What is your preferred way of learning? Through traditional classroom trainings and interaction with an experienced instructor? Or at your own pace, through online tutorials you can view as often as you like? People are different and so are their learning styles. And though there are several training options available, many are still struggling with learning in the workplace. Time is a major challenge for today’s professionals.Confronted with busy schedules, training usually ends up at the bottom of the to-do list. So the first thing individuals and managers alike ask, is: what types of training are the least disruptive to our day-today routines? What the users want Jane Hart, an independent advisor on Workplace Learning & Collaboration, and Founder of the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, has done some research on the topic and summarizes her findings in a blog post. Contact our Training Advisors with any questions regarding PTC University eLearning. http://www.ptc.com/training/contact/

1. PTC.comPage 1 of 3 | PTC University eLearning Training
Topic Sheet
What is your preferred way of learning? Through traditional class-
room trainings and interaction with an experienced instructor?
Or at your own pace, through online tutorials you can view as often as
you like?
People are different and so are their learning styles.
And though there are several training options avail-
able, many are still struggling with learning in the
workplace. Time is a major challenge for today’s pro-
fessionals. Confronted with busy schedules, training
usually ends up at the bottom of the to-do list. So the
first thing individuals and managers alike ask, is: what
types of training are the least disruptive to our day-to-
day routines?
What the users want
Jane Hart, an independent advisor on Workplace
Learning & Collaboration, and Founder of the Centre
for Learning & Performance Technologies, has done
some research on the topic and summarizes her find-
ings in a blog post.
How to facilitate learning in the workplace
Learn about PTC University eLearning options for training modern product development professionals
According to Hart, there are “5 characteristics of how
Knowledge Workers like to learn at work” and the
following is an excerpt from her article:
In the flow of work
Workers don’t want to leave the workflow unless it
is absolutely necessary for them to do. This means
either physically to go to a classroom or virtually to
work on an online course for an extended period of
time (i.e more than about 10-15 mins) and/or which
is more than a couple of mouse clicks away. (Taking
a course at your desk, doesn’t mean it’s in the work-
flow!) Workers prefer to learn as an integral (not an
extra) part of their daily job and not separately from
it, either.
Immediately
Workers want to be able to find answers to their
learning and performance problems as soon as they
encounter them – not have to wait to go on a course
or get some other response. They want to solve their
problems immediately and get on with their jobs –
wherever they are.
Autonomously
Workers like to have a high level of choice and control
over what they do and learn; they are self-directed, self-
organised and self-managed. The less control they have,
the more disengaged they are with their organisation1
.
Confronted with busy schedules, training often ends up at the
bottom of the to-do list, but there are technologies available
to better integrate training into the workflows of the PTC
software users.

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eLearning – Making training easily accessible
According to recent research, the eLearning market is
predicted to grow to 168 billion dollars by 20182
. See-
ing the results from Jane Hart’s study, this doesn’t
seem surprising. One of the most compelling value
propositions of eLearning is the 24hr availability on
demand – people can learn when they have time and
repeat courses as often as they like.
At PTC University, we have been hearing similar feed-
back from our customers over the past years, which
helped us develop our own eLearning strategy and
offering. Although we are still are big believers in
classroom training and mentoring, we understand
the power of efficient learning and what it can do for
increased productivity. However, we think just provid-
ing the content via Inter/Intranet is not enough – effec-
tive eLearning stands and falls with the way it is man-
aged. After all, workers with busy schedules might
even find it hard to carve out 30 minutes for tutorials.
Thus, the PTC University eLearning strategy follows
a more holistic approach, taking the diverse require-
ments of the PTC user base into consideration.
PTC University eLearning – In the flow of work
PTC University offers context-sensitive eLearning
through PTC Learning Connector – a tool that is
integrated in the recent releases of PTC Creo®
,
PTC Windchill®
, and PTC Mathcad®
. Through this
tool, users are pointed to related training topics for
the task they are currently working on. If you are
working with Flexible Modeling in PTC Creo, for
example, and you have a question, then you can use
the PTC Learning Connector window to pull up the
related tutorial from your eLearning Library. This
means you don’t need to interrupt your work and can
learn on the fly. No need to pull up a new application or
webpage, or search for the right content.
>> To learn more about PTC Learning Connector, take
a look at the Resource Center
PTC University eLearning – Immediately
Users with an eLearning license can access training
content any time they like. The content is available 24/7
through PTC University Precision LMS, a web-based
Learning Management System, or as described above,
through the context-sensitive PTC Learning Connector
application. No wasted time searching for content or
watching the wrong tutorials.
>> To learn more about PTC University eLearning, take
a look at our website
PTC University eLearning – Autonomously
In PTC University Precision LMS, you can manage how
you learn – set your own learning path or the learn-
ing path for your team members and track usage,
progress and assess results. You can define your own
goals and manage your learning success.
Assess
Learn Manage
Support
At PTC University, we believe that effective eLearning requires
more than publishing tutorials online. Our strategy follows
a holistic approach, fully allowing the users to manage their
learning experience.

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On top of this, PTC University offers Customizable
eLearning Libraries. Many customers have gained
tremendous knowledge of PTC products over the
years of usage and oftentimes, they have identified
best practices. It is essential that experts can share
this information with their peers. With PTC University
Customizable eLearning Libraries, we’ve enabled
knowledge sharing across companies, industries,
and continents.
>> Learn more about Customizable eLearning Libraries
Conclusion
Learning in the workspace is often a struggle for
users. All ambition and eagerness to improve skills
and become more productive are often pushed aside
by pressing deadlines and last-minute projects.
Squeezing a training class into this routine seems
impossible, but even watching a few tutorials can be a
challenge at times.
PTC University has worked hard to understand the
training needs of the PTC software users, developing
technology such as the award-winning PTC Learning
Connector to further facilitate learning in the workplace.
Contact us
Contact our Training Advisors with any questions
regarding PTC University eLearning.
Resources:
1
Jane Hart, The Workplace Learning Revolution
2
Global Research Analysts, Inc, eLearning Market Research Report
© 2013, PTC Inc. (PTC). All rights reserved. Information described
herein is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change
without notice, and should not be taken as a guarantee, commitment,
condition or offer by PTC. PTC, the PTC logo, PTC Creo, Pro/ENGINEER,
and all other PTC product names and logos are trademarks or registered
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