AI Challenges in Workplace Learning – podcast
In this very interesting episode of the Learning While Working Podcast Lars Hyland and Matt Linaker from Totara discuss how to navigate the challenges of AI in workplace learning. Lars emphasised the idea that generating content at a faster pace with the help of AI tools might not be advantageous if there is no connection…
Celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2023
🌟 Celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2023 with us! 🌟 As we embrace Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2023, we thought we would share the resources we find most helpful as we build our language skills. Here’s what we love and recommend: 1️⃣ Te Aka Māori Dictionary – our favourite te reo dictionary,…
Synapsys Hacks: Keeping the ‘micro’ in microlearning
Keeping microlearning short is essential because it aligns with the way people learn in today’s fast-paced, attention-scarce world. Short, focused content improves engagement, retention, accessibility, and flexibility, making it an effective approach to training and education. To help you achieve your microlearnig objectives, Synapsys put together a practical design resource: Synapsys hacks: Keeping the ‘micro’…
AI Image Generators: Their Potential and Impact in Creative Work
We have been exploring Artificial Intelligence (AI) image generators – how they work, what they do, and if we can see a potential use of them in our work. AI content tools are currently a subject of discussion, and it is important to understand their functionality to make informed decisions about their usage. AI generators…
The SOLO Taxonomy; finding the Goldilocks Zone for learning activities
We believe that understanding the goals of a workplace learning solution is essential for creating the best experiences. If you’re clear about why your organisation wants your team to learn something, you’re in the best place to choose the optimal learning activities. It is helpful to determine how much depth of understanding is required for…
Effective governance of Learning Management System (LMS) – why is it still a struggle?
Iris Vermeren makes the important point in her article that you need to be clear about your learning strategy and goals if you’re going to get the most out of your LMS. Sounds simplistic, doesn’t it? It’s a no-brainer that an understanding of effective governance of your Learning Management System (LMS) is vital for creating…
Engage and Collaborate: Miro’s Role in Online Workshops
As online workshops have become more common, an ongoing challenge has been how to engage learners in the sessions. How do you recreate the participation and collaboration that happens when people are learning face-to-face? Miro is a really useful tool for online facilitation, we’ve been using it in workshops for project managers. Miro is an…