What To Add To Your Blended Learning Platform To Improve Performance
The term ‘blended learning’ sounds unnecessarily complex. It simply means you combine learning technologies with face-to-face training techniques. These in-person sessions don’t have to be done in a classroom but can also happen via web-conferencing or synchronized real-time sessions. It could be a one-on-one webcam tutorial with your online instructor or a group webinar. Which essential online training activities must be present to get the most out of your course? Here are 7 online training activities to add to your blended learning platform to boost on-the-job performance and productivity.
1. Realistic Simulations
Visual Realism doesn’t necessarily improve the effects of training. You could use stick figures or 8-bit characters, but still, be more immersive than million-dollar CGI. The realism aspect is contextual. You want them to practice tasks from their typical workday which guarantees preparation for on-the-job action. The practical simulations you upload to your blended learning platform should illustrate the points made in the ILT sessions, giving employees the ability to see how the information relates to their job duties and how to apply what they’ve learned.
2. Task Rehearsals
As an example, HR training might focus on salary negotiation. The important thing is the techniques, not the size, shape, or wardrobe of their simulation avatars. As it’s a blended learning course, your employees will eventually get to role-play in person, or via video conferencing. But they will be offered online simulated modules with a blended learning platform, so they can practice on their own. They can also use these modules to debrief after a tricky client interaction. Spotting and correcting their mistakes will calm them down, release some of their tension, and help them avoid errors in the future.
3. On-The-Spot Resources
The online portions of a training course are always on hand. Check that your user access is ongoing, so even after they’ve completed the course, they can come back to the blended learning platform for a refresher or check in for JIT resources. The offline portions of their training can be harder to seek out because there’s no record of them. Ideally, use a camera to shoot the sessions for later use. Watching themselves gives employees the opportunity to identify areas for improvement and reflect on their performance. But it can also be a good source for content or promotional materials. Also, you can base future online lessons off these sessions.
4. Infographic Class Reviews
An effective way to help employees remember their in-person units is to develop infographics via the blended learning platform. Look at the course content, watch session videos and condense that content into an online training library of infographic summaries. For example, say they had role-play sessions on conflict resolution. Your infographic could go over the main de-escalation techniques they have learned. Then, you can have tangential documents, showing them tips for specific scenarios. Label documents with keywords and metadata so they’re easy to find, using titles like ‘How to resolve a parking argument between clients’ or ‘What to do when a fight breaks out in the store’.
5. Crowd-Sourced Homework
Corporate training often focuses on technical practice, but employees often need more help with soft skills. For instance, things like empathy, negotiation, networking, communication and so on. By asking your corporate learners to create content, they get to explore some of these skills. Put them in charge of the company blog, just an example. A different employee, or a group of employees, has to populate the blog each week. They can put up a post of their choice, video, audio, or text. This assignment enhances their skills in communication, marketing, and digital networking. You can even award points to the posts that get the most hits.
6. Diagnostic Sessions
After an offline class, if you ask your employees what they thought of it, they’ll probably waffle. They’re unlikely to say they didn’t enjoy it, or that they didn’t understand. During their next online training session, you could present them with online assessments. It should review what they've learned, just to see how much has sunk in. It doesn’t have to be complicated, it could just be a true/false or yes/no exercise through the blended learning platform. The point isn’t to put them on the spot, but to evaluate the efficacy of their online training and to identify areas that might need to be re-visited. Bookend pop quizzes are another great way to diagnose trouble areas. For instance, before the online training course or face-to-face sessions, employees can gauge how much they know now. Then, after that, they will be able to see how far they’ve progressed, as well as identify emerging issues.
7. Peer Feedback Round-Tables
Invite your employees to a roundtable discussion that facilitates peer-based feedback via the blended learning platform. This may also be in the form of a group collab project that allows them to benefit from the experience of their co-workers. For example, they must work together to create a presentation based on what they've learned during the ILT session. They build teamwork skills and disclose hidden areas for improvement they may have been overlooked. Thanks to the fact that they can see things from a different POV.
Merging learning technologies with conventional training tactics can result in a better experience for trainees. Are there elements of blended learning that have to be present to ensure success? Yes. Simulations are built around ‘a regular day at the office’; the in-person practice of specific tasks, a comprehensive JIT library with intuitive search options, infographics that summarize the takeaways of offline training sessions, corporate training content generation as a training assignment, as well as self-assessment modules to review the effectiveness of offline classes.
How is conventional training problematic, and how can the blended learning approach fix it? Is there any way to convince employers blended learning software is the way to go? Download our eBook Blended Learning LMS Buyer's Guide: Tips To Bring The Best Of Both Worlds To Your SMB and discover how to remedy traditional training gaps, leverage your blended learning platform for managing online training, and how to bring the best in your SMB by using a blended learning LMS.
