Leverage Blended Learning And Enjoy The Advantages
Corporate training has undergone a phenomenal change in the recent years. As organizations grow, there is an increasing need to deliver training that’s aligned with the organization’s business goals. L&D professionals understand that training cannot be a one-time event. But they are bound by the barriers of time, cost, and space that make it difficult to deliver training according to the learners’ moment of need.
Enter blended learning, and the scenario changes. Now learners get to experience Instructor-Led Training programs and also enjoy the flexibility offered by online training programs. How has blended learning contributed to a world-class learning experience? Read on to find out.
1. Makes The Most Of Training
A lot of debate goes on about the best form of training. Is it a classroom or online training? Both have their pros and cons. There is something about classroom training that’s missing in online learning, and that’s the human touch. There’s a lot to be gained from the discussions we have with the trainer as well as peers. Group learning activities teach employees a lot about interacting with others in a professional and co-operative manner.
Online learning, on the other hand, offers the flexibility to learn at one’s own pace and convenience. But it also means working in silos, as opportunities to interact with other learners are limited.
Implementing blended learning provides the perfect workaround to enjoy the best of both worlds—classroom and online. Learning definitely becomes a world-class experience when you can make the most of different formats in training delivery.
2. Delivers An Engaging Learning Experience
If you can recollect the books we loved to read as children, most of them were illustrated. A comic character or a colorful image that conveyed the story was preferable to a plain book that contained long paragraphs of text. As adults, we are no different. When training content is presented in a variety of formats, it is easier for information to sink in.
For example, watching a video that’s related to the topic of training, or going through an infographic not only keeps the learner engaged but also ensures that content is understood.
A blended learning approach can leverage technology to deliver engaging training that your learners are sure to love.
3. Cuts The Cost Of Training
A large number of organizations use Instructor-Led Training (ILT) as the preferred method of training. With an increasing number of organizations going global, the cost of training employees in these diverse locations is on the rise. Right from arranging a venue for classroom training to getting the instructor and the participants to the class, there is an expense involved. But there are certain kinds of training programs which cannot do away with classroom training. And that’s where blended eLearning helps.
How can blended learning reduce the training cost? Here’s how we helped our client, a leading pharmaceutical company reduce training cost.
Sales representatives in the pharmaceutical division had to be trained on products offered by the company. They also had to be trained in sales skills. Because new hires were recruited all through the year, classroom training had to be conducted at centralized locations all through the year.
Our blended learning solution helped the company counter the rising cost of classroom training. Sales representatives also gained access to on-demand product training that was accessible on mobile devices. Training that took 8 weeks in the classroom was reduced to 2 weeks, without compromising on the engagement and effectiveness.
4. Enhances Training Effectiveness
For years, trainers have had to deal with forgetting curves of learners. Most learners walk away from a classroom training with a lot of information, only to forget it a couple of weeks later. Complementing classroom training programs with online training is a great strategy to reinforce learning. When learners are given opportunities to practice what they have learned, they are able to retain information.
With a blended approach, learning can be spaced and repeated. This improves training effectiveness and helps improve learning retention levels.
The possibility of delivering content in a variety of interesting microlearning formats such as videos, infographics, simulations and so on, combined with classroom training has opened up exciting avenues for learning and training. Going forward, an increasing number of organizations are certain to take the blended learning approach.
