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Benefits of Reskilling your Employees

An increasing number of companies are trying to, or are already focusing on, hiring "professional personnel" and training existing employees (reskilling) for the purpose of fundamentally reforming existing businesses to improve productivity and developing and expanding new businesses, including those in DX contexts. On the other hand, securing professional human resources is not easy from the perspective of recruitment costs and opportunities, and by reskilling existing employees, some companies are moving toward new value creation, such as reforming existing businesses or developing new businesses that utilize digital technology. However, there may be many people who are having problems with reskilling, such as repeated failures that do not lead to results, or the term "reskilling" is just a word that is used alone in the company, and concrete ways to promote reskilling are not known. In this article, we will explain the definition of reskilling and how to introduce and promote it in an easy-to-understand manner. Please refer to this article if you are experiencing problems with reskilling or are considering its introduction. What is reskilling? Reskilling is the process of acquiring or having someone acquire the necessary skills to enter a new profession or to adapt to a significant change in the skills required in their current profession. Looking around the world, it is becoming one of corporate strategies, with large investments being made in order to survive. In Japan, the government's "Kotta-no Shiji 2021 (June 2021)" and the Keidanren's "New Growth Strategy (November 2020)" mention the need for digital human resource development and reskilling, and interest in this field is growing in Japan. Difference from Recurrent Education and Re-learning Although reskilling is sometimes confused with recurrent education or relearning, the essence and purpose of the two are quite different. Recurrent education" or simply "relearning" that involves leaving one's job is merely improving one's personal skills to better perform in one's current role. On the other hand, "reskilling" is part of a company's business strategy to create new value. reskilling Recurrent Education Definition. The acquisition of skills and knowledge required for a new job. To repeat the cycle of education and employment throughout one's life Objective To turn existing employees into professionals in their new roles To improve skills to better perform in current roles Subject of learning Company Individuals Why reskilling is attracting attention One of the reasons why reskilling is attracting so much attention is the proliferation and promotion of DX and GX (Green Transformation). Companies are being forced by these influences to make drastic changes in corporate management, from strategies to products and services, and workflows. As a result, not only disappearing jobs but also new jobs and workflows are being created, and it is becoming an urgent need to secure human resources who can handle them. Back to Table of Contents Background of the Need for Reskilling Let's look at the background behind the need for reskilling from the three points of "market trends," "management strategy," and "human resource strategy. Market Trends One major background is the rapid changes in the external environment (market). Three main factors are listed below. Development of technology, especially digital (DX and GX) Trends emphasizing corporate social suitability and social impact, such as SDGs, ESG, LGBTQ, etc. Semi-competitive social transitions due to new coronavirus pandemics, etc. Management Strategies As market trends change, corporate management strategies need to be "management oriented beyond the existing framework. Existing businesses will need to reform their operations and improve operational efficiency through the use of digital technology, while new businesses will need to develop and expand with DX in mind. Human Resource Strategy Given market trends and business strategies, it will become essential to secure professional human resources capable of creating new value. However, it is difficult to recruit and secure human resources for the following two reasons The market is an overwhelming seller's market and there is a chronic shortage of professional personnel. Unless a company has a large budget and strong points in recruiting, it cannot make the hiring of professionals the main focus of its human resource strategy. In other words, rather than hiring new personnel, reskilling existing employees to become professionals is required. Back to Table of Contents What are the advantages of working with reskilling? After taking into account the reasons why reskilling is attracting attention and the background behind the need for it, we will introduce the benefits of actually working on it. Resolving human resource shortages As mentioned in the previous section, it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure professional human resources capable of creating new value. By reskilling existing employees and developing human resources with the skills necessary for the business, it will be possible to secure human resources within the company. Furthermore, you can expect to reduce recruiting costs while eliminating talent shortages. However, compared to recruiting, reskilling existing employees takes time and costs a reasonable amount of money. Improvement of operational efficiency If digital technology can be mastered through reskilling, internal DX will advance, enabling not only time and cost savings through automation and streamlining of existing operations, but also accurate data analysis and centralized data management. By streamlining operations, you will have more time to work on new, more advanced operations, and you can also expect to reduce labor costs by decreasing overtime hours and improving work-life balance. Generation of new ideas By acquiring new skills through reskilling, the possibility of creating new ideas that go beyond the existing framework increases. New skills and ideas will not only lead to the launch and growth of new businesses, but will also contribute to existing businesses, leading to overall company growth. New business initiatives by existing employees who understand the company Even when highly professional personnel are hired from outside the company, there is a risk that they may not fit with the "company itself," such as management philosophy and perspectives, or that they may not work well with existing operations or communicate smoothly with existing employees. By reskilling existing employees who are familiar with the corporate culture and operations, it is possible to reduce the risk and tackle new business. Back to Table of Contents How to proceed with reskilling and what to keep in mind By following the five steps listed below, you can proceed with the reskilling that is now required of companies. STEP1: Set the target scope First, from the management and business strategies, the target job categories for reskilling are defined. It is recommended to divide the target job categories into quadrants based on importance x number of needs, and target job categories in areas of high importance and large number of needs. It is important to prioritize the occupations that will have the greatest impact on creating new value with limited resources. STEP2: Job/Capability Requirements Definition Once the target scope is defined, clarify the job description of the target job and define the necessary capability requirements (e.g., small- and medium-scale project management skills). Once you have defined the capability requirements, subdivide each capability into learning element levels. Developing a training program while incorporating the learning elements included in the capability requirements will help you build an effective reskilling program. STEP 3: Building a Training System The next step is to establish a training system. Building a training system means designing the necessary training programs and learning processes for the goals to be achieved. Since the goals to be achieved through reskilling measures have been determined in STEP 2, let's check the reskilling training system, including the goals of each training program, development of training programs calculated backward from the goals, consideration of pre- and post- measures to promote learning retention, and construction of learning processes that take into account pre-, post- and parallel relationships of learning. Let's check out Riskiering's training system. STEP4: Training Implementation Once the training system is established, the training is implemented according to the schedule. The selection of instructors and the preparation of lectures are extremely important in the implementation of training. Instructors must be familiar with the elements of learning, be able to deliver lectures that meet the learners' motivation and level of understanding, and have the flexibility to respond to sudden problems. With thorough preparation and flexible management, the picture drawn in STEP 3 will come to life. STEP5: Effect measurement and follow-up/advancement of next measures Once a series of Off-JT is completed, we will maximize and measure the effectiveness of Off-JT and promote follow-up OJT. Measuring whether the goals of the reskilling measures and the goals of each training program have been achieved, and separately taking care of any areas that are lacking, including additional Off-JT, improvement of the training environment, collaboration with the site promoting OJT, and monitoring of OJT are effective means of achieving these goals. In addition, the points of improvement identified in said measures and points to be adopted on an ongoing basis will serve as input for the next sophistication of reskilling measures. Back to Table of Contents SUMMARY This article has explained the definition of reskilling, its introduction, and specific promotion methods. Implementing reskilling can result in a variety of benefits, such as reforming existing businesses, resolving human resource shortages, and developing and expanding new businesses, including those in DX contexts. The e-learning system "learningBOX" provides a complete set of functions for creation and distribution of training materials, performance management, and trainee management. The e-learning system, learningBOX, provides a complete set of functions for creating and distributing training materials, managing grades, and managing students. We recommend that anyone can easily build a web-based learning environment. Furthermore, if you combine this service with KaWaL eLearning, which allows you to add a wide variety of training content, you will be able to expand the scope of your training even further. For reskilling measures, we encourage you to use this convenient service for in-house creation of training content. With learningBOX's free plan, you can use up to 10 accounts for free. Please feel free to try it first. This article was written based on useful materials from Change Inc. and supervised by the company. Please check out "Lismore," a service that promotes reskilling and fosters professional human resources, if you are interested in this service through this article. ▼ We also recommend this page! Also read Back to Table of Contents

learningBOX upgraded to Ver. 2.23

Thank you for using learningBOX. Today, learningBOX has been upgraded from Ver. 2.22 to Ver. 2.23. Let us introduce you to the various new features. Recommended New Features AI Assist AI can be used to automatically create quizzes/tests, memorization cards, and analyze reports. We will explain each of these features in detail. 1. automatic quiz/test generation Quizzes and tests can be generated automatically using AI. This makes it easy to add quizzes, and significantly reduces the man-hours and time required to think of quiz drafts. ➡For more information, please refer to "AI Assist - Quiz and Test". 2. automatic generation of memorization cards Using AI, memorization cards can be generated automatically. This allows the creation of keywords and contents to be memorized on memory cards without requiring a lot of time and man-hours for the creator. ➡For details, please refer to "AI Assist - Memorization Cards". 3. automatic analysis of reports An AI-based report analysis function is available. This reduces the man-hours required for scoring on the administrator's side. ➡For details, please refer to "AI Report Analysis". For a list of the new functions added this time, please download and check below. Other For further information or questions, please contact Inquiry Form We will continue to listen to our customers and improve the functionality of the site to make it even more user-friendly. We look forward to your continued support of LearningBOX/QuizGenerator.

A Complete Guide to Knowledge Management Tools

Knowledge management tools are introduced for the purpose of effectively collecting, sharing, and utilizing information such as knowledge, skills, and experience possessed by organizations and individuals. Many companies have released a variety of tools suitable for knowledge management, and many people may be confused about what criteria should be used to select a tool. In this article, we will explain how to select a knowledge management tool and the key points to utilize the tool after its introduction. Please refer to this article when considering the introduction of a knowledge management tool. What is Knowledge Management? Knowledge management (KM) refers to a series of processes in which knowledge, experience, and know-how possessed by individuals in a company or organization are aggregated and shared, and utilized to improve organizational capabilities. Knowledge possessed by a company or organization can be divided into two types: tacit knowledge, which is acquired by individuals through their work (tacit knowledge), and objective knowledge, which is verbalized and documented so that anyone in the company can understand it and share it with the organization (formal knowledge). In knowledge management, it is important to convert tacit knowledge into formal knowledge, which can then be shared and utilized. The SECI Model, a method of knowledge management The SECI (SECI) Model is a typical framework for knowledge management. It is divided into four major steps. Socialization: Process of transferring tacit knowledge through shared experiences. Externalization: Process of verbalizing individual tacit knowledge and sharing it among members. Combination: Process of creating new knowledge by combining expressed formal knowledge. Internalization: Process of acquiring new formal knowledge as tacit knowledge When working on the SECI model, the key to success is to cycle through the four steps. Back to Table of Contents Advantages of Implementing Knowledge Management Tools The two main benefits of implementing a knowledge management tool are to "improve operational efficiency" and "prevent the creation of a workforce that belongs to a particular organization. Communication and knowledge sharing within the organization will be facilitated, which is expected to improve productivity and achieve sustainable growth. Let's review the two benefits below. Improved operational efficiency In terms of streamlining knowledge management operations, the following benefits can be achieved Improved searchability: Access to the database makes it easier to retrieve necessary information and reduces work time. Avoid duplicate work: It is possible to check if information already exists, thus preventing duplicate registration and updating of information. Enhance teamwork: Information can be easily shared and collaborated. When multiple members are involved in the same project, immediate sharing of information and exchange of opinions and ideas improves teamwork and enables efficient work execution. Prevention of impersonalization The introduction of knowledge management tools enables the sharing of high-level information, such as the wealth of experience and skills possessed by individuals, and provides the following benefits in terms of preventing the creation of a "workforce of one". Prevention of loss of knowledge: Know-how is not lost in the event of employee transfers or retirements. Visualization of operations: Tacit knowledge acquired by individuals through their senses is verbalized, and the work flow is clarified, leading to the sharing of knowledge and the development of a management system. Raising the level of the entire organization: By having other employees learn how veteran employees and excellent employees work, it is possible to raise the level of knowledge and skills of the entire organization. If the work can be visualized by eliminating the need for individualization, it will also help prevent mistakes and problems in the workplace. Back to Table of Contents Types of Knowledge Management Tools Knowledge management tools aggregate and systematize information such as knowledge, skills, and experience within organizations and individuals to build a database. They can be categorized into the following four main types according to their functions and applications. Help desk (FAQ) type This is a type of tool that provides a systematic and easy-to-understand compilation of frequently asked questions and answers (FAQs) to self-resolve inquiries from both internal and external users. This type of tool is deployed to quickly access work procedures and related knowledge in an organization, such as customer support and helpdesk team user support. Document management (file sharing) type Used to share, organize, and search documents and files within an organization. By implementing a tool that not only allows documents to be uploaded and shared, but also provides management functions such as access restrictions and updated information, information sharing within an organization can be made more efficient. Mining and search-specific This type of tool is designed to extract valuable information from large amounts of data and documents for quick retrieval. It utilizes text management and machine learning techniques to help identify patterns in documents and find relevant information. It is used as a search engine for internal use, for example, to gather information. Knowledge sharing (groupware) type These tools are used to effectively share knowledge and information possessed by individuals within an organization and promote collaboration. It typically combines groupware functions (group chat, messaging such as bulletin boards, file sharing, task management, etc.) and helps improve team productivity. Back to Table of Contents Criteria for Selecting a Knowledge Management Tool Now that we have reviewed the different types of knowledge management tools, what points should we focus on when considering their introduction? The following seven points are also important, rather than selecting a tool based solely on price or functionality. 1. Clarification of objectives and requirements Before selecting a tool, it is important to first clarify the purpose of use and requirements. Establish the criteria for selecting the best tool by clarifying what issues the organization wants to solve, for what purpose the tool will be introduced, and what requirements are necessary to meet the objectives. 2. Is the tool user-friendly? By choosing a tool that is easy for users to use, the knowledge and information possessed by individuals and organizations will be easier to share. Check to see if the interface is intuitive, if it is easy to register, update, and view without specialized knowledge, and if the search function is easy to use. Taking advantage of free trial periods and demonstrations, as well as reviews by existing users, can also be helpful. 3. Customization and expandability Considering mid- to long-term operation, it is also important to check whether the tool can be customized to meet the needs of the organization and whether it is scalable to add functions. Make sure the tool is flexible and can adapt to your organization's unique processes and workflows. 4. Mobile compatibility and access in offline environments In today's business environment, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets play an important role in addition to PCs. Make sure your website is mobile device-compatible so that users can check information and perform registration work outside the office, such as when traveling or at home while working remotely. If the tool has a mobile app or responsive design, users can access it anytime, anywhere. Access in offline environments is also important. Make sure that information can be accessed even when not connected to a network. 5. Strong Security Information collected and shared by knowledge management tools may include confidential information and is an important information asset for the company. It is necessary to hedge against threats such as information leaks due to unauthorized access. Be sure to check the security of the tools you are considering to introduce. 6. Post-implementation support (customer success) Even after a knowledge management tool is introduced, it is important to provide ongoing support to ensure effective use of the tool. One of the most important factors to consider when selecting a tool is whether the provider offers a customer success (CS) program, which provides support to help companies get the most out of the tool, such as introduction support by CS staff, operation training, periodic updates, and technical support. Make sure that you are getting the most out of the tool. This will promote knowledge sharing and effective communication and collaboration within the organization. 7. Evaluate the cost of use and cost-effectiveness When selecting a knowledge management tool, it is also important to measure the cost of use and cost-effectiveness. It is a good idea to understand the costs of implementation and operation, including initial costs and usage fees at the time of implementation, additional costs for customization and customer support, and maintenance costs. For evaluating cost-effectiveness, we recommend using the following indicators to measure and compare numerical changes before and after implementation. Changes in time and resources spent on information sharing and problem solving Changes in the time it takes to perform a specific task or process Back to Table of Contents Points to Consider When Using Knowledge Management Tools Next, we will take a closer look at points to keep in mind when using knowledge management tools. The following four points will help you make effective use of the tool. 1. Set the purpose of using knowledge management tools As mentioned in Chapter 4, "Criteria for Selecting a Knowledge Management Tool," the first step is to set the purpose of utilization. This is an important step to clarify what information will be shared among employees and how the tool will be used. The point is to set them from the user's perspective. By setting specific objectives, such as "to improve operational efficiency," "to facilitate the progress of new projects," or "to streamline the training of new employees," it becomes clear how the tool will be used and what information needs to be shared. 2. Clarify the knowledge to be shared Once the purpose of using the tool is established, the knowledge to be shared will also become clear. For example, technical knowledge, business manuals, internal training materials, market trends, etc., should be determined. Once the knowledge to be shared is determined, "how to share it" is also a key point in its utilization. Specifically, the following three methods can be used. Summarize in FAQ format Improve searchability to make it easier to find knowledge Utilize chat and bulletin boards within the tool The best method for sharing knowledge varies depending on the purpose of use and the level of employees who use the tool. The best sharing method should be selected while taking into account the opinions of users. 3. Create a mechanism to incorporate knowledge management tools into business operations. Effective use of tools requires a clear mechanism for incorporating them into daily operations. It is necessary to create a mechanism for sharing and utilizing knowledge by setting a schedule for regular information updates and revisions, conducting in-house training to improve skills in tool use, and incorporating tools step by step according to actual operations. 4. Improvement and streamlining of work flow By using tools to document workflow and visualize processes, it is possible to identify bottlenecks and find ways to improve efficiency. By utilizing workflow management and task management functions, it will also be possible to make necessary adjustments and prioritize tasks while keeping track of work progress, leading to improved productivity and competitiveness of the entire organization. In addition, data will be accumulated through the operation of the tool. Practice the "PDCA cycle," in which improvement plans are created from hypotheses built based on the data, and after implementation, the next improvement plan is considered while looking back on what could and could not be improved. Back to Table of Contents Make Effective Use of Knowledge Management Tools This article explains how to select and utilize a knowledge management tool. Ideally, you should choose a tool based on key points, such as clarifying the purpose of introducing the tool to your organization, whether it is easy for anyone who wants to use it to use it, and whether it provides appropriate support so that it will take root after introduction. We recommend "learningBOX" as one of the best tools for knowledge management. learningBOX, an e-learning system, has a complete set of functions for creating and distributing teaching materials, managing grades, and managing students. We recommend that anyone can easily build a web-based learning environment. Furthermore, when combined with "learningBOX ON," to which a wide variety of training content can be added, original teaching materials can be designed and the scope of knowledge sharing will be further expanded. For your knowledge management measures, we encourage you to use this convenient service for in-house production of training content creation. With learningBOX's free plan, you can use up to 10 accounts for free. Please feel free to try it first. We also recommend you to read this article! Also read Back to Table of Contents

Report on Employee Training Survey by Industry - Manufacturing, Retail, Finance, Medical Care, and Municipalities

One of the main purposes of employee training is to increase productivity and corporate profits by improving the skills of employees. Due to social factors such as the declining birthrate and aging population, it is expected to become more difficult to secure a workforce in the future. In recent years, the need for employee training to strategically develop an organization's limited human resources has been increasing. LearningBOX therefore conducted a survey of men and women in their 20s to 60s working in manufacturing, retail, finance, medical care, and local government who have attended employee training. A portion of the survey results are disclosed in this article. The full report of the survey results, which provides hints for better training implementation, including issues that participants felt through the training and points that they consider important in training, can be downloaded from the link below. Survey Summary Survey method: Web-based questionnaire using monitors from General Research Corporation Survey targets: Among the registered monitors of General Research Corporation, men and women in their 20s to 60s who work in manufacturing, retail, finance, medical care, and local government throughout Japan. Number of valid responses: 1,086 (264 manufacturing, 191 retail, 199 financial, 218 medical care, 214 local government) *Number of valid responses per question is indicated by "n=". Date of survey: March 2, 2023 (Thursday) - March 6, 2023 (Monday) How to conduct employee training Q. In what format do you conduct employee training? (Single answer) In the industry as a whole, face-to-face stand-alone training accounts for more than 40%, while online stand-alone training is less than 10%, with face-to-face training being the main focus. More than 70% of those in the financial industry have experienced online training, including both online and face-to-face training, suggesting that the shift to online training is more advanced than in other industries. On the other hand, compared to other industries, the medical care industry mainly conducts face-to-face training. Back to Table of Contents Types of training courses you have attended Q. What types of employee training have you received? (Multiple answers) Compared to other industries, the financial industry has the highest percentage of respondents with over 60% having attended compliance training, while the medical care industry and municipalities have a higher percentage of respondents having attended job-specific training. Back to Table of Contents Extent to which training content is utilized in the workplace Q. Do you think the content of employee training is applied to your work? (Single answer) Around 70% of respondents in each industry answered that they "make use of the content of employee training in their work or make use of it a little," indicating that employee training has a certain effect on their work. On the other hand, 30% of the respondents in each industry did not feel that the training was effective. It is necessary to interview the employees about what kind of knowledge and skills they want to acquire, and review and improve the training content. Back to Table of Contents SUMMARY (1) Percentage of training format varies by industry While face-to-face training methods still dominate, the majority of training methods incorporate online. By industry, the trend toward online training can be seen in the financial industry. On the other hand, more than half of the respondents in the medical and nursing care industry still use face-to-face training, suggesting that some industries have yet to shift to online training. (2) Types of training are unique to each industry. In all industries, training is conducted mainly for new employees, mid-level employees, and managers, as well as for compliance training. Compliance training is prominent in the financial industry, which shows the reality of training unique to an industry that deals with "money" such as loans, asset management, and the sale of financial products. The full report, which includes survey results not published in this article, such as issues that participants perceived through the training and points of importance in the training, can be downloaded from the link below. We hope you will find it useful as ideas and hints for better employee training. Back to Table of Contents

How can AI Improve your Workplace Efficiency?
-Automating Content Creation-

The e-learning system "learningBOX" will have an "AI Assist" function linked to ChatGPT (scheduled for release on September 20, 2023). This is a feature that we hope you will take this opportunity to try, as it allows you to utilize AI easily and safely. For this issue, we asked learningBOX members to cooperate with us and experience "AI assist" firsthand. This article introduces an interview about "automatic generation of teaching materials (quiz and test generation). Click here to read the interview about "Report Analysis. What is "AI Assist" in learningBOX? We would like to reintroduce the AI assist function. Report Analysis...AI analyzes submitted reports based on model answers. Feedback comments are automatically generated to assist in the report grading process. Automatic generation of teaching materials (quiz/test generation, memorization card generation)...Quizzes and memorization cards can be automatically generated with a single click from videos and PDF materials uploaded to learningBOX, website URLs, etc. This enables time-saving question creation and report grading, which tend to be time-consuming, and assists in the smooth operation of online in-house training and school education. Back to Table of Contents Automatic generation of teaching materials (quiz and test generation)! Interviews We interviewed a member of the Information Security team. Torii, Project Manager, Specification Design Section, Product Planning Department and Information Security Team, Administration Department Before the interview, I would like to introduce a little about learningBOX's information security system. We have established an "Information Security Committee" for learningBOX's security system, and are continuously working on various security enhancements to ensure that our customers can use our services with peace of mind. Click here for detailed security measures In this case, we asked the participants to use the automatic generation of teaching materials (quiz and test generation) for a situation in which they were to create a test of understanding of the security handbook in an information security training program for all employees. Information security training is...one of learningBOX's new employee training and regular training programs, which includes about 50 contents such as documents, regulations, and procedures. The security handbook used in this training is updated once a year. Regular training is also conducted every year in conjunction with the update. What challenges have internal training staff had so far in creating educational materials? What challenges have you faced in the past when managing information security training? Torii: The Information Security Committee conducts training and comprehension tests once a year when the security handbook is updated. However, there was an opinion from within the company that the frequency of information security training should be increased a little more. However, I was currently working on security-related tasks in addition to my regular duties, so I was unable to find the time to increase the frequency of training sessions. I thought that if I could reduce the amount of time required to prepare the materials and tests, I would be able to solve the problem. The psychological burden of creating test questions is reduced as AI creates the base! How did you actually use the automatic generation of teaching materials (quiz and test generation)? What were the good points? Torii: I felt that it would reduce my workload because I don't have to come up with test content myself from scratch. However, there are still issues with the accuracy of the test questions created by the AI, so it will be necessary to make corrections by hand. Still, considering the increase in training frequency, it is difficult to create a number of tests by oneself, so having AI create the initial base will help reduce the psychological burden. It would also be nice to be able to present not only the test questions, but also the contents of the correct and incorrect answer choices. It's surprisingly hard to think of wrong answers. Torii: Yes, it is. It helps that it was a point that took quite a bit of time, such as trying to make subtle mistakes! ▼ Quiz/test generation is also so speedy! Is there anything else that could be improved by using AI Assist? Torii: Currently, we outsource the production of training materials and test questions related to the security handbook, but we have recently increased the number of members, and if we can use this automatic generation of teaching materials, I think it will be possible to bring the production in-house. If we are able to produce the materials in-house, we will be able to reduce costs. Automatic generation of teaching materials could also be used to disseminate internal rules! You have tried using it for information security training this time, but what other situations could you use the automatic generation of teaching materials? Torii: Regardless of information security, I think we can easily create tests when we want to inform people about company rules. For example, network-related issues or compliance. Because of my position, I am often consulted or asked questions by employees, and I thought that preparing a test for each internal rule would deepen the understanding of individuals and reduce the number of inquiries. What were your concerns and points for improvement? Did you have any concerns or areas for improvement after actually using the product? Torii: Currently, the automatic generation of teaching materials only allows you to select a single-choice question format, so it would be easier to use if there were more variations, such as sorting questions or fill-in-the-blank questions. It would also be great if we could choose the difficulty level of the quizzes/tests we create. For example, if we wanted to increase the frequency of information security training, it would be easier for trainees to learn if they could take a basic test at first and increase the difficulty level as they go through the training more frequently. Although it would be difficult to observe the difficulty level using AI, I think it would be possible to adjust the difficulty level if there are more variations in the question format. More to the point, it would be ideal to be able to create quizzes/tests that match the proficiency level of the students. I think this would be an even more practical function. As a point of concern, this time I tried to create a test with AI using PDF materials, but the accuracy of test generation differed depending on whether the original PDF data was Word or PowerPoint. In this case, I felt that Word was more compatible with AI. Specifically, what do you mean? Torii: For the security handbook, the original data was PowerPoint, but we converted it to PDF and created the test with AI. Actually, we also tried it on another document called the Information Security Procedures Manual. The original data of the Information Security Procedures Manual is in Word. When we converted it to PDF and then created a test with AI, the latter information security procedure document was more accurate in test generation. Perhaps, we felt that the AI could read the Word document more easily because it contained more information as a reading material, and the accuracy was also higher. On the other hand, PowerPoint, due to its characteristics, has many headings and illustrations, and the text is often expressed in a straightforward manner, which may reduce the accuracy of test generation. I see. That may be a new view. Finally, do you actually want to use this function in your business in the future? Torii: Yes, I do. I would definitely like to use it. It is difficult to think of and create test questions from scratch by myself, so I would like to wisely use the help of AI. Thanks to the automatic generation of teaching materials, I can now think positively about increasing the frequency of training. It's good to be able to achieve what I wanted to do but couldn't before. Back to Table of Contents SUMMARY In this issue, you have seen an interview with Torii about the automatic generation of teaching materials (quiz and test generation), how did you like it? He said that AI plays the role of assisting, and that it is essential for people to direct and correct the process. it would be wonderful if, by making good use of AI, we could solve one by one the problems that had not been solved due to manpower issues. Although there are still some issues to be addressed regarding the accuracy of the AI, we are confident that it will be useful as an assistant in online employee training, education, and human resource development, as was the case with Torii this time. We are now offering a free "Easy quiz generation by AI" service on the QuizGenerator page, which allows users to generate quizzes automatically by simply entering a short topic or a URL containing the content of the quiz they wish to create. Please enjoy the AI experience here as well until the release of the AI assist function in September. We also recommend this service! Also read Back to Table of Contents

How can AI Improve your Workplace Efficiency?
-Automating Employee Onboarding-

Recently, AI has been rapidly developing and many AI tools have been created, but are you using AI in your business? Many companies may still be concerned about the hurdles to using AI in their business operations from the viewpoint of security, such as information leakage. In such a situation, learningBOX Corporation will release a new function "AI Assist" for the e-learning system "learningBOX" that is linked to ChatGPT (scheduled for September 20, 2023). We hope you will take this opportunity to try this function as it allows you to utilize AI easily and safely. For this issue, we asked learningBOX members to cooperate with us and actually experience AI assist. In this article, we present an interview about "Report Analysis. Click here to read the interview about "automatic generation of teaching materials. What is "AI Assist" in learningBOX? First, let us briefly introduce the new "AI Assist" feature. Report Analysis...AI analyzes submitted reports based on model answers. Feedback comments are automatically generated to assist in the report grading process. Automatic generation of teaching materials (quiz/test generation, memorization card generation)...Quizzes and memorization cards can be automatically generated with a single click from videos and PDF materials uploaded to learningBOX, website URLs, etc. This enables time-saving question creation and report grading, which tend to be time-consuming, and assists in the smooth operation of online in-house training and school education. Back to Table of Contents Using "Report Analysis." Interviews We interviewed the following two members of the Support Section of the Sales Department. From left, Takashima (from Tokyo Branch Office), Kashiwabara (from Head Office) Interviews were conducted via an online connection between Tokyo and the head office. Assuming a customer support (CS) training situation for new employee training, we asked the participants to use "report analysis" for tasks from creating training questions to scoring. CS (Customer Support) training is one of the new employee training programs offered by learningBOX. It is a report assignment in which participants learn how they should respond as learningBOX customer support staff, based on actual customer inquiries. The report is submitted using the learning management system of learningBOX, and a senior employee grades each question and gives feedback. This is a difficult training program. What problems have scorers had with report assignments so far? What problems have you two had in grading reports? Takashima: When grading reports, I not only have to grade them as pass/fail, but also write feedback comments, but I had to create easy-to-understand sentences from scratch while adding hints so that the students could derive the answers themselves. This was difficult and time-consuming every time. In addition, each company member received more than 50 answers in total, and since I had to make pass/fail decisions and provide feedback on that volume in between work, before I knew it, I had a stack of reports waiting to be graded. Kashiwabara: The responses in the report were phrased differently from person to person, so it took time to check each one to make sure I was getting the points right. It used to take 5 minutes to grade one question, but it was reduced to 1 minute? How did you actually use the report analysis? What were the good points? Kashiwabara: First of all, I thought, "The age of AI has finally arrived! I thought (laughs). Putting that aside, I was glad that the AI automatically presents the similarity of the answers to the model answers and creates feedback comments so that I can immediately judge whether I have correctly filled in the correct points. This seemed to reduce the time it used to take me from five minutes to grade one question to a sensible one minute or so. For example, if there are 10 questions, I might be able to reduce the time from 50 minutes to 10 minutes. The feedback generated by the AI is also accurate, with such comments as "this sentence is missing" and "it is well written" for each point, so I have the impression that it can be used without problems as a basis for judgment. Also, if you check the "Analyze on receipt of report" box in advance, the AI-analyzed answers are already displayed when you open the scoring screen, which I thought was very convenient. If you check the "Analyze on receipt of report" checkbox, the AI analysis is already completed when you open the grading screen, which saves you time! Takashima: I also liked how easy it was to operate and how quickly I was able to create report assignments. Basically, all I had to do was add model answers to the normal flow of creating questions. I thought it was a time saver overall because it also showed the analysis quickly. As Kashiwabara-san said, the feedback sentences provided by the AI were also very accurate and helpful. For example, even if an answer lacks explanation, it will include specific advice in the text. It was very smooth because I could just copy the text and edit it. ▼The preparation of report assignments is also so speedy! ▼ Results screen with report analysis It could be used not only for in-house training, but also for various examinations and test preparation! You tried using it in the report grading scene of CS training this time, but what other situations could you use report analysis in? Takashima: In addition to universities, qualification schools, and in-house training, industries that require accuracy, such as the nursing care and construction industries, have report assignments after training, so it could be used in those situations as well. I also thought it could be used for other purposes, such as employment and promotion exams, as well as in test preparation. Kashiwabara: LearningBOX also has a diagnostic test function, but we sometimes receive comments from customers that it is difficult to create a diagnostic test. Certainly, it is difficult to create a diagnostic test from scratch unless you have studied statistics, etc. After using AI Assist, I feel that it is very good at analysis, so I thought it would be even more convenient if AI Assist was also included in the diagnostic test. What were your concerns and points for improvement? Did you have any concerns or areas for improvement after actually using the product? Kashiwabara: It may be improved in future modifications, but currently, the bottleneck may be that you can only enter up to 1,000 characters in response to a report assignment. For example, I felt it was not enough for a university report assignment. I also feel that there needs to be a basis for the "similarity to model answers" figure. This is because, if you answer the model answers as they are, you will naturally get 100%, but if you try to create some answers that are missing some wording from the model answers, the result is that many of them are around 85%. There was some variation in the numbers, and I thought it would be more convincing if I could objectively see what the percentages were based on. The percentage of correct answers is displayed as "similarity to the model answers." Furthermore, we also tested what would happen if we tried to give an answer that was better than the model answer, and the correct answer rate was 85%. This is because the AI compares the answer to the model answer, but if a person had graded it, this would be a point to be added to the score. In this regard, I felt it was safe to take the stance that "the AI is only an assistant". Also, there was a point where I thought I might be confused about the input format at first. The input format of how to submit the assignment, but please note that you cannot use the report analysis unless you select "text input". To use report analysis, select "Text Input" and then check the "Use AI Report Analysis (Beta) (Text Input Only)" checkbox! Takashima: In CS training, we often put URLs and images (screenshots) as hints for feedback on answers, so I would really like to see this evolve to be able to insert them! Would you actually like to use this feature in your work in the future? Kashiwabara: Yes, by all means! There are more than 50 questions in total in the LearningBOX and QuizGenerator report assignments, so it is quite hard to grade them while doing daily work. At this point, I feel that it is difficult to completely rely on AI to grade reports. However, it still saves a lot of time, so we definitely want to use it in the future. I am planning to use it in earnest during the CS training after I join the company in the summer! Back to Table of Contents SUMMARY In this issue, you have seen an interview with Takashima and Kashiwabara about report analysis. The good news is that by making effective use of AI with the viewpoint that "AI is only an assistant," it will be possible to efficiently perform tasks that used to take a long time! Although there are still some issues to be addressed regarding the accuracy of the AI, we are confident that it will be useful in assisting with the grading of report assignments. We are now offering a free "Easy Quiz Generation by AI" service on the QuizGenerator page, which allows users to generate quizzes automatically by simply entering a short topic or a URL containing the contents of a quiz. Please enjoy the AI experience here as well until the release of the AI assist function in September. We also recommend this service! Also read Back to Table of Contents
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