Training, what we do to small furry animals, usually requires repetitive, simple tasks that will hopefully be recalled via a recognised stimulus such as a bell ringing.
Learning, what we humans are very good at, usually occurs when we are allowed to explore and experiment, or fail and succeed, in an area that is of interest to us.
Reducing the former in our corporations and increasing the latter would seem like an obvious way to go in this enlightened age but unfortunately this is not so. Corporate training is still dominated by stand and deliver training methods.
One of the best ways to shift from a training only focus is to adopt what educators call a constructivist approach to learning. In a nutshell this means less authoritive telling and more discovery and questioning. And yes it is difficult, particularly if you come from the old school of tell ‘em and tell ‘em good.
In addition the nature of corporate learning content is changing to a more user-generated design which reflects people’s usage of You Tube and Facebook etc.
However the majority of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in use can not incorporate this type of material and usually restrict content and program design to a linear training model. How can we adapt them to deliver contemporary content at reasonable cost?
One of the best places to start is to change the way you design your Learning and Performance (L&P) program in the first place. Many corporate trainers only ever apply linear design and development methods. Long and expensive timeframes are the result.
Instead, using a cyclical design approach allows rapid and continuous improvement of learning programs. Emphasising critical success factors at each design step, not just during the evaluation phase also increases flexibility and reduces maintenance costs. Redbean has used a five step cycle with great success for some time. These steps are:
Inform - Install - Implement - Operate - Improve - Inform…
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Short program cycles are necessary to keep online content fresh and engaging for learners. Large monolithic programs are outmoded and have a poorer return on investment in terms of cost and learning outcomes.
Unfortunately until a new generation of Learning and Performance Systems is developed we need to adapt our current applications through smarter program design. By adopting a cycle approach at least we can renovate programs if and when the corporate learning technology catches up with ‘real world’ events.
For more on -
Redbean’s Learning Program Design
Josh Bersin Corporate Learning Trends Report
