Broadening Our Perspective: A Framework For Designing More Effective Learning Solutions
The challenge of developing effective training solutions that achieve the results we’re after isn’t a new problem. In fact, learning professionals and academics like us have been wrestling with this challenge for years. We work hard to provide learning opportunities that improve individual and organizational performance. We design great classroom programs that teach core skills and provide opportunities to practice; we build exceptional self-paced online experiences that teach concepts and skills; we deliver blended programs that deliver content through multiple channels.
While this is all well and good—and absolutely needs to be part of the big picture—data shows a different story on which we should be focusing. In the eBook Designing For Results - A Framework For Designing More Effective Learning Solutions you will see that helping people learn is a necessary but insufficient condition for improved performance. In other words, simply improving the learning experience so it’s more engaging just isn’t enough if we really want to drive better results and improved performance in our organizations.
This point is amplified by research from the Conference Board (CEB) that tells us traditional training only creates 37 % learning transfer.
Let’s unpack this a bit so you can see the number in stark relief: 37% learning transfer means only 37% of the people we train actually go on to apply what they’ve learned when they complete the training event and go back to the workplace.
If application, knowledge transfer, and performance improvement is the point of what we do, then we’re falling way short. So what’s missing? For years we’ve been seeing the problem with creating more learning transfer as something that can be solved by designing better experiences. Over the past three years, we’ve made great strides to create more engaging learning solutions. According to this same CEB research:
- 76% of L&D Functions have redesigned learning content to make it more enjoyable.
- 67% of L&D Functions have increased the number of learning channels they utilize.
- 59% of L&D Functions prioritize immediate learning needs for current jobs.
But still we fall short!
In spite of these efforts, learning transfer is an abysmal 37%. So, how the eBook Designing For Results - A Framework For Designing More Effective Learning Solutions can help you and your organization create learning experiences that have better results?
About The eBook
Let’s have a look at the key chapters of the eBook:
- Broadening Our Perspective: A Design Framework For More Effective Learning Solutions.
The challenge of developing effective training solutions CEB research: That achieve the results we’re after isn’t a new problem. In fact, learning professionals and academics like us have been wrestling with this challenge for years. - The Before And After Matter.
While we tend to focus on the delivery of content, there is a significant body of research that the transfer of learning is much more dependent on what happens before and after the formal learning event. Robert Brinkerhoff’s Courageous Training Model (shown below) provides a framework for creating learning solutions with high transfer. - Ready To Make A Shift?
Today, most organizations view design as an aesthetic. Too many learning designers only think about how to get the content into people’s heads. They focus on what a solution will look like and the bells and whistles that they think will “engage” the user. While these elements certainly create an enjoyable experience and may add to the credibility of the content itself, it’s important to think about design in broader terms. - What Does A Change Journey Look Like?
At Kineo, we’ve been expanding our idea of design from the learning event to creating a broader view of designing a more complete change journey. Our journey idea takes a step back from design and takes a more holistic approach that pulls in the before, during, and after. It’s a framework for design. - Crafting Your Journey.
In other contexts—say, learning how to give better feedback to an employee or learning how to complete the correct process in order to execute a customer’s transaction—the mix or blend of the six steps in the journey may differ in emphasis and execution from learning how to drive a car. But the essential structure generally remains the same. - All Journeys Aren’t The Same.
The example of learning to drive is one context, one set of learning needs, and one audience. Of course, as these inputs change, so will the make-up of a solution. As you work through a specific performance challenge for which you’re trying to move the needle, you may find that you don’t have to go through all six of the steps or that certain steps require more emphasis or focus than the others. Let’s look at a handful of other examples to understand how the shape of a solution might change. - Hope Isn't A Method.
Today, too many of us develop training that begins and ends with the delivery of content. We then hope it will have the desired result. We hope learners are engaged and motivated to take the course. We cross our fingers and hope they apply what they learned back on the job. We hope we achieve the desired outcome we set out to target.
If you’re interested in a new robust model that deals with knowledge delivery and its efficiency, design beyond aesthetics, before, during, and after the learning event, download the eBook Designing For Results - A Framework For Designing More Effective Learning Solutions to discover the benefits of this holistic approach.