Totara in Media & Tech: Learning as Operational Infrastructure

Learning in media and technology is no longer a support function. It has become operational infrastructure that shapes speed, capability, and commercial outcomes. This article explores how organisations use Totara to move faster, scale learning beyond employees, and connect development directly to performance. Drawing on real-world case studies, it shows how learning supports revenue enablement, reduces operational risk, and helps organisations build the capabilities they need to operate and grow in complex, fast-moving environments.

Totara v20: A Strategic Upgrade for Compliance, Skills, and Scale

Totara v20 marks a shift from managing learning to enabling performance. In this article, we unpack how the latest release strengthens compliance, brings clarity to skills, reduces admin effort, and connects learning into the wider business. Rather than listing features, we explore what these changes mean for L&D and HR leaders who need confidence, visibility, and impact at scale.

Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method (SCM): A practical guide to measuring what matters

Most learning evaluations confirm that training happened, but struggle to explain where it made a real difference. Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method (SCM) offers a practical alternative by focusing on the strongest and weakest outcomes of learning initiatives. This guide explores how SCM works, when to use it, and how it helps L&D teams uncover actionable insight that links learning to performance.

How organisations embed learning into performance, and where Totara fits in

In this Unpacked Field Note, we dig into a familiar tension: why learning programmes often show activity but struggle to shift real performance. It explores the structural gap between learning and work, and reflects on what changes when learning is designed to live inside performance, not alongside it.

The Hidden Power of Totara Blocks: Designing Learning Experiences, Not Pages

In this article, we explore how blocks enable scalable personalisation through targeted dashboards, role-based content, and AI-powered recommendations. Using real-world examples from Emirates Health Services, Oxford Health NHS, and the Garden Centre Association, we show how blocks reduce noise, improve relevance, and make learning feel designed for each learner. The real shift is thinking about experience, not just pages.

Introducing Unpacked Field Notes

Introducing Unpacked: Field Notes, a new series of short, reflective posts drawn from real-world learning and performance work. Each note captures the patterns, tensions, and lessons that surface inside organisations. Designed to spark thought and discussion, these reflections help L&D and HR professionals slow down, ask better questions, and connect learning more closely to performance.

Designing Learning Content for Engagement: What Actually Makes the Difference

Engagement in digital learning doesn’t fail because people lack motivation. It fails because learning is often designed to be completed, not used. This article explores what actually drives engagement in practice, and why intentional social design, meaningful feedback, and modular content are key to learning that improves performance over time.

When LMS Eras Don’t Line Up: How Vendors Bridge the Strategic Gap

The LMS market isn’t moving through neat, linear eras. Different organisations operate at very different levels of maturity at the same time. This creates tension between vendors and buyers, especially when expectations don’t align. The vendors that succeed are those who design for layered maturity and guide customers forward without leaving anyone behind.

The LMS Industry Isn’t Where You Think It Is

The LMS industry isn’t standing still. It’s cycling through overlapping “strategic eras” that shape how learning platforms evolve. Borrowing from Alex Smith’s framework, this article explores how supply, performance, democratisation, specialisation, and redefinition show up in L&D today. Understanding these eras helps us see where the industry is headed next and what truly meaningful progress looks like.

From Courses to Conversations: How Totara Enables Learning That Actually Sticks

Totara Engage, now part of Totara Learn, brings learning into the flow of work with collaborative workspaces, curated resources, and peer-driven knowledge sharing. This article explores how social learning strengthens engagement, accelerates skills development, and supports real performance improvement across the organisation. See how leading companies are using Engage to build connected, learning-ready cultures that evolve with their people.