Training tips that triumph
Memory science, microlearning and what actually makes workplace training stick.
What the future holds for e-learning
Despite the fact that the term e-learning was coined in 1999, the roots of machine-based teaching can actually be traced backed decades before then. Ever since, more and more interpretations have offered to provide learners with the ultimate in education and instruction. But that doesn’t mean to say we have reached the pinnacle of e-learning. Although psychologists have used science to prove that e-learning techniques such as spaced repetition and gamification are much more effective at long-term memory retention than traditional training methods, you never know when new or novel innovations could transform knowledge acquisition yet again. So, how far has e-learning come since its inception and what does the future have in store for this teaching technique? The history of e-learning Similar to e-learning, distance courses were in existence as early as the 1840s when Isaac Pitman taught students about symbolic writing via long-distance correspondence. However, it wasn’t until 1924 that Ohio State University professor Sidney Pressey invented a self-testing machine known as “Automatic Teacher,” which to all intents and purposes failed. Fast forward 30 years and students at Harvard University were invited to follow a set of instructions on the “Teaching Machine” created by professor and pioneer BF
Do’s and don’ts of competency based learning
With most training courses, employees will attend en masse, attempt to acquire stacks of new skills or expertise, and then be tested at the end of the day to find out whether or not the program was successful. However, members of staff are rarely enthused by this type of training, get overwhelmed with just how much information is being force fed to them, and fail to reap positive rewards in the long-term. Therefore, organisations are increasingly adopting new methods of teaching such as e-learning, microlearning and spaced repetition. These can be designed and customised for the individual and feature elements such as gamification to increase employee engagement. What’s more, they are perfectly suited to competency-based assessments, which have proved to be much better at evaluating the effectiveness of training. But what is competency-based learning? How does it correlate with assessing the aptitude of employees? And what do you need to know when implementing this type of training for your own organisation? The basics of competency-based assessments Competency-based assessments allow businesses to accurately understand their workforce’s proficiency while also helping Chief Learning Officers (CLOs) to demonstrate the affect training has in meeting enterprise objectives. As opposed to traditional classroom teaching, these
How to create a great content strategy for mobile
One of the reasons why e-learning took a little bit of time to be accepted as a genuine training solution is because it introduced new and novel technologies that had never been seen before in teaching environments. Some employers were rather sceptical as to whether it would work, while members of staff had to get used to the learning techniques on offer. But before long, e-learning was the training solution of choice for countless organisations. Even so, it would be wrong to compare the integration of e-learning with the future potential of m-learning or mobile learning. This is because we are already familiar and au fait with mobile technology, as it dominates and dictates modern society. Therefore, when it comes to adopting mobile learning as a training technique, you shouldn’t be looking for ways to get content onto smartphones and tablets. Instead, you must think of how to marry up learning and development with the digital lives of your employees. Modern day mobile learning Most people in today’s digitally connected society will probably say that their smartphone or tablet is extremely personal to them. Along with functionality to help the user go about their daily routine, mobile devices also feature
What do modern day learners want?
In a world where we have access to highly advanced, fast moving technologies, learners do not have the time or inclination to sit down in a classroom and passively listen to what a teacher has to say. For this reason, corporate training is not as effective or influential as it once was. But before businesses throw in the training towel altogether, they should consider adopting an alternative approach, which embraces technology rather than shunning it. While numerous options are on the table, microlearning is proving to be the training technique of choice among modern day learners. In addition to providing learners with a solution that fits into their busy lives, offers a great deal of flexibility and the ultimate in interactivity, microlearning also affords several advantages for businesses too. It cuts down development costs, reduces time-to-competence, provides more flexibility when it comes to creating learning materials and results in greater knowledge retention. But in spite of these benefits, the training possibilities that microlearning can bring are not being fully realised by some businesses. However, the obstacles that stand in the way of implementation are actually rather easy to overcome. Microlearning recap As opposed to prolonged training programs, microlearning splits up
Are assessments a top priority for L&D?
It seems like an obvious point to make, but why bother putting your employees through training if they don’t learn anything or develop new skills? This is something a staggering amount of businesses forget, as their priorities lie elsewhere. Seeing as a great deal of time, effort, and resources go into most training programs, the vast majority of businesses will want to make sure that the learning materials cover essential topics relating to the job in question. This is fair enough, but you can’t assume employees will automatically learn and remember what is placed in front of them. For this to happen, you need to continually examine and assess each member of staff to discover whether training has had a positive impact on their learning and development. Thankfully, an increasing number of businesses are starting to recognise this fact and are allocating their training budgets accordingly. Investing in training Following on from the financial crisis, global economies have been progressively improving, which is good news for corporate training. Not only are businesses investing in learning strategies, technologies, and content, they also expect this trend to continue. Furthermore, assessment tools, learning management systems, and mobile technologies are also being given greater
Unveiling the Effectiveness of E-Learning
In spite of the powerful and potent advantages that e-learning can provide, several businesses remain sceptical and believe traditional training methods are just as effective in teaching staff new knowledge and information. But even if you throw scientific studies or in-depth research in front of these doubters, they often come back with arguments over the financial implications of e-learning and how much investment it requires. Thankfully, e-learning has the answers to these questions as well. In fact, calculating the ROI of this training method can also help to measure its effectiveness too. So, what frameworks and metrics exist to determine just how beneficial e-learning can be? Measuring e-learning effectiveness In order to collect and acquire the broadest perspective possible into e-learning effectiveness, it is imperative to measure multiple factors. The main ones are: Employee feedback – First and foremost, collecting feedback from employees can help to understand how well the training was perceived. Members of staff should be asked if the course was a valuable experience and whether they liked the topics, materials, and how it was presented. However, it is important to remember that although valuable, these opinions do not have a significant or tangible impact on the organisation’s
Will Generation Y change the way we learn?
On account of the fact that classroom-based teaching no longer provides sufficient stimulation for employees at corporate training, different ways of learning have been given greater priority in recent years, such as on-the-job and gaining knowledge through peers. The importance of both is emphasised by the 70:20:10 Model for Learning and Development, which is typically credited to Morgan McCall and his colleagues Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger working at the Centre of Creative Leadership (CCL). After asking nearly 200 executives to self-report on how they believed they learned, McCall summarised that: “Lessons learned by successful and effective managers are roughly: 70 per cent from tough jobs 20 per cent from people (mostly the boss) 10 per cent from courses and reading” Lombardo and Eichinger also expressed their rationale behind the 70:20:10 model in the book The Career Architect Development Planner: “Development generally begins with a realisation of current or future need and the motivation to do something about it. This might come from feedback, a mistake, watching other people’s reactions, failing or not being up to a task – in other words, from experience. The odds are that development will be about 70 per cent from on-the-job experiences – working
5 tips to create a smarter sales team with e-learning
Any good salesperson will possess the ability to give you a smooth pitch about their product or service, answer any questions in a professional way, and then seal the deal before you have even noticed. However, any great salesperson won’t necessarily do much talking. Instead, they will listen to what you require rather than just assuming and always have your best interests at heart. But managing to turn good salespeople into great ones will often come down to training, where you not only improve and enhance their natural adeptness, but also introduce new concepts and ideas. Having said that, furnishing your workforce with additional skills and extra knowledge isn’t always straightforward, especially if your sales staff haven’t mastered the skill of listening yet. If this is the case, then you may need to adopt a different approach, such as e-learning. Why use e-learning for sales training? In order to improve confidence, impress customers and increase conversions, sales staff will need to know everything about the product or service on offer. With this knowledge, they can identify the problems a prospect is encountering and explain how the benefits of your product or service can overcome them. But finding the time to
Unveiling the Qualities of an Ideal Leader
In order to be a good leader, there are several attributes one must exhibit. These include the ability to delegate, strong communication skills, lots of self-confidence and a positive attitude even when the chips are down. Then again, there will be great leaders that go above and beyond their call of duty to help fellow employees. They will also be honest if talking to staff, show creativity when solving problems, and inspire others to do better. However, there is one thing that good and great leaders need to do if they want to become an ideal leader – keep on learning. Ideal leaders will always want to ask questions but never assume they know everything. They won’t be afraid to make mistakes either but will want feedback on how to improve in the future. But why is it important to keep on learning? And how can you go about increasing your knowledge or gaining a greater understanding about certain themes and topics? Learning to lead It is extremely dangerous for any leader to think they are the finished article. Even with the highest level of education possible and a great deal of real-world experience, there is still no guaranteed way
Why gamification is a vital tool in e-learning
Owing to the fact technology is now an integral part of society and something we couldn’t possibly do without, it is no real surprise to see that e-learning has become more and more important from an educational and training perspective. For school pupils, university students, and full-time employees, the ability to acquire new information via computer software and smartphone applications has transformed their respective learning experiences. But as a concept so intrinsically linked to technology, e-learning must move with the times and continually adjust its offering. By standing still, e-learning could soon receive the same exiled treatment as the traditional teaching methods that preceded it. Thankfully, e-learning is moving forward in a progressive way, as things like smartphone applications are now essential teaching tools for several students. However, one development in particular has not only assisted e-learning in its quest to be at the forefront of modern-day teaching, but also laid claim as a vital and indispensable tool. A closer look at gamification Generally speaking, gamification refers to the use of game mechanics to “gamify” content, such as teaching materials. In turn, this incentivises and engages students or employees by encouraging them to learn more and provides rewards for certain
Unlocking the Power of Translating E-Learning Courses
Thanks to the truly global nature of the Internet and the rapid advancement of technology, it is possible for any business regardless of its size or sector to trade with customers on the other side of the world. But while this opens up a wealth of new and lucrative opportunities, it also throws up a fair few challenges. First of all, you need to have an in-depth understanding of your target market and their preferences. Purchasers in another country will place different priorities on different products and may not be willing to pay the same as consumers back home. You have also got to consider other factors such as cultural conventions when it comes to selling, what payment methods to accept, how you will delivery your products or services, the refunds and returns process, and whether you need to pay local taxes or export duties. But getting all of these components correct could be pointless if you run into language difficulties. Both clients and customers need to be given the greatest respect, which won’t happen if you insult them or embarrasses yourself through a language misunderstanding. This is just one reason why translating your e-learning courses makes a lot of
How, when, and why did microlearning become so popular?
In many respects, the theory behind microlearning is not a new one. As a matter of fact, it has been a legitimate learning technique for quite some time now. However, it has attracted a lot more attention in recent years for various reasons. But how, why, and when did microlearning become so popular? How did microlearning become so popular? The reasons behind microlearning’s popularity are fairly easy to understand. But above all else, it is an incredibly effective way of learning, retaining, and applying new knowledge, skills or information. In its purest form, microlearning is simply gaining a greater understand of something through repetition. Accordingly, microlearning might sound remarkably simple, but that’s because it is. If you have ever studied a musical instrument or attempted to learn a new language, chances are you did so in small, repeated, but increasing steps. Attempting to master these arts by diving in headfirst would not result in a favourable learning outcome. However, with a slow and methodical approach, it is possible to grasp complicated subjects or complex themes, such as playing the piano from a piece of sheet music or striking up a conversation with a Spanish local in Barcelona. But if this
Reading about it is the easy part
See what daily retrieval practice looks like running on your own training content.