At
a time when learners are spending more time than ever
online, maintaining engagement levels
and facilitating retention requires innovative approaches.
Many companies are finding success
with Learning
Management Systems
(LMS) that
are more
engaging,
more impactful,
and provide an even
higher focus on knowledge retention. Through a multi-layered
approach to e-learning,
programs that are built to provide continuous training
at every level are focusing on content
and better data reporting to support innovative training
methods toward building the workforce
of tomorrow.
Real-World Training for Real-world Expertise
Technology that facilitates 3D-training environments can simulate real-life experiences that bridge the gap between reading or lecture-style lessons and real-world application. With most training going remote during the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has created opportunities for hands-on virtual experiences that are introducing new ways of understanding advanced concepts to tactical learners. This type of experience enables learning by doing, seeing and hearing. Rather than viewing a two-dimensional picture of an object, learners are able to interact with it and virtually implement actions they would make on the job. This type of learning is especially important in applied industries, such as cable telecommunications, where the training teaches technicians how they will need to complete tasks in the field.
Organizations that anticipated a shift in learner preferences invested in a new, digital approach to online training offerings prior to the start of the pandemic. For those organizations that had not made a push for more effective, interactive remote learning, COVID-19 created an important inflection point. Strategizing a better way to learn, that considers the needs and capacity of the learner, now include microlessons, which provide a cascade of more concise lessons in consideration of the shortened attention span humans have exhibited in the past decades. According to a study in Nature Communications, the global collective attention span continues to narrow as more content becomes available.
As a result, the onus is increasingly on organizations to find ways to balance long-form learning sessions with more digestible formats, like microlessons, or short training sessions that offer a broad view of industry topics, including basic concepts and emerging trends. Meant to supplement more in-depth courses, microlearning can provide a brief refresher on a topic or information on specific topics that do not require a full training course. Typically delivered as short videos lasting 10 minutes or less, microlessons provide access to clear and relatable content for learners when they are unable to commit to longer sessions or when they need to reinforce what they learned in previous training.
Diverse Learning Experiences through Training
Ultimately, the goal of diversifying learning experiences boils down to improving training outcomes. By creating content that meets a litany of learners’ preferences, companies can ensure that their training investments are resulting in enhanced knowledge and providing value to the company. In one initial study of 300 learners, SCTE found that if learners engaged in a gamified experience or a 3D-learning environment more than twice, their average score was 3% higher than other learners’ average score.
As technology continues to create new opportunities for content diversity and sophistication, training programs must continue to adapt and evolve to provide content that engages the modern learner. For example, interactive technology offers a hands-on and safe way to learn. With the emphasis on social distancing expected to continue, organizations need to be creative when it comes to their learning programs. Incorporating some form of interactive technology can engage learners in a refreshing way, make hands-on training accessible to people wherever they are, and provide a safe learning environment during the pandemic.
Gamification for Learning that Sticks
With modern learners overwhelmed by digital distractions as well as heightened emotions, the ability to focus on continuing education often seems insurmountable. However, gamification is a Learning & Development (L&D) technique that has been around for almost a decade and continues to evolve as technological advances like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and data analytics grow in popularity.
Gamification introduces a low-stress environment that engages learners and encourages them to take risks, challenge themselves intellectually and fail freely. It has become increasingly prevalent as all industries adapt to a multigenerational workforce, and it has proven to be an effective method for engaging learners of all ages and levels. Gamification-style leaderboards and the integration of mobile games into the learning experience can turn training into a friendly competition and improve motivation, knowledge absorption and retention. In fact, some learners can become so engrossed in a game that they forget they are completing required training.
Tailoring a Virtual Approach to Learning
While the pandemic will fade, and many employees will return to in-person working environments, it’s likely that the L&D industry will be forever marked by innovations driven in response to this pandemic. The most important L&D consideration for any rapidly evolving industry is to make sure your organization is informed when it comes to the latest technological advancements and understands how it can leverage them as external influences — like a pandemic — impact your training programs. As the world evolves, it’s crucial to remember that learning should, too.
Everybody learns differently and, ultimately, businesses need to provide a variety of mediums and approaches for learning. By expanding the portfolio of teaching methods, companies also experience better training outcomes because they are meeting the learning needs of a broader audience. For example, if a course has historically relied on 20 pages of background reading and a lecture, perhaps the background reading could become an interactive e-book with live links to short videos and quick quizzes that check learners’ knowledge as they progress through the reading.
As video and other communication technology capabilities become commonplace and interactive technology gains ground, the industry is taking a fresh look at how to integrate a variety of training methods to provide people with more interactive and impactful learning experiences. Increasingly, blended learning, which incorporates both a traditional classroom setting and an e-learning environment, leverages technology to engage the learner and meet them where they are, for learning that is understood and retained. This is where the student of the future will be found, at the intersection of engaging lessons and technology.
Robin Fenton is the vice president of membership and learning operations at SCTE, the nonprofit member organization leading the acceleration and deployment of cable telecommunications technology. Fenton’s team develops and facilitates industry certifications and training courses for professionals at all levels of the cable industry.
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