Stephan Wilcox, Knowledge Management Officer at the US Army Soldier Support Institute, was tasked with finding eLearning software that could be used by everyone in all of the different divisions in the US Army. His solution was going to be used by approximately 6,000 content developers that were responsible for providing content for 25,000 soldiers a year.When he found Lectora he knew he had discovered a product that could meet his needs and the needs of training for the US Army. They needed a flexible solution because each year they lose 33% of their employees and have to train those who replace them.A large part of the US Army’s learning solution is utilizing the cloud and creating a mobile environment in order to eliminate the need for printed manuals and training materials. In the past soldiers have had to carry manuals and training guides in their packs and uniform pockets while in the field, which wasn’t practical. It was clear that a mobile environment was necessary to eliminate the extra bulk.In using the cloud the US Army can send updated information on the fly that will be automatically sent to mobile devices once the soldier is within range of the ‘safe zone’ or their wireless network. Each of the separate divisions under the Army Soldier Support Institute can access the cloud and import and receive training information from others.Another addition to the mobile training program in the US Army is the addition of small HDMI projectors. Each unit leader carries one and is able to distribute training anywhere in the world. Each projector has a native memory card so that no Internet is required, this is especially beneficial when training has to happen on the road.Because of the cloud technology any soldier at any time can access over 20,000 hours of training online. Every day there are on average 363 unique user downloads of courses. These courses are not mandatory but are voluntarily accessed by soldiers as a knowledge base.Steve chose Lectora because it can be accessed by any device as long as it is held in a public domain – which is becoming increasingly more important the more mobile the US Army training becomes. He also believes that many people do not realize how much they can do and tie into Lectora. He has yet to find anything that Lectora will not be able to leverage or use.A theme that seemed to resonate with many of the 2011 LUC presentations is experiential learning. This means there is no wrong answer but rather the students are shown the results of their decision and have to follow through and resolve it. These complex courses and the advancement of the mobile learning solutions provided by the US Army for their soldiers is a great example of everything that is possible with Lectora.
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