How To Leverage The Digital Age For Learning Deployment In 3 Steps
We live in the digital age where technology has touched almost every sphere of our lives. A recent stopover at the La Guardia airport, New York, left me spellbound. A popular restaurant chain had transformed the airport dining experience through the use of digital devices. There were about 300 kiosks set up in the terminal. Travelers could leverage this digital technology to check flight status, order food, shop, and even play games while they wait to board their flight. When something as simple as a dining experience can undergo a radical change, it comes as no surprise that the digital age has transformed the way we learn.
When it comes to deploying learning in a global organization, the digital age has radically changed the way corporate training was implemented. It used to be a one-size-fits-all approach, though now there has to be a more modern method of training. Read on to know more about 3 ways to leverage the digital age to deploy learning in your organization.
1. Redesign The LMS
The Learning Management System (LMS) is at the heart of learning deployment in an organization. The traditional LMS is no longer enough to support the continuous learning that’s required in the digital age. The modern LMS supports social and collaborative learning that allows learners to collaborate with peers and instructors, and enriches the learning experience. The integrated communication tools in an LMS allow learners to view content that’s personalized to them. Badges, points, and leaderboards on the LMS motivate learners to complete training programs assigned to them.
The LMS of the digital age makes it easy to upload, complete, and track courses delivered through various training modalities such as Instructor-Led Training, Virtual Instructor-Led Training, and eLearning. Blended learning is increasingly popular in the digital age and the LMS has to support it.
Learning analytics through the LMS helps training managers keep track of learners’ progress in the training and gives them an insight into what can be improved in the training program. Learning analytics can improve training investment and increase the Return On Investment (ROI) from training.
2. Offer A Tailored Learning Experience
You have an amazing, interactive training program in place. But is it relevant to all the learners who go through it? Let’s consider the example of a new hire onboarding program. While it’s ok to introduce new hires to the different functions in an organization, it makes no sense to go into the details of each functional or business unit. This may be difficult in a traditional classroom program, especially when new hires belong to different departments. What’s relevant to one learner, may not be so for another.
Personalization in online training programs can address this problem and increase content relevance to learners. Online training programs can offer personalized learning paths that learners can take, based on their role in the organization or the department they belong to. For example, a new hire onboarding program can cover general information on the business units in the organization in the classroom, and then get learners to access detailed information on different departments through online training. Learners can choose the department or functional unit they belong to and continue with a department-specific or role-specific training program.
The digital age can also be leveraged to provide learners with blended learning, flipped classroom training, and customized online training programs.
3. Promote A Learning Culture
We live in a competitive era and creating a learning culture is one way to stay ahead of the competition in your business. A learning culture is a set of organizational values, practices, and processes that encourage employees to develop knowledge and competence. Training programs are an important channel for employee engagement and an organization that promotes a learning culture is sure to see a boost in employee productivity.
The digital age has enabled learners to choose what, where, when, and how they learn. Just like how one shops online or orders food from an online restaurant menu, it’s easy to access online training as well. Responsive learning is supported by most authoring tools in this digital age. This feature provides seamless access to online training, through a variety of digital devices.
The digital age has contributed to the decrease in the attention span of learners. Because of this, there is a need for training that’s short, powerful, and simplifies complex ideas making them easier to digest. Microlearning modules can be leveraged to provide just-in-time training.
An organization that embraces continuous learning is adept at problem-solving, relationship-building, and is able to think of ways to evolve new products and services. Informal learning is on the rise. Building an online library is a step toward promoting a learning culture in your organization. When you deploy learning in organizations in the digital age, remember that besides the LMS you also need to look at other technologies that bring learning to life.
