ICOM Productions is in the business of developing computer-based learning solutions for organizations with a need to educate a stakeholder group.  ICOM provides organizations with a "concept to completion" learning system that can be easily integrated into the organization's policy and procedure process.  It provides organizations with a cost-effective way to introduce employees or other important audiences to relevant information that they can use any time they have a computer with access to the application. 

Greg Surbey is the owner and President of ICOM.  He joined the company during the dotcom craze in the mid-1990's.  A former teacher, he quickly realized that the work the ICOM team had been developing was missing a basic fundamental of teaching - learning objectives.  Without integrating these into the lessons, the learner - and the organization - had no way of measuring outcomes.  This meant that ultimately, the ROI was not measurable. 

Greg is a true believer in Bloom's taxonomy. Bloom's theory proposes that you examine learning from the learner's perspective.  Asking the question "How do people learn?" and integrating the answers into their materials is a key to ICOM's success in developing learning tools. Course designers can integrate many different techniques into the application that appeal to learners with different learning styles.  Then, depending on individual preferences, learners are able to manage how they use the tool depending on how they learn. 

The distributed learning environment provides an unprecedented ability for learners to customize their learning experiences.  It also provides new challenges for course developers to ensure that these different learning styles are integrated into the usability of the tools.  Greg has made a business out of providing organizations with just such solutions.

Online learning best suits knowledge-based learning objectives.  This means that organizations requiring higher learning from their employees, must invest in a blended-learning approach.  ICOM has integrated several blended-learning techniques into their products, including video and audio components.  However, if high-level learning is imperative, organizations must provide in-class and mentorship opportunities in addition to online learning materials.

Nexen, one of ICOM's recent clients, identified a need to better inform employees about integrity in the workplace.  ICOM worked through their five-step development process to develop an interactive learning application that allows employees to explore the information at their own pace and on their own time.  Nexen is also able to measure employees' success as they work through the computerized learning modules.  This ensures that Nexen employees understand, and are accountable for, the company's expectations related to integrity.  You can look at an example of this application on ICOM's website.

Historically, organizations would have had to do this in a classroom- which can be very expensive.  The use of technology reduces the amount of face-to-face time, especially in the knowledge acquisition stage of learning.  Also, a distributed learning application means that the employees can better manage their own learning process.  This adds effectiveness and efficiencies into the learning process.  Learners can log on and learn at their own pace and they can adjust the application to suit their own personal learning preferences.  An optimal solution for any busy worker in today's world.

You can find out more about ICOM Productions at http://icomproductions.ca/site/ICOMsite.html