Why Blended Learning Works Best for Some Companies
Classroom training is dead. ELearning is the only effective tool for today’s learners. But is this always true? Does it mean that older approaches are really outdated and don’t contribute to the learning success anymore?
We can’t deny changes that technology has brought to our lives in terms of mobility, instant feedback and gratification, seamless communication, 24/7 easy access to information, and the like. At the same time, approaches that were widely used in the past can still be effective in the modern workplace if incorporated with technology.
We should keep in mind that people still have different preferences in learning styles, and there’s a need for instructors to ensure certain practical skills assimilation. Also, the classroom environment promotes collaborative learning and enhances social skills.
So, what will be the learning outcome if we blend traditional learning with modern technology and eLearning solutions?
Blended learning: its essence and tips to make it work
The gist of blended learning is to promote engagement and make employee training more effectively, utilizing modern technologies with the direct support of coaches. In other words, it’s all about using technology and eLearning as an enabler to enhance and facilitate the learning process for both employees and L&D professionals, leading to improved performance, high productivity, and increased ROI.
Blended learning combines both synchronous and asynchronous methods of learning. In this context, employees can learn at their own pace as well as enjoy collaborative learning in classrooms and virtual learning spaces. Such flexibility allows learners to acquire information independently by completing various training tasks, watching videos, listening podcasts, etc. along with participation in live group discussions, shadowing more experienced colleagues, mentoring, and observation.
According to the Software Advice survey, 68% of LMS users take a blended approach to employee training, combining instructor-led and self-administered training instead of using purely one method, and it makes sense. By combining traditional learning and technology, you get personalization, interactivity, fast and easy access to various types of content, on-demand feedback and support, easy progress tracking, and learning through communication. However, L&D professionals should consider several factors while implementing blended learning, including:
- Your company’s business objectives
Any method of learning won’t be effective if employees don’t apply acquired knowledge to practice. As with any other learning approach, the first thing to do is to set clear objectives or challenges you want to overcome with training. Once you identify goals and implement blended learning, you should constantly monitor your employees’ performance and measure their progress to be able to modify the training content if necessary. (Although with classroom learning alone, it might be challenging to collect precise data for analysis.) This way you will also be able to offer solid support to your employees and get their feedback to understand whether your training program provides real results.
- Choosing the appropriate types of training content
Keep in mind that each and every one of your employees has his or her own preferred learning style and that not everyone has the same level of professional expertise. How can blended learning help? With eLearning, you can upload as many types of content as possible to your learning platform so that your employees can choose whichever best fits their cognitive preferences. Say you want to gather your sales reps to inform them of a new product launch. There’s too much information to consume all at once, so before the meeting takes place, your sales reps are provided with a five-minute video or a pdf document with the new product overview. They can then make a list of questions and discuss them during the meeting. Even afterwards, they will have on-the-go support, being able to access information anytime, anywhere.
- Making online and offline modes coherent
Besides choosing relevant types of content to deliver training, it’s also important to define which parts of a course are better to learn online or offline. Consistency matters. This means that online and offline modes should be interconnected and complementary. Otherwise, your employees may feel disconnected and directly influences their level of engagement. Also keep in mind that classroom training significantly increases expenses, so be mindful of your training budget in advance.
- Knowing employees’ learning needs and goals
Always put yourself in the learners’ shoes to have a good sense of what exactly you’re helping them solve through training. Training for the sake of training won’t do them any good. You need to know what your employees’ want to achieve, in other words, their professional goals, and also what challenges stand in the way of them doing their job. Customized learning paths will focus all available time and resources in the context of employees’ work.
Blended learning as the perfect tool for a smooth transition to eLearning
It’s important to note that blended learning in today’s corporate training is a tool for the smooth transition from traditional classroom training to a full eLearning experience, especially crucial for big companies.
For large organizations with a geographically dispersed workforce, classroom training can be very expensive (with travel and accommodation costs) and time-consuming (different time zones and work shifts). Moreover, it cannot deliver necessary training just-in-time and keep people updated (which is a crucial condition to staying competitive). Also, fast-growing companies with hundreds of new hires every year need to onboard people quickly and teach them all necessary skills continuously. All these needs can be met only with eLearning solutions chosen by more and more companies all over the world.
Adidas, a world-famous multinational corporation, serves as a good example as to why and how it has moved from old-school, ineffective training to eLearning, now enjoying smart learning personalization and scalability, must-haves for any growing business.
