Automated Learning Corporation: Designed Training, Inspired Learning, Improved Performance
Incorporated in 2000, Automated Learning Corporation has been promoting e-learning for the corporate sector. It prominently provides corporate learning solutions and e-learning products that improve performance in the workplace. ALC provides comprehensive, high quality, effective, and easy-to-use learning solutions that deliver improved performance and business value.
Versatile Solutions across Several Industries
ALC provides versatile solutions with high levels of interactivity, careful attention to adult learning principles, and skilled use of multimedia. Initially, the company focused on training for factory personnel in the electronic industries. However, it soon expanded its solutions to service and repair companies. Over the years, in response to customer demand, the company added to its initial offerings in ESD Control, Soldering, and Component Identification—to include the additional areas of general process improvement such as Lean Enterprise, safety, and security.
ALC also broadened its presence in service industries such as healthcare and government. Starting primarily with the telecom sector, the company has widened its reach to semiconductor manufacturers, aerospace (including NASA), military, hospitals, and civic governments. Furthermore, the company has customized its courses for individual clients and also introduced language adaptations in Chinese, Korean, German, Spanish, and French for some of its courses.
Educating for Retention and Continued Effectiveness
Many companies provide these solutions by using web conferences, canned webinars, or “talking-head” videos, while others use the extreme opposite, opting for performance support on the job, and man-machine robotic-task-assists. However, ALC takes the middle ground and seeks to educate for retention and continued effectiveness. The method is a tutorial.
The company develops criterion-referenced instruction, following a rigorous and systematic model. It begins by working with subject matter experts to develop objectives that accurately describe the specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes that employees need to complete the tasks.
ALC then develops test questions that are keyed to each objective to accurately measure the knowledge gain against the developed criteria. As a result, a highly structured logically ordered, and highly interactive e-learning course is formed.
Drawings, animations, still images, and video clips are employed to facilitate both the learning and the transfer of that learning to the employee’s workplace.
A ‘Driven’ Educator with Avid Experience
Dr. Bob Abell, the President, and CEO of ALC is the face behind the company’s success in the field of education. Having worked in different fields such as design, programming, sales, accounting, and people management, Bob is using all of his experience to the company’s benefit. Prior to starting his own business in 1981, he worked in a technical capacity for an online university for 7 years. He is qualified with a Ph.D. in education and also has a strong interest in electronics and photography.
For several years, Bob focused on developing technology-based solutions on a custom basis. However, it became clear that a product focus—developing essentially generic content of value to a large number of clients—represented the best opportunity and best value for user companies. ALC worked with top content experts and shared a vision, resulting in a suite of enduring products.
Prioritizing Customer Retention and Customer Referrals
Every business confronts numerous challenges. Likewise in e-learning, many potential customers don’t understand the economics of e-learning. In addition, as e-learning becomes more common, customers may have trouble filtering good training from the low-quality re-tread of instructor-led training. ALC copes with these challenges by always focusing on improving the processes in client facilities. High levels of customer retention and customer referrals are the factors that measure ALC’s success. There are several companies that have used ALC’s training continuously for over 15 years and still come back for additional courses and language adaptations of existing courses.
Coping with the changing Market Scenario
Increasing digitization and globalization has resulted in new training technologies. Moreover, as per the changing customer needs and market demand, the existing technologies are also undergoing drastic changes. These changes are expected to persist over the upcoming future. Changes to some technologies like operating systems, learning management systems, and authoring tools also pose a problem and force companies to change their approach. ALC sees this as an opportunity to manage and upgrade content and is ready to tackle future challenges.
COVID-19 to accelerate the e-learning Industry
Though e-learning has been a trend in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to accelerate its growth significantly. The world is facing travel restrictions and physical distancing has become mandatory. So cramming thirty employees with a projector and an instructor into a room is prohibited in many places. Thus people who would formerly see little value in e-learning now have to take the concept seriously. As technology keeps evolving and corporate, engineering, and production managers around the world understand the comparative economics and value of e-learning, this industry will continue to expand in the market.
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