Custom Learning Solutions That Help You Solve L&D challenges
A little from column A, a little from column B… Allow your learners to take a pick and mix approach to their learning journey by using custom training solutions and put your people, not your tech, firmly in the frame.
“The last thing learning should be is restrictive! So as well as being able to access it easily, we should be able to dip in and out, and not necessarily need to set aside hours to achieve anything (completely unrealistic when, according to recent research, the average person has 9 minutes to learn a week). Small chunks can build into bigger learnings.”
Candice Gardner, Education Manager – Digital and Content, Dermalogica
Key Reasons Custom Training Solutions Overcome L&D Obstacles
1. It Takes A "People First, Tools Second' Approach
First, recognise any established collaborative networks that are willing to actively work together. Building a collective body of knowledge and experience requires individual effort; it doesn’t just happen, whatever we say about learning in the flow of work. Next, create new patterns of behaviours through supportive intervention. Whether that’s through your LMS or LXP or via a range of media and devices to build a ‘sense’ of community, i.e. photo sharing, storytelling, virtual or real team and individual coaching. And it doesn’t have to all occur offline or in-platform. You can use existing social tools that are already embedded in the business, like Teams or Slack, to support the call to action from a piece of learning. Building on existing best practice, you can use the system to your advantage and as a result deliver demonstrable results for the team whilst contributing to the wider organisation's targets and goals
2. It Lets You Be Creative With Content Types
Here are a few suggestions for your custom eLearning solutions:
- TED-style talks – in person and on video
- Through my eyes - a 'day in the life' video
- Audio panel discussions
- Quizzes
- Buzzfeed-style lists and graphics
- Interactive video
- Animation
However, personalisation is not just about content types - it is also about making learning accessible so people can consume it in a way that works for them – whether that’s in the middle of the night, during daylight hours, or on their commute.
Personalisation is also about making learning feel relevant for the individual – again, moving away from that one-size fits-all approach to make content feel more bespoke. Outlining exactly how this content is relevant to the individual, showing the impacts and benefits up front, creates greater buy-in, better engagement and improves learning completion.
3. It Makes Great Learning Design The Star, Not The Technology
The Kineo best practice approach to the development of next gen learning content is to WISE up:
- Web-style
- Interactive
- Self-directed
- Erudite
WISE is learner-centric model based on assumptions about the common preferences and learning styles of people in today’s workplace, given the ubiquity of technology and online content in everyday life.
4. It Creates A Clear Path For Learners To Follow
Here are some typical steps for you to consider for the main journey or programme outline:
Activate
- How will you onboard the learner?
- What do they need to know to get started?
- What experience do they already have?
- How can you personalise the learner journey?
- Who can support them through the journey?
- Where do they go to get started?
Tip: Think about what a learner needs, help them understand what is expected, what they will get out of the programme and how much commitment is needed and why.
Core Learning
- What is the best way to structure the learning e.g. sequentially, task or process based?
- Which experiences or challenges will help to deepen knowledge or change behaviour?
- What is the realistic timeline around how the employee will progress through the journey?
- Which type of learning opportunities and resources will be presented to the learner?
- What opportunities will be given for practice e.g. assignments, tools, simulations, scenarios?
- How will you support the learner e.g. coaching, virtual facilitation, prompts or nudges?
- What modes of communication or interaction will you use? For instance, touch points could be via emails, social media interactions, in-class sessions, virtual or via Chat Rooms.
Tip: Think about experiential design, the experience itself should be built around a learning and business goal: This captures the point of the experience and defines how learners’ behaviour should change as a result of the learning.
Graduation Or Certification
Learners need to have specific goals and to feel recognised for their achievement. Having a specific celebration like a graduation or reaching a certification point helps to build motivation. Programmes that offer this tend to enjoy increased engagement, improved satisfaction for both individuals and for the organisation.
Sustain
This phase of the programme focuses on continuing the learning process once the core learning has been completed. The key question here is how to enable and embed continued learning and development.
- Is there an existing Community of Practice that can support continued learning?
- Can coaching be put in place and who can provide ongoing support?
- Can you use the programme or resources for just-time-learning for reference in the future?
- Are their tools and guides that can be provided to embed the learning as part of the role?
- Would follow up seminars encourage sustained learning and impact?
Conclusion
Pick and Mix custom training solutions are learner-centered and experience-driven. You have the power to target L&D challenges that negatively impact on the job performance. Likewise, employees have the opportunity to focus on personal areas for improvement and choose the best delivery method for their needs.
Download the eBook How Custom Learning Experiences Help Build A Continuous Improvement Culture to find out how custom-tailored eLearning experiences can help you overcome obstacles and personalize the employee development process.