17 Dec
Microsoft VIVA Learning: Create an Integrated Learning Ecosystem For Employees
“2020 has been an incredible year – lots of challenges but lots of opportunity, too. In fact, this year, learning has really moved to the forefront. It is now in the spotlight. People have recognized that learning is no longer “a nice to have”; it’s “a must-have” because learning is essential for success,” said Kevin Delaney, LinkedIn’s VP of L&D, kicking off the LinkedIn Learning Virtual Summit in October of last year.
Today, 66% of L&D professionals globally agree that learning and development will be focused on rebuilding or reshaping organizations in 2021.
Indeed, over the past year, much has changed, primarily how organizations function and how they learn and consume content. Learning has shifted to the digital medium, and this trend is here to stay.
Earlier this year, Microsoft launched VIVA, its own employee experience platform that delivers modern employee experiences across communications, knowledge, learning, and insights, all in the context of your work. Microsoft VIVA comprises four modules: VIVA Insights, VIVA Learning, VIVA Topics, and VIVA Connections.
VIVA Learning is a central hub for learning embedded in Teams and brings learning into the natural flow of an employee’s daily work and company culture.
This blog will discuss how organizations can create an integrated learning ecosystem for employees using Microsoft VIVA.
Exploring Microsoft VIVA Learning
In simple words, VIVA Learning is a training aggregation app that is delivered through Microsoft Teams.
On opening the app, a user can see the courses curated for them, learning resources that their peers have suggested, trending content, and bookmarked content, all in one place within Teams. VIVA Learning is built upon powerful technologies, including Microsoft Search, Microsoft Graphs, SharePoint, and Substrate, to extend a personalized learning experience in Microsoft Teams itself, where people now spend a good part of their workday.
Users can click on the VIVA Learning app directly in Microsoft Teams. The app will surface learning articles, blogs, documents, and videos from various sources, including the company’s own Learning Management System (LMS) and third-party content providers like Microsoft Learn, LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, SAPSuccess Factors, Skillsoft, EdX, and many more.
How does VIVA Learning work?
- Acknowledging that learning is directly linked to employee happiness and workplace success, VIVA Learning leverages AI to recommend the right content at the right time to users based on their role, profile, interests, and activity on the platform.
- Managers may assign learning modules or training tasks to colleagues and verify whether or not they have completed them. For example, suppose a manager decides that a particular employee, or even the entire team as a whole, needs additional training on a specific topic. In that case, they can search and share related learning resources directly within a chat using message extension or @mention the names of the team members on the chat window.
- Additionally, any user can copy the link to a learning asset, e.g., training courses or micro-learning content, and share it directly with their colleagues via Teams chat, email, or other channels. Another way is to search for an employee’s name, optionally add a due date for tracking and a side note like “Do check out this course.”, and hit the recommend button.
- If users know what they are looking for, they can directly enter their query in the search bar by typing in relevant terms and find learning resources based on their current needs.
How does VIVA Learning contribute to creating an integrated learning ecosystem for employees?
- Owing to the pandemic, people are spending more time in Microsoft Teams to digitally collaborate with colleagues working in different geographies and time zones. Teams now has 145 million daily active users (DAU). VIVA Learning brings learning directly to where users are, so they need not switch apps and go elsewhere for training and upskilling.
- With a plethora of learning content available, it can be challenging for employees to comprehend what they need to focus on. VIVA Learning makes the most relevant learning available at the users’ fingertips, so they may not face a “needle in a haystack” situation when looking for the right training resources. Moreover, an organization may have multiple Learning Management Systems in place. What VIVA Learning does is that it simply surfaces learning resources from your internal LMS and third-party providers and brings it all together in one destination in Teams.
Microsoft VIVA Learning Pricing
Microsoft VIVA Learning pricing is yet to be announced. It is anticipated that the basic application may be free; however, a subscription will be required for third-party content like LinkedIn Learning.
As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Acuvate helps clients make learning a natural part of everyday work by deploying VIVA Learning.
Moreover, VIVA augments the capabilities of our autonomous SharePoint intranet solution called Mesh 3.0 to provide holistic, end-to-end employee engagement. We enable clients to surface their SharePoint intranet within Teams using VIVA Connections and deliver personalized news and content to employees, right within the flow of their daily routine.
To know more about Mesh 3.0, please feel free to schedule a personalized consultation with our experts.
Poonam Chug is AVP - SaaS Strategy & Business. She has worked in various areas, right from designing and executing sales & account management strategies to reengineering digital workplace solutions. With her determined focus on our mission and progressive approach, she has achieved customer delight in the space of AI, Knowledge Mining, Content & Collaboration, Virtual Assistants, RPA and more. Backed with a deep understanding of customer needs and technology, she leads the SaaS business unit with an upshot of maximizing revenue while ensuring customer satisfaction.
Poonam Chug