Category: Corporate eLearning

Microlearning in Post-Covid World

Posted on by Prakash Nagarajan

cater t The cognitive architecture of humans has remained the same for thousands of years, processing a few chunks of information at a time. Organized chunks of information fed through interactive media offer the flexibility to learn a new skill or a subject at our own pace and gain a quick understanding that is retainable and ready to be implemented on the job. Microlearning strategies serve this purpose well.

Microlearning deals with relatively small learning units and is a comprehensive approach for skill-based learning and education. In this instructional strategy, one uses several types of learning media: interactive videos, 360-degree videos, rich media PDFs, flashcards, eBooks, and many other formats, to breakdown complex topics into manageable nuggets.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a severe impact on businesses at large. Services were interrupted, factories were shut down, and brands were facing the threat of diminished reputation if their workers or products were exposed to the coronavirus. Adequate training was the best means to prepare the workforce to tackle the challenges of the new normal.

Such challenging times have paved the way for the rapid adoption of many creative instructional strategies that were previously adopted at a slow pace. Microlearning is one such solution, serving effectively for broader training initiatives, ad hoc compliance training, performance support, and more. Assets used in microlearning are compact, and modalities such as games, videos, infographics are easily embedded with the training content, making them more interesting for the learners to assimilate information.

While microlearning strategies were used to various degrees in specific contexts, the adoption rate is rapidly increasing across industries and across many learning areas.

Corporate L&D (Learning & Development) and Training

Employee Onboarding

With work from home becoming prevalent across various business sectors, onboarding of new joiners in the organization has been majorly revamped. Virtual onboarding has become the norm today. Helping new personnel adapt to their roles and to company culture is vital to the overall success of an organization.

Speed to the competency of new hires is one of the most critical goals of L&D teams irrespective of the industry they work in. Specifically, in industries where fresh graduates represent the majority of new hires, onboarding training frameworks deploy various training strategies and are usually a long process. Onboarding training is therefore an effective tool in helping employees start successfully contributing to an organization’s business goals within the shortest possible timeframe.

Microlearning strategies largely help in effective onboarding, due to the flexibility it offers to use varied learning formats and ease of delivery. The modularity of this specific learning strategy also offers the flexibility to create impactful learning pathways for learners to achieve their goals, by mixing and matching training content.

Orientation and Compliance Training

Given the extent of changes in workplace practices, resulting from the pandemic, health and safety training, updated quality control processes, ethics, and IPR compliances can all be added to the employees’ mandatory training requirements.

Targeted content can also be delivered to employees in distinct roles. A customer-facing employee should follow different rules from those on a warehouse floor or in an office. According to Linkedin’s 2020 workplace learning report, learning and development professionals are increasingly positioned as strategic business partners, serving as the key to growth and innovation. In the post-COVID world, talent developers are focused on finding innovative ways to drive employee engagement, and microlearning is sure to play a vital part in this transformation. 

Microlearning Strategies in the Education Continuum

Microlearning has rapidly increased in the education sector, as schools and universities are shut down, leaving no choice but to adopt online learning platforms. Creating engaging content that is easy to understand and remember, and easily accessible, are some of the basic expectations of the learning community today.

Remote learning is no longer a rarity in the post-COVID world as students and professionals are embracing newer learning methods, and accessing knowledge repositories to boost their skillset.

While comprehensive learning is a major selling point for microlearning strategy, it doesn’t close the doors for extensive and in-depth learning on the subject. Brevity serves as the key in microlearning as we are looking at transforming long-format training content into sizeable of learning pieces that are easy to understand, and focused on upskilling. Offering learning modules in different formats like playlists or channels in the learning platform, helps build knowledge retention. 

Why Adopt Microlearning Strategies Now

As is the nature of this specific learning strategy, a concept is broken into multiple learning pieces and presented through multiple delivery formats. This way, a myriad of possibilities can be archived in a short amount of time and in a cost-effective way. Also, a specific part of the learning material can be easily updated as each is a self-contained learning object, therefore reducing the overall cost associated with developing and updating learning content.

Microlearning strategies inherently cater to varied learning styles by using different media types, which can increase success rates. When in-person training and learning sessions are riskier to conduct, adopting microlearning strategies and applying them creatively can be a useful long-term strategy that Learning Architects and L&D managers can adopt at scale.

Dawn after the apocalypse: What’s next in eLearning?

Posted on by Prakash Nagarajan

By definition “apocalypse” means the end, confusion, and destitution. It’s a genre of entertainment that enthralls us because its characters are challenged to survive in near impossible conditions without the usual comforts. And by extension we watch and ask ourselves, how would I behave? What would I do in dire circumstances?

Now COVID-19 is here, and we’re responding apocalyptically. In response, we’re mandated to isolate ourselves to stay safe and healthy and keep the virus from spreading. We’re isolated. We’re working from home and managing our families. We can work this way but how do we learn and train and develop our skills? We go to the internet.

We go to the internet. We search, we login, and we learn. With this apocalypse comes a dawning—for eLearning, now. It’s been around since the early aughts, but now, it’s mandated to keep us moving forward in the workforce and economy.

So, now is the time to ask ourselves, what workforce training, learning, and development is needed for our organizations? In the past, it was training manuals, or classroom lessons on specific libelous laws. Currently, it’s your content translated into “active” content of video and audio lessons—nuggets, if you will, of eLearning—in an LMS that allows training to be accessed, tracked, and scored.

But, now, all things considered, is that all it’s going to be or can be? We’re watching the events unfold and supporting our stakeholders with resources to help them work through this period-whether it video conferencing, team building tools, or project managing. Keeping the teams connected and on track.

However, let’s see this as a moment for change and ask ourselves is this what our efforts in learning and development are and can be? Is it effective? Engaging? Challenging? And . . . fun? Can it build internal brand-loyalty? Customer brand loyalty? Encourage constructive critical thinking?

Can it be more? Today, we have access to the largest variety of technology tools and methods: AI, VR/AR, gamification, video, and holograms. All tools to build and create what the newer landscape of learning and development can be for enterprises across all verticals:

  • How about considering gamification of training that encourages collaboration?
  • How about investing in VR /AR in training that prepares workers’ expectations and provides theoretical comprehension?
  • How about world-building simulations that motivate stakeholders to create and resolve customer challenges?

With every apocalypse comes a new dawn. What do you want to wake up to in corporate learning, training, and development? Let’s ideate. Let’s collaborate to build our new eLearning infrastructure so our companies can foster growth through employee retention and engagement.

Let’s wake up to a new morning in Corporate learning, training, and development.

XR in Learning

Posted on by Prakash Nagarajan

Do a quick Google search with the key words extended reality (AR/VR) and learning and development, and you will see an overwhelming number of articles promising a gazillion possibilities. Taken at face value this might lead to a superficial conclusion, but the fact that there’s so much potential in this area is indeed interesting and sparks further discussion.

Barely three years ago, the sweeping phenomenon known as Pokémon Go had everyone raving about the power of augmented reality (AR).  In mere weeks it had become a global phenomenon, with millions of active users taking to it quite naturally.

So what does this tell us? Novel possibilities within the realm of extended reality are worth exploring, since their adoption in various industries by people of all ages is seemingly welcome. Seen as a natural fit, e-learning can be amplified by tapping the potential of AR/VR for distinct immersive experiences.

Reinforcing Figures: What do the Numbers Say?

Goldman Sachs estimates that roughly $700 million will be invested in AR/VR applications in education by 2025. Indeed, education is expected to become the fourth largest sector for VR investments.

Given this positive outlook, let’s deep-dive and explore some ways by which AR/VR is likely to change the landscape of learning.

  1. Near Real-world Experiences with Simulation Immersion

Currently, simulations on a computer or mobile device screen are riddled with shortcomings that allow room for distractions. This demands high concentration from online learners, who would have to constantly contend with the outside world even as they deal with a virtual one.

Bringing potential AR/VR technologies into the equation will provide a much-needed layer of immersive learning for learners to ‘step inside’ and get themselves fully involved in the situation. Several audio devices and headsets allow one to block out external distractions and focus solely on the virtual learning activity.

In this context, it is worthwhile to mention players like Integra, who have been working with K-12 and Higher Ed publishers in transforming their educational content into engaging AR/VR experiences.

  1. A More Intensive and Collaborative Learning Experience

Learning is now a different ballgame than what it was a decade ago. With decreasing attention spans, there is an increasing need to create immersive experiences that are dynamic and engage the learner on several levels. Enter gamification of learning content and what we have is enhanced learning outcomes. How? Extending beyond leaderboards, gamification has been instrumental in creating more interactive and collaborative learning experiences by enabling learners to have simultaneous interactions with various other learning participants in safe environments without the lurking threat of heavy competition. This in turn has paved the way for increased learning engagement and sustained longevity of learning outcomes.

  1. Learning Outcomes through Assessments and Visual Feedback

VR technologies are inherently capable of providing and pre-empting possible scenarios to enhance the value of evaluation. VR software presents the possibility of recording learner performance as well as tracking final results. This way, learners can avail themselves of handy information that allow them to identify gaps in their performance and take remedial action.

For instance, if learners miss an important step in a process, they can equip themselves on how to perform that step correctly and retake the assessment later. And all this is done in a much-enhanced and immersive learning environment that makes their learning experience a lot more focused and fruitful.

New Diversity on the Corporate Learning Market

Posted on by Prakash Nagarajan

In the world of business, the ability to create measurable results that can be used to track the effectiveness of multitudinous campaigns and endeavours is paramount. This is especially true when it comes to corporate learning. A new model for expediting, monitoring and measuring corporate education is the learning model of online learning and training. Learning transformation has received and exorbitant amount of attention from corporate executives on a global scale. As the global economy continues to promote a market that is highly competitive, the need to expand and expedite the Corporate Learning Market process is increasing at a rapid level.

Development and learning is the central focus of the dramatic transformation in corporate business that is producing extraordinary results at IT companies, management consulting companies and other professional service entities.

Maximizing ROI in the Corporate Learning Market

What research has revealed is that some of the greatest returns on investment are achieved through investing in continuing education for employees. Professional learning makes a significant contribution to a number of dynamics within the corporate structure, including strategy implementation, cultural transformation, value creation and more. While the value of learning transformation has been proven as a valuable asset to corporations, a greater demand has been placed on those who are responsible for learning transformation to justify their existence in the company.

While the pressure has been turned up for corporate education professionals, the need to engage the serious challenges that arise on a consistent basis has also intensified. Having a superior strategy within a specific market is paramount to achieving the desired goals established by company leadership; however, without the capacity to effectively engage the learning requirements necessary to implement new strategies, companies can find themselves struggling to initiate change and growth. Online learning models have provided the capacity and exposure to tools and resources that serve to simplify the learning process.


The Effectiveness of Digital Learning Transformation

While the vast majority of lay individuals within any given company will not be familiar with the internal dynamics and elements associated with digital learning transformation, there is a remarkable amount of empirical and pragmatic evidence that shows that people can achieve an exceptional level of accomplishment in the area of learning and transformation through the use of technology as a teaching tool. Technology allows the designers of learning programs to better organize the material in a manner that it can be easily consumed and inculcated into the minds of those who engage it.

Digital learning transformation is the next phase of educational transformation on a number of levels, including the corporate level.


Speed and Efficiency

The current rate at which things evolve and change in the business world has placed an exceptional amount of pressure on businesses and corporations to effectively train and prepare their workforce to engage the challenges associated with these changes. It is not only important to be aware of the changes, but there is a need to be thoroughly equipped and prepared to adequately manage the contingencies associated with these inevitable changes.

So, the race to remain ahead of the competition in creativity and lateral thought comes with the responsibility to train employees to fully and effectively implement the new ideas and strategies. Online learning management systems are a key element in the process of continued education, and the companies that are able to maximize learning transformation, in the most effective and efficient manner will have the best opportunity to produce measurable results that can be duplicated moving forward.