Transformation of learning journeys as a strategical choice
A while ago, our colleague Karen Philips, took the stage at Proeverijen 2023: an L&D congress organized in Belgium. She spoke vividly about our customers ‘transforming their learning journeys, as a strategical choice’ and how you could follow the same path.
‘Transforming learning journeys as a strategical choice’, that’s definitely a mouth-full! But what do we mean by this?
Arboth’s customers seemed to know very well what they wanted in the past:
a procedure that needed to be trained upon,
an e-Learning to welcome external vendors on site
... all well-defined projects and learning solutions that seemed almost obvious.
More often, however, we encounter our customers with less-defined questions:
They want to move away from classroom training, but don’t seem to know how to get started.
Or, they wish to reduce the costs of learning initiatives.
They wish to keep their students engaged, certainly when learning activities are spread in time.
… long story short: they wish to approach learning differently from what they are doing today!
A solution could lie in offering blended learning.
WHAT IS BLENDED LEARNING?
For a description of Blended Learning, you might opt for the following definition:
“Blended learning is a blend of digital, online, technology-based modalities and activities and in-person, face-to-face, offline modalities and activities.”
Looking at the output of this, we could still argue whether or not organizing a classroom training followed by an online document that needs to be read at the student’s own pace, could be called ‘blended learning’. So a further distinction is required:
Level 1 - Supplementary: Online materials are available to support learning and performance.
Level 2 - Integrated: Online materials are integrated with classroom instruction, for example, prework, references, assignments.
Level 3 - Competency: Online materials assist with competency development, such as coaching, remedial, and mentoring.
Level 4 - Performance: Online materials support increased personal and team performance, such as practice elements, just-in-time support, and help for learning on-the-job.
So considering you would wish to set up ‘integrated’ blended learning: how to go about?
HOW TO CREATE INTEGRATED BLENDED LEARNING?
Karen took the participants of Proeverijen on a 3-step journey, please follow along.
Describe
Every learning initiative should start from getting the scope right in order to define the learning objectives. Some questions that could help you set the scene:
What is the ‘problem / challenge’ at hand and how would you define future performance?
Who is your audience? What is their modus operandi? What kind of knowledge/experience/background do they have?
What do they need, to be successful?What is already available in the organization to accommodate the ‘problem / challenge’?
DESIGN
Once you have your learning objectives, “How would learning then need to look like, to achieve the learning outcomes”? What would be the learning approach to reach your goals? Arboth uses the aXles-quadrant to find the right learning strategy which relies on theories and practices such as learners growing from novice to expert, the taxonomy of Bloom, 5 moment of need, spaced repetition, Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, but also context can play a role. If you wish to learn more about aXles: scan the QR-code.
Develop
Choosing your learning strategy and mapping the learning content is one thing, bundling all learning strategies in an integrated learning journey is still something else! Deciding on the sequence of learning interventions, will bring you back to the same, already mentioned theories and practices. However, to make sure we are speaking about an ‘integrated’ blended learning trajectory: some tips!
Static integration:
Make look & feel in all learning resources as consistent as possible across learning resources. It can therefore be useful to create a ‘graphical learning journey identity’. This can include the use of a set of persona’s. Such persona’s are for example cartoonlike of photographic representations your audience.
Make sure terminology is consistent across learning resources. This can be realized by listing the correct terminology as a compendium to the developers.
Dynamic integration:
Learning resources refer to each other whenever relevant. E.g. an e-learning module explains where additional information can be found or contains quick reference cards that can be downloaded.
Use one shared platform as much as possible. This one platform must not necessarily contain all the learning but should at least offer the learner one single starting point that refers to additional platforms if needed.
Use triggers to organically guide learner from one resource to the other.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
How is learning organized in your company? Care to look at it from another angle?
Do not hesitate to reach out to Karen and book a meeting!
Sources:
Patti Shank (2017) Blended Learning in today’s workplace. Uses and results.