The US National Park Service (NPS) Common Learning Portal

Speakers: NPS Workforce Learning and Development- Common Learning Portal Team: Dale Carpenter (Program Manager), Ryan Jennings (IT Web Products Manager), Rebecca Wyatt (Production Manager/Trainer), Molly Russell (Learning Communities Manager)

Webinar: US National Park Service (NPS) Common Learning Portal event

What is a Learning Portal? What are the benefits, and how does it differ from a Learning Management System? How does it support a very decentralized and often disconnected & remote workforce like the NPS, whose employee may only have access to information through a smartphone? The US National Park Service has recently launched its "Common Learning Portal" (CLP) after 4 years in development and testing. A single "one-stop shopping experience" for all NPS learning, it combines a formal learning e-catalog, an informal "Knowledge Park" of curated information, and a social learning environment, known as "The Commons", that connects learners with each other and with experts. By using the WordPress open-source web-authoring platform, the system provides a modern look and feel, and is easy for non-programmers to create and post learning information. To date, we have over 90 content teams that actively input and update learning information in the CLP on a regular basis. In addition to serving our workforce, the CLP also allows access to our many public volunteers and partners.

Subject: The NPS Distance Learning Group will be providing a presentation and virtual tour of the Common Learning Portal. We will show course catalog links, Knowledge Park learning resources, and social learning discussions, access to experts feature, badging, a personal learning journal, and a Learning Activity Builder that uses xAPI for tracking that is connected to WordPress learning record store plug-in that we created. As part of the tour, our team will be sharing tips and lessons learned about managing social learning in a government environment, curating content and strategies for engagement of busy adult learners. We will also give you a peek into the data that the CLP generates and valuable information that it provides.

Audience: Learning professionals, training specialists, and IT professionals involved in knowledge management of learning content and social learning; executive decision-makers looking for modern learning and performance ecosystem approaches that go beyond traditional training and tracking approaches. Especially of interest to those interested in maximizing informal learning, social learning and mobile-ready content.

Lead Speaker Bio: Dale Carpenter currently serves as the Distance Learning Program Manager for the National Park Service (NPS). A retired Army veteran, Dale's civilian experience includes 25 working years in the eLearning industry, as Founder & CEO of an eLearning company, as well as working as a contractor for the FBI Academy, and the US Army INSCOM. Dale has overseen the development of over 2500 hours of online courses that include the use of gaming technologies, microlearning design, and use of xAPI for tracking learning activities. His current focus is on the learning and performance ecosystems data architecture design and integration for the NPS Learning and Performance Ecosystem, which includes The Common Learning Portal where employees can find learning information and connect with others, and the integration of these systems with a Learning Record Store for creating and tracking microlearning events. Dale has a master's degree in instructional technology from the University of Houston Clear Lake.