Five new Take 5 microlearning courses released

Five new Take 5 microlearning courses released

DeltaNet have just released 5 brand new Take 5 microlearning courses;

Personal Protective Equipment

Why you should use PPE, which areas of the body are at risk, what are they at risk from and what to wear to protect them.

Checking your vehicle before driving at work

It is estimated that more than 25% of all road traffic incidents involve someone driving at work. A vehicle used at work is work equipment and employers must take steps to ensure that it is fit for purpose and safe to use, however you should make some basic checks yourself and this module outlines some of them that need to be carried out before beginning your journey

Preparing for your journey

There are a number https://vinciworks.com/of steps outlined in this module that will ensure that you are prepared for your journey; to aid your safety and that of other road-users. The steps include those that are your responsibility and those that are the responsibility of your employer.

Using big data ethically

In this course you will learn what big data is, where it comes from, what principles need to be applied to use big data ethically and how to ensure that your organisation is doing so.

Know your customer

This immersive, role playing scenario puts you in a situation where you have to make the decisions. It will demonstrate the importance of carrying out customer due diligence and highlight the risks of not doing so. You will also learn about the warning signs to look out for and questions to ask yourself to ensure that you can act with all the relevant information to hand.

What is microlearning and why should you use it?

Microlearning is training that is delivered in short bursts which users find more manageable than traditional, longer courses. By delivering the training in this way knowledge retention can be increased.

Connecting learning and performance with the Internet of Things and xAPI

Imagine a compliance training scenario: you’re hearing a lot about a new phishing (a type of cyber crime involving fraudulent email) threat recently, so you decide to deliver training to protect your organisation; especially since your network was hacked last year, and you can’t risk suffering another data breach.

So, you create or obtain some eLearning, enrol all of your employees, and a few weeks later, they’ve all completed the course.Legal tell you that’s adequate for compliance with data protection regulations, but does it mean you’re safe from the threat? Maybe yes. Maybe no.

The problem? Learning and performance are too far apart. It’s easy to measure what learning has been completed, with what score, when and by whom, but making the connection to the outcome on performance isn’t so straightforward.

In our scenario, while it’s nice knowing that everyone has completed your cyber security eLearning course with a score of at least 80%, the actual desired outcome is increased vigilance around emails.

In other words, we need to connect data about our learning to data about performance, in a far more specific and scientific way than relying on an end of module test, self-reporting and manager observations.

Enter xAPI, a.k.a. Tin Can or the Experience API.

Created in response to limitations with SCORM, the current standard for collecting course completion data (but not much else), xAPI makes it possible to gather performance data from multiple sources and link it to learning data.

As well as software, xAPI talks with smart devices connected to the Internet of Things, so sensors in the real world become sources of performance data, just as we see with fitbit-style activity trackers.

Once this data is collected, it can be used to fine tune each individual’s training for optimised performance. Want a real life example? Take a look at football’s unlikeliest title challengers (and our neighbours) Leicester City, who use player training data gathered using wearable technology to inform strategy – resulting in them topping the English Premier League against all odds.

Back to our example: how could xAPI help us measure whether our eLearning course has reduced the risk of phishing?

Well, rather than solely analysing course completions, with xAPI we could measure how learners interact with emails, click links or open attachments, both before and after taking our course. If they’re more careful around email links after taking training, then clearly it’s been a success; if not, then perhaps it’s back to the drawing board.

The possibilities are almost endless – and they don’t stop at software-related performance outcomes. Any data gathered by Internet-enabled devices can conceivably be linked to learning data using xAPI, so whether it’s the quality of customer service or installation of equipment by engineers, there’s not much that you won’t be able to measure and improve.

Panama Papers leak reveals extent of wealth hidden offshore by rich and powerful

Methods used by the rich, powerful and corrupt to hide wealth have been exposed after over 11 million documents were leaked from Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca.

The documents reveal more than 200,000 offshore entities set up to conceal clients’ money. Although not technically illegal, the lack of transparency required for these shell companies make it easy for their beneficial owners to remain hidden – ideal for criminals seeking to launder money, as well as those looking to cheat the public out of tax.

Someone could, for example, loan public money to an offshore company, have it transferred through numerous others until its origins are untraceable, and eventually enjoy the benefits of the money without having to account for its origins. Meanwhile, the initial loan is defaulted on, and the public loses out.

That’s the essence of the $2bn money laundering ring that’s been linked to Vladimir Putin’s inner circle in the wake of this scandal. But it’s evidence closer to home that has people calling on the government to take action against widespread money laundering and tax evasion going on in the UK.

In fact, the NCA estimates that hundreds of billions of pounds in criminal proceeds is laundered through the UK each year. So, how do businesses in the UK currently combat money laundering?

Combating money laundering

Due diligence is at the heart of anti-money laundering. It requires businesses to find out everything they can about individuals involved, including company directors and beneficial owners, before transacting with anyone.

In high risk countries, such as Panama or the British Virgin Islands, identities should also be verified through certified copies of photographic identification. Once these identities are known, there are a number of risk factors that can indicate potential money laundering activity:

  • Individuals with criminal convictions
  • Individuals you never meet in person
  • Individuals who are Politically Exposed Persons, or connected to PEPs
  • Individuals in high risk areas according to the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index
  • Individuals using intermediaries based in high risk jurisdictions
  • Client companies with complex ownership structures
  • Corporate clients whose capital is in the form of bearer shares
  • Clients with a high level of cash income

Failure to carry out due diligence and establish exactly who stands to benefit from transactions is not only irresponsible; it can lead to money laundering charges, as well as being accused of turning a blind eye to criminal activity.

The Panama Papers scandal shows there is a lot of work to be done, but with pressure on governments to address tax havens now at an all-time high, perhaps it will turn out to be a small step in the right direction.

About VinciWorks

VinciWorks help businesses operating in regulated sectors train employees in anti-money laundering by offering our Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing eLearning course. Course licence includes access through our Astute eLearning Platform, providing powerful tools for enhancing engagement and proving compliance.

Protecting your business from ransomware

How would your business cope if employees were suddenly unable to access computers, files, or your network? Your customer database, emails, and that critical project due by the end of the week: all locked.

Work would be brought to a halt, I.T. would be inundated with panicked phone calls, and your communications team would be in crisis mode. You might be wiling to do almost anything to regain access to your critical files – which is why ransomware is a growing tactic for cybercriminals.

Ransomware blocks access to critical files or applications and asks users to pay to regain access. And, while in some cases it’s clear to users that they’re being held to ransom, messages often appear to come from governments, law enforcement, or even your own technical team – leading to payments made to cybercriminals.

Falling victim to ransomware creates a dilemma for businesses. Should you pay the criminals, with no guarantee they’ll restore access, or should you go public, take the hit to your reputation and finances, but at least take control of the situation?

Clearly, the best approach is to avoid falling victim to ransomware in the first place. So, with cybersecurity firms warning of increasing ransomware attacks, how can you protect your business?

As with many cybersecurity threats, the answer is a combination of security software and education practices.

1. Keep software up to date

All businesses should use software to protect them from cyber threats which could lead to ransomware infection, such as spam email, unauthorised access, unsafe websites, and unsafe files.

But installing this software is just the beginning. Cybercriminals and tech companies are locked in a perpetual race to stay one step ahead of each other in discovering vulnerabilities. With more uncovered daily, it’s crucial to keep security software updated, protecting your business from known and newly discovered vulnerabilities.

2. Train staff to be vigilant around email attachments

The most common way for computers to become infected with ransomware is through staff opening unsafe email attachments, a trend cybercriminals are increasingly creative in exploiting.

Recent examples include emails appearing to be speculative job applications with attached CVs, and documents ostensibly from the CEO or senior management; but even files attached to gobbledegook emails are opened alarmingly often.

Banning email attachments altogether isn’t feasible and antivirus software isn’t 100% effective at identifying viruses, especially when they can be hidden in seemingly innocuous files like Word documents or images. Combat this risk by training staff to recognise suspicious emails, check the email address of the sender is recognised, and to get verbal clarification from the sender if any suspicion arises.

3. Prevent access to unsafe websites and files

Another way ransomware finds its way onto your machines is when employees visit compromised websites or download unsafe files. We recommend limiting what sites staff can access so unsafe ones are automatically blocked, and only giving rights to download and install files to those employees who need them.

But even with these measures in place, employees often end up getting granted admin rights when they really shouldn’t, just for convenience’s sake, eventually resulting in cybersecurity issues.

Rectify this by making cybersecurity awareness a part of your business culture, ensuring people only have the access rights they need, and that they know what risks to look out for when browsing the web.

4. Implement a strong password policy

The above techniques are all designed to prevent cybercriminals from accessing your systems by the back door – but don’t forget to lock the front with strong passwords.

A cybercriminal would only need to determine one employee’s password to access your network and install any software they want. It could be as simple as methodically attempting to gain access with the most common passwords, words from dictionaries, or even using passwords seized from another site.

Prevent this by ensuring your employees understand good password practices such as ensuring passwords are hard to guess, using combinations of lower and uppercase characters, numbers and symbols, and using unique passwords for different websites.

5. Make technical support the first port of call for problems

In the unfortunate event that one of your employees falls victim to ransomware, they’re likely to be shown an error message either asking for payment, to click a link or call a phone number.

Genuine error messages would never ask for payment, nor would they include manipulative language that’s designed to incite fear in the user, and your employees should be aware of this.

If they ever receive error messages, their first port of call should always be technical support, who will be able to determine if the error message is genuine, and what action should be taken.

Is your business safe from a cyber attack?

Is your business safe from a cyber attack?

When we think of hacking, we tend to imagine global banks being attacked to the tune of billions – but according to a study by cyber security firm Symantec, companies with fewer than 250 employees now account for a third of all cyber attacks. Small businesses are often woefully underprepared when it comes to cyber security – and this puts them in the crosshairs.

Small businesses are attractive targets for cybercriminals because they usually lack the cybersecurity precautions of larger organisations. The consequences of these attacks can be extremely costly, from lost productivity to company reputation.

This is why, according to Toni Allen, UK head of client propositions at the British Standards Institute, “SMEs are now being pinpointed by digital attackers.”

A cyber attack can wreak havoc on a small company’s finances: a UK government survey reported that for small and medium sized business the average cost of the worst breach is between £75,000 and £310,800. Furthermore, when the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation comes into force in 2018, allowing security breaches to compromise customer data could result in companies being fined 4% of their annual turnover, up to €20m.

Finances may recover in time, but the damage to a brand’s reputation for dependability and customer security may well be irreparable. It is vital that small businesses take steps to prevent such attacks from happening.

“Burying your head in the sand may save money in the short term,” Alex Fenton, a digital business expert and lecturer at Salford University told The Guardian, “but the cost of hacking could range from minor inconvenience, reputation damage, loss of customer data, fines and ultimately company closure.”

Instituting a secure password policy (never the same password for more than one account, use at least three random words) and ensuring that your cyber security software is business-grade and up to date are simple steps that could protect you.

However, the most essential step towards cyber-security is staff training. Many hacks come about because of vulnerability created by simple human error: the wrong link clicked in an email, some malware hidden in innocuous seeming MP3 software. Educating all staff to practise good digital hygiene could mean the survival of your business.

“You don’t want your first breach to be a learning exercise,” security expert Lawrence Pingree says. “Your brand, even your company, may not survive to learn from those lessons.”

How can VinciWorks help?

VinciWorks’ online cyber security training help keep businesses remain secure against ever-evolving cyber threats. Courses available range from digestible, five-minute Take 5 micro-learning modules to in depth, detailed eLearning courses covering multiple topics within a subject area.

Task force announced to crack down on “shameful” UK fraud

Task force announced to crack down on “shameful” UK fraud

“Fraud shames our financial system,” said Home Secretary Theresa May as she announced a new task force to combat fraud in the UK last month. She continued: “It undermines the credibility of the economy, ruins businesses and causes untold distress to people of all walks of life. For too long, there has been too little understanding of the problem and too great a reluctance to take steps to tackle it.”

The task force will represent a new level of collaboration between government, law enforcement and the banking sector, and is committed to “tackling fraud and reducing its devastating impact.”

The announcement of the task force hasn’t come a moment too soon: last year, fraud was included in the crime figures for England and Wales for the first time, and the figures were sobering. The survey suggested that 5.1 million cases of fraud occurred in 2015, ranging from credit card scams to the CEO email racket, when an employee is duped into transferring money by a false email from the CEO.

Financial Fraud Action UK warns that small businesses are increasingly becoming targets for fraudsters. “Criminals are turning their attention to businesses because successfully scamming a company can net the fraudster a much bigger haul than they could steal from an individual. Fraudsters also understand that small businesses are used to processing all kinds of payments and so a simple request to change an invoice or provide some financial information has a good chance of deceiving an accounts department,” said Katy Worobec, Director of FFA UK. It’s clear that businesses must be alert to the increasing risks, and prepared to defend against these kinds of attacks.

Invoice scams represent one of the fastest growing areas of fraud that affects small businesses. Fraudsters send out a false invoice to a company, often with a payment due date that has passed, and threaten that non-payment will affect credit rating. These fake invoices are often targeted to lower-level admin employees in the hopes that they will be paid quickly in a panic – and not questioned. A more sophisticated version of the scam is sending invoices as attachments that, if opened and downloaded, will give the scammer access to information stored on the infected computer. Another variation is mandate fraud, where a company is duped into diverting legitimate invoice payments into the fraudster’s bank account.

It is essential that all employees are trained and regularly reminded to be on alert for potential fraud. Any unusual invoices must be double-checked, anyone phoning to update the payment details of a regular direct debit must be thoroughly vetted, and emails purporting to be from senior staff members must be verified before action is taken. Companies must also remember that fraud is constantly evolving, and fraudsters go to great lengths to deceive. So while it’s important to train staff to spot fraud, a general awareness of the risks and a healthy suspicion of anything unusual are also valuable defences against criminal activity.

How can VinciWorks help?

Our Fraud and Market Abuse training suite is designed for employees at all levels and provides an overview of what fraud is, why people commit fraud, and the behaviours necessary to identify and report suspected fraud.

Struggling to engage employees with eLearning? Time to harness the power of microlearning with Take 5

Struggling to engage employees with eLearning? Time to harness the power of microlearning with Take 5

Do you struggle to engage learners with your eLearning? Do your learners groan at the thought of annual training refreshers? Then it’s time to mix it up with our new range of Take 5 microlearning modules.

For the uninitiated, microlearning means short, highly specific bursts of information around a single learning objective. Keeping it short and to the point makes microlearning digestible and memorable. What’s not to love?

But that’s just scratching the surface of why we’re backing microlearning in our mission to engage learners with compliance / health and safety training. Take 5 and read on to find out what to expect from our microlearning modules.

Precision content

Whether it’s down to reduced attention spans, changing habits, or growing demands on our time, asking learners to focus on an eLearning course for even half an hour uninterrupted is a tall order.

That’s why Take 5 modules take a maximum of five minutes to complete – just like a coffee break. After all, who can’t make time for a coffee? If you’re thinking, “30 minutes into 5 doesn’t go…” Of course, you’re right, and you’ve identified the beauty of microlearning!

Rather than attempt to address every learning objective under the sun in one sitting, microlearning crystallises content around a single learning objective. This minimises bloat, keeps content relevant, and sends a clear message to learners: you value their time.

Bespoke curriculum

Early eLearning had much in common with books, right down to the page turning, but often lacked a key feature of books: the ability to skip irrelevant chapters. So, whatever the learner’s expertise, entire courses had to be completed from start to finish in a linear fashion.

Today, we’ve done away with page turning, embraced deep scrolling, and split courses into sections that can be completed any order – but to pass a course, learners must still complete every section. This either forces learners to sit through irrelevant training or forces you to develop bespoke courses.

Instead of that, why not pick and mix Take 5 modules to create a bespoke curriculum based on each learner’s capabilities, covering only the learning outcomes they need? Better yet, use a tool like Astute’s Performance Manager to identify those objectives and enrol learners for you.

Flexible format

Building standalone, 5 minute microlearning modules based around a single learning objective allows for far more flexibility than the complexity of creating cohesive, 30-minute-plus eLearning courses covering a variety of topics.

This frees us to get creative on and come up with the most engaging way to convey a single learning objective. We’ve already identified a variety of distinct formats for our Take 5 modules, each designed to appeal to different learning styles, including:

  • Challenge – gamified scenarios based around desirable behaviours.
  • Short Study – investigations subjects at a ‘need to know’ level for every day competence.
  • Presentation – video-based topic overviews, typically with case studies for extra emotional impact and engagement.
  • Toolbox Talk – designed to assist managers or trainers in facilitating face to face training sessions.

Of course, there’s no reason to stop there, and no need to limit a single learning objective to a single style. So if game-based learning works for some of your staff, but others love to just read the information, you’ll have a Take 5 module available to meet their needs.

Try Take 5 Today

We have over 65 Take 5 modules in development covering a variety of essential compliance / health and safety topics and plan to release 3-4 each month, but our first two are already available:

  • Money Laundering Challenge: puts learners in the role of fraud investigator – but will they be able to confiscate all of the money?
  • Gifts and Hospitality Challenge: asks learners to identify which gifts can be accepted and which are actually bribes.

Contact us now to arrange a demo or find out more.

Learning on demand: is it time your business followed TV’s lead?

Learning on demand: is it time your business followed TV’s lead?

Technology is integral to the way we live and work, but it’s never felt more important for businesses to keep up with technological advances than it feels today.

From enabling staff to work flexibly wherever it’s convenient for them, to cutting down on physical meetings with the help of video conferencing, to using services like Basecamp and Slack to do away with email, businesses aren’t just using technology to improve their products: they’re improving the workplace itself.

But what does this have to do with eLearning?

You might use eLearning for continuing employee development, or to simply fulfil mandatory training requirements, but if the experience doesn’t deliver on what learners expect from modern technology, it will only lead to frustration – and frustrated employees are demotivated employees.

So, where do you begin to make sure this isn’t the case with yours?

Looking at the technology habits of the generation that’s about to enter the workforce reveals some interesting insights into what the workers of the future will expect from their eLearning.

Changing habits

The BBC recently reported that young people between the ages of 5 and 16 now spend more time online than they do watching television, a change which can be attributed to the fact that 67% of young people today own tablets or mobile devices.

The prevalence of these devices has caused use of CDs, broadcast television and printed publications to decrease – all to be replaced by their digital mobile alternatives.

For employers, this means a new generation of employees is about to enter the workforce that’s used to having instant access to music, news, television – in short, whatever media they want – instantly, whenever it suits them.

Futureproofing eLearning

If you want to make sure your online training will be engaging to employees of the future, perhaps it’s time to follow TV’s lead and make it available on demand through mobiles, tablets, and PCs.

To do this, there are three main options: mobile compatible eLearning, mLearning and responsive eLearning, each with its own pros and cons:

Mobile compatible eLearning: sometimes described as mobile friendly, mobile compatible eLearning courses are usually designed with personal computers in mind, but built to scale down to fit mobile screens. Mobile compatible eLearning can be rapid to create as existing courses can be exported in a new format, but can result in text being too small to read, buttons being difficult to press, and a need to scroll from side to side to see the course.

mLearning: designed specifically for mobile devices, mLearning courses can work particularly well when you know in advance what kind of mobile learners will be using, for example in schools. Because they are designed for mobile, they are fairly quick to create, but may be equally quick to become outdated as the technology changes frequently. Due to bandwidth and memory issues, mLearning courses can often lack in depth, interactivity and multimedia.

Responsive eLearning: responsive eLearning courses are designed to work on mobiles, tablets and personal computers and dynamically adapt their design according to the device they’re being accessed on. Responsive design is the standard for modern web and app development, and enables a familiar learner experience no matter what device is being used. This type of course requires the most initial investment of the three approaches, but the result is a course that can be created and updated once, and accessed on all kinds of device.

VinciWorks

We believe responsive design is the best way to futureproof your eLearning and ensure it remains engaging, which is why we’ve invested in producing over 40 off-the-shelf responsive eLearning courses covering compliance and health and safety topics.

If you’re not sure about responsive eLearning, try out free instant online demos of our courses today. No need to fill in any forms, just browse through our courses and if you like what you see, get in touch for access to the full versions.