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  • RESULTS

    HONESTY & EXPERIENCE

    PARTNERSHIP

  • OLD SITES

    JOOMLA MIGRATIONS

    MADE NEW AGAIN

  • MAILCHIMP - HIKASHOP

    CUSTOM EXTENSIONS

    FOR A PERFECT FIT

  • OAKBROOK CUSTOM HOMES

    FEATURED TRANSFORMATION

    WORDPRESS - GRAVITY FORMS - BEAUTIFICATION

Friendly, helpful staff with mad skills and solid ethics building

WEBSITES THAT WORK

3by400 Services

SERVICES

Our mission is to help your company maximize your business using web-based tools and become your trusted advisor, using sound web design and development expertise.
 
3by400 Extensions

EXTENSIONS

Some of our most popular custom extensions--MailChimp Module for Joomla and the new Braintree plug-in for Hikashop--can help optimize your Joomla experience.
 
3by400 Support

SUPPORT

A consultative approach by experienced designers and developers helps you get the very best result...with minimal drama, a reasonable price, and a smile.
 
  • You guys have been such a delight to work with. One of the best experiences I have had since I started working in 1983. I am very pleased with how [the web site] has turned out. Thank you. Read More
    Anurag Agrawal President, Techaisle, LLC
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3by400 FAQs/Tutorials

Helpful Info

We have learned a lot working on web sites together for the last 10 years and hope you can learn from our experience, too.
 
The 3by400 Difference

The 3by400 Difference

We know our craft and we work in a way that is a refreshing change from others in the industry.
 
3by400 Blog

Our Blog

Want to see what really goes on behind the scenes at 3by400? This is where we speak our minds and divulge tips and truths.
 

Core Values - 3by400 Promise

Honesty: we tell the truth to each other and our clients.
Respect: we believe in the Golden Rule and attempt to treat others the way we wish to be treated.
Diligence: we do our work to the best of our ability in a timely manner and focus on excellence.
Value: we endeavor to provide an honest value for a fair price.
Teachable: none of us know everything. If we don't know something we admit it and use that as motivation to find the answer.
Ownership: we take ownership of our clients' problems and work through until a solution can be found.
Humility: we provide explanations at a level each individual client can understand and when we're wrong, we admit it and find the right answer.
Generosity: we share what we've been entrusted with to those in need.

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Web Design in North Georgia

The 3by400 web design team was formed in 2006 as a result of three individuals who have been working together on projects in the North Georgia area, but as individual organizations. The main roadway to North Georgia is a state highway locally referred to as "Georgia 400"; ergo, "3 by 400", but what has really brought us together in a big way is Joomla!

Since that time, our team has evolved to the current landscape of co-owners Beth Snider and Bridgette Anderson, who are taking partnering with our clients to a whole new level. We have gathered a team of highly ethical, brilliant minds with unmatched technical and business skills.

There are great new additions to our team on a regular basis, catching on to our work style quickly and working hard. See our entire team!

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Top of Mind from 3by400

In last week's blog post, we provided an overview of online learning, or Learning Management Systems (LMS), and considerations for developing one for any organization. This week, we will focus on content methodology, choosing the right tool, and launching web-based training.

Find the Right Solution

Determining the best method for implementing the best method for web-based learning depends heavily on any existing website and the technical level of those creating, entering, and maintaining content.

There are third-party Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings available. If deployment of the online learning solution is a critical and immediate need, SaaS may be a good approach, but keep in mind that it is unlikely to find a 100% match for defined requirements. Learn more about other potential SaaS issues here.

Any website built on solid CMS foundations, such as WordPress or Joomla, have several LMS options readily available. There are also platform independent, open source options like Moodle, that are highly sophisticated and can be customized for almost any need.

In addition to the baseline LMS, it is also important to ensure there is a method for accepting, managing, and resolving help requests from students. Sometimes that help will be related to the operations of the LMS itself--"how do I..."--and other times, the nature of the requests will be specific to the topic of the training. This may also be a good time to consider a simple ticket management system, and make sure resources are available to keep it humming.

This is a good time to contact a professional web design/development team. Their experience can help achieve a solution shortlist quickly and be an essential part of budgeting the timeline and cost of an LMS implementation project. Their experience with LMS environments will help avoid surprises and wasted resources during implementation.

Planning and Preparing Content

As in all websites, content is king, and this is particularly important for online learning systems.

If content already exists for previous classroom training, it will need to be refitted for online delivery. This can include written text, audio, and video, and using a mix of these not only keeps things interesting for the viewer, but also accommodates multiple learning styles. If possible, provide exercises throughout the lesson so that students can apply the concepts they have learned.

If video is being presented, make sure that it is concise and well-produced. If the video is live action, or a combination of images (slides) and an instructor, be sure to consider:
  • Lighting
  • Voice amplification
  • Sound quality
  • Appearance of the presenter
  • Clarity of the presenter's delivery
  • Any interruption or pause in the content presentation
  • Labeling or embedded graphics
In a content environment that includes a significant percentage of video content, this may be a good time to consider the services of professional presenters, videographers, and editors.

Although format is important, the amount of time required to complete a lesson within a course is crucial for student success. Lessons should take no more than 5 to 10 minutes to complete and should conclude with a brief, multiple choice quiz to ensure that the student understands primary concepts.

If training content and testing is part of an overall certification program, any non-training related credentials or qualifications should be clearly stated to the student prior to them starting the training. Some examples are work experience, other prerequisite training, and work products (documentation). If additional requirements are handled in a manual review process, it is important to make sure the student is able to set the proper expectation for that process and its overall timing.

With so many important features of the content, be sure to not overlook the fact that the materials presented are created in a way that an average student will actually learn the course material, and that the course material is worthy of being learned. In other words, do not expect a successful LMS environment without thoughtful consideration of topics and content.

Prepping and Launching Online Learning

Once the LMS is in place with shiny, new content in progress, plan the launch date.

Testing is crucial to a successful launch. As a stakeholder, be sure to participate personally in the testing. Other employees and trusted clients or business associates are also testing candidates. The goal is to ensure that the training environment is easy to navigate and allows the student to focus on the material, rather than the tools providing it.

Testing is also a great time to gather helpful tips and a set of frequently asked questions for your students--designed to make things as easy as possible for them and reduce future support for them.

Verify that the server and infrastructure supporting the LMS can handle a significant uptick in activity in terms of bandwidth and processing power. There’s nothing worse than launching a great new website feature, only to field calls and emails from dissatisfied users complaining of delays and unavailability.

Promote to viable students as far as thirty (30) days ahead of your launch date. Create urgency for attendees by providing a discount coupon (if paid training) or a reward for signing up, such as a limited number of gift cards. If your site contains a blog, write about the new LMS. Advertise it in site banners or modules. Send a special message to your emailing list. Generate excitement through social media accounts. In short, stick to the plan and get the word out!

As daunting as implementing online training may seem at the onset, with a bit of preparation, some thorough evaluation, and some dedicated work, it is a feature that can yield amazing return on investment. If you are ready to explore a learning management system for your web environment and are looking for an experienced team that is focused on your success, contact us.