Successfully sustaining online learning in 2021

With significant technology advancements increasing complexity and global factors beyond our control creating uncertainty, organizations have this year been faced with unprecedented challenges in operating effectively and efficiently — the learning and development function included. By 2030, it is estimated that 14 percent of the global workforce will have to switch occupations. Meaning reskilling is a critical ingredient. But maintaining high quality online learning transitioned from classroom-led instruction is not an easy task. We are in a global environment caught in a pandemic, and an even larger workforce will be affected in the next few years — organizations must pursue learning online.

Throughout our work over the last years, we have had the opportunity of being at the frontline of the shift to online, and the challenges that come with sustaining it. We’ve deployed learning technologies and helped Fortune 500 companies roll out massive-scale learning programs in a matter of days. During the spring of 2020, we helped more than 2k hospital sites roll out online learning to over 70k workers on the optimal treatment of covid-19. Perhaps more this year than any before, we have gained learnings from deploying and sustaining online learning programs. In this article, I’ll share some of the learnings from Sana Labs, an AI for learning company, in how to sustain successful online learning for the years to come.

Organizations see challenges in content creation, keeping learners engaged, proving value from learning, and meeting individual’s personal goals. In our opinion, these concerns are valid but manageable.

It is easy for organizations to fail in adopting online learning. Organizations see challenges in content creation, keeping learners engaged, proving value from learning, and meeting individuals’ personal goals. In our opinion, these concerns are valid but manageable. At Sana Labs, we engage with partners ranging from healthcare and pharmaceutical companies to financial organizations that have overcome these challenges. Embedding AI-powered learning platforms to their organizations has provided us with a few insights on how to best get there fast: inventory what content exists; start small; focus on measurable learning; and personalize learning. In our experience, these help organizations succeed in successfully adopting and sustaining learning online.

Inventory what exists

List what training content exists across the organization, everything from static pdfs, to recorded video lessons, and PowerPoint presentations. This is a large-scale transformation to online that is here to stay, desired or not. Organizations likely have some training in place, ranging from pdfs and recorded lectures to slides and lengthy word docs. With AI-powered authoring tools, such as Sana’s automatic content ingestion, organizations can quickly transfer static content to online, bite-sized pieces, leveraging knowledge assets that already exist. A cost-efficient approach to successfully sustaining online means an inventory of what already exists. In practice, this is setting a clear structure allowing for intuitive navigation with a centralized yet modular format.

With AI-powered authoring tools, such as Sana’s automatic content ingestion, organizations can quickly transfer static content to online, leveraging knowledge assets that already exist.

Start small and modularize

In order to move quickly, there are two key components in starting small. The primary element consists of a limited number of users, to justify impact. Widely communicate the outcome of the shift to online, highlighting the pilot effects. Sequentially roll out the learning platform to the remainder of the organization, avoiding an en masse switch. In a pilot we carried out with a global pharmaceutical company, 98% of learners thought adaptive learning facilitated their learning process. With such conviction, the threshold is significantly lowered for a full-scale rollout. The second constituent is bite-sized content. Bite-sized content in a modular format allows for more frequent interaction with the learner. Neatly, this also favors measurable learning.

Make learning measurable — ROI will come consequently

Organizations have previously relied on completion scores. In our experience, it is beneficial to move away from “click-and-complete” to measuring learning outcomes. In practice, this means quantifying proficiency through frequent learner interaction and defining the impact on the employee’s performance. This is why Sana’s mastery model, powered by AI, predicts how well each learner masters a concept, and recommends content in personalized learning sessions to help them reach 100% mastery. With measurable learning — proving that employees increase performance and close skill gaps — return on investment will come consequently.

Personalize

In multi-thousand employee companies, tailoring to each individual’s needs may seem unattainable. Still, intelligent and large scale learning platforms are deployed in a matter of days, historically taking up to 18 months. Research shows personalized learning is imperative for learning outcomes, improving learner performance up to two standard deviations. Unsurprisingly, we couldn’t agree more.

By formatively assessing each learner’s proficiency, personalized learning sessions address each employee’s skill gaps, matched to their role and goals. Techniques from learning science, such as spaced repetition, help employees remember longer, and suits busy schedules. At Sana Labs, we helped improve learning outcomes with an average of 7%, boosting the poorest performing learners by 30%.

It is no mistake that this pandemic has advanced technology adoption and innovation across industries. Like before, the advancements in technology are poised to disrupt the entire workforce, and organizations need a clear strategy on how to successfully sustain the shift to online. As found by many, there is a strong case for upskilling and reskilling your current employees to boost productivity and transform capabilities. At Sana Labs, this is in our core: we work with partners to empower their employees through learning. And as we find the world to be contagious at times, 2021 is the time to embrace change.

If you want to learn more about how you can leverage AI for learning in your organization, please send a note to sofie@sanalabs.com