Axonify vs. Schoology Learning

Well-suited to the original purpose of delivering questions on a daily basis; everything beyond that gets complicated. For example, there are a number of program types available to deliver information (certifications, daily reinforcement, self-directed learning, assigned paths, etc.). However understanding how they all fit together requires advancing weaving together of multiple types of programs for individual groups, and requires more time than you would expect. Nearly 3 years into working with Axonify, we are still trying to iron it all out. We also have side groups of customers who meet to help each other because we all struggle with it too. We have a hard time helping our leaders and subject matter experts understand what is possible and what doesn't work well in the platform, since it is so different and doesn't work as expected. For example, communication to teams is one way - the recipients can't respond.

Incentivized

Schoology does the job well enough, but there are enough areas of contention that make advanced use of the system unwieldy. District staff does not have easy reporting ability to determine adoption and use of the platform without having to export to another program for analysis. The reliability of the system is a huge pain point as we need to deliver the curriculum but cannot count on it being available when we need to use it.

Incentivized

• Update the platform in response to feedback from current users- ex. Many of the features I wished Axonify had when I first signed up for it are now live, such as guided learning, the ability to add certification to guided learning paths, and the ability to tie outside metrics and behaviors directly to Axonify training frequency and scores
• Reinforce employee knowledge to ensure employees don't forget content they don't use frequently- ex. as long as an employee signs in to train regularly, you can be assured that they will learn what they need to because the Axonify algorithm prioritizes reinforcement questions on topics that the learner hasn't seen recently and topics that the learner has the lowest scores in. The end result is that the platform is always customizing the content watch learner sees to help improve the individual's weak points. This means that of an employee is under performing, we know it is either because the process is not working, or the employee is unwilling to follow the process, not because he or she doesn't know any better
• Foster competition and excitement around completing certain training milestones- ex. the Leaderboard can get pretty competitive as employees compete to reach the top. The platform also lets you auction off different prizes on the platform using points earned by answering questions correctly, thereby indirectly creating an incentive to complete training.
• I have never worked with a company that did such a great job at walking a new user through the implementation process. A year and a half after implementing the platform I still have a regular call from my rep (Erin Bresser) during which we discuss my company's training plan, pain points, strategies, upcoming features, and anything else training related. I could not ask for more or better support from a vendor.
• I love all the different content options I have. I can use the bare bones basics and simply add questions directly into Axonify, or I can support those questions by building a complex course, video, animation, or even downloading content from the Content exchange directly from Axonify. This means that weather I have a day or a year to prepare content, I have the ability to produce a functional and productive experience for my workforce

Incentivized

• Assessments - Much more interactive and have more grading options than Google Forms
• Auto-rostering - We are able to use Infinite Campus to automatically roster classes and there are no extra steps
• Family/Guardian access - Schoology allows families to have a sign in and see student grades & work.

Incentivized

• Subjects and categories organization system can get a little confusing.
• While there is support for mobile phones, there's not an easy way to test it on mobile devices without deploying it first.
• Lots of options so it can get complex if you just need a straightforward solution.

Incentivized

• While this product constantly seeks to make improvements, certain features need tweaking. As educators enroll in various courses, these course tend to accumulate. If the educator is not an administrator of the course, it is next to impossible to get out.
• Switching from one course/group to another course/group takes several steps. Not always easy to find the course/group needed.

While we have taken time to re-evaluate our selected 1:1 devices, Schoology's impact on student learning is unquestioned. Students are able to connect with other learners, create and share products of their learning, and develop their digital fluency through their use of Schoology.

Axonify is extremely easy to use, for both employees and managers. The platform is visually appealing, and Axonify offers a number of videos and tutorials for any administration and user functionality. The reporting is also very easy to obtain and review, with the ability to drill down to team and individual results.

Incentivized

It's very easy to use Schoology. As with any LMS, it helps to learn some tips and tricks prior to getting started. But, each item is clearly indicated within the platform. If I want to add materials, it is right at the top of my screen. If I want to view the calendar, it is indicated to the right of my screen. Navigating a course and the platform is quite straightforward. Additionally, the benefit of Schoology's help center and user community makes asking and answering questions quick and easy.

Generally good, but issue self-reporting has become a problem. When there are issues, it can be 20 minutes to an hour before it gets noted on the status page

Course saves or transfers can take several minutes and up to an hour

Axonify has been great for support. We have a dedicated rep but I have also just posted to the official user boards and gotten feedback as well. Axonify also has a conference every year that is a great way to learn. You can also become certified in Content or Administration with Axonify if you so choose.

Incentivized

We have county-level support and district-level support, but their HELP page offers everything that is needed to answer questions and to find "how-to" information for staff. This includes video and written directions for every available feature. Schoology has also worked with our district to improve their product.

Too surface level with no follow-up. A

Sit and get with very little hands-on time. 5 minutes to try out a feature/question type, etc. is not enough time. Once your training is done, there is no option for new employees to get that training without having to rebook and pay for the training again. If you pay for basic training, that should be available to a district to use in the future.

I like the way Axonify provides chunks of information to the learner by overwhelming them by dividing them into bite-size content. The learners don't have a lot of time to give to training, so Axonify has helped has provided just in time training to those teams. It's very much suited to our organization. Axonify is extremely easy to use for both learners and managers. The platform is visually appealing and provides a lot of video-based content to learn the platform for any administrative and user functionality. It is a unique tool in its segment, it meets the requirements that other tools, LMS, or learning libraries don't.

Incentivized

I have taught using both Edmodo and Google Classroom. While both were easier than Schoology was to get in the beginning, Schoology is infinitely more powerful than either of them was. I can do so much more, and differentiate so much easier using Schoology than I could with either of my previous LMSs.

Incentivized

We use it 5-12 so scalability is not an issue but sharing materials between departments including common assessments is difficult without paying for add-on features

• Before, we could not accurately measure if people were really reviewing our monthly safety material or really reading our new policy releases. Now we have nearly 100% compliance.
• Over the past two years since we implemented Axonify, we have seen a decrease of $200,000 in our workers comp annual cost. We expect this trend to continue or stay stable due to a staff that is more aware of safety.
• We maintain our position as a San Francisco and Silicon Valley Best Place to Work due to our high morale and employee engagement level. 99% of our employees engage with Axonify an average of 13x per month. This ranking has made us an leader in affordable housing with some of the best staff members in our industry.

Incentivized

• Using Schoology to build a foundation for a blended learning model has helped increase my students ABC rate between 15-20% in all classes!
• Using Schoology is forcing my students to become responsible for their own learning!
• The only negative thing I have encountered is the students resistance to change!