Learning

The designer of the learning development model recognizes that practical experience is best for workers since it enables them to identify and hone job-related abilities, handle problems, make choices, and connect with influential individuals like mentors and superiors in the workplace. Additionally, they receive immediate feedback on their performance at work and learn from their mistakes.  

Benefits Of Technology Based Learning And Development Program

There are numerous benefits beyond adopting technology-based learning development model program for an organization, which includes of: 

• Employees are well prepared to face the difficulties in the workplace and present market 
• A never-ending swarm of skills & talents reading to enter into management positions 
• Faster and more effectual on-boarding of new hires via a superior training cycle 
• Increased employee motivation & engagement levels of work 
• Commitment to brilliance with customers is apparent, which assists for company growth
• Offer increased job satisfaction & morale amongst employees 
• Improved innovation in business strategies and methods 
• Improved capacity to accept new methods and technologies

How Can A Firm Get Prepared For Learning & Development Programs In Workplace? 

Luckily, it is not as difficult as one would predict to include learning & development model to any organization. Generating a corporate culture which treats learning as necessary and positive for success is a segment of the equation.  With clear skill development pathways created for each job type, the learning development model must become the operational emphasis of the company. Some essential preparation steps for the learning and development model can be: 

• Getting Absolute Participation From Corporate Leaders – One of the most vital aspects of getting prepared for learning & development program for employees is receiving 100% participation & encouragement from the executive leadership team. Beginning from top-down, and get the CFO and CEO on board. Furthermore, work on other management levels and thereby concentrating on ROI of the learning and development planning
• Writing A Corporate Policy Regarding Learning And Development – Coagulate all learning methodologies & requirements for employees of all phases of their career development with detailed written policy, promoted and published in the corporate encyclopedia. Ensures it defines how usually employees are predicted to take part in formal training, the kinds of programs recognizable, as well as how employees will be repaid if they select off-site learning chances
• Incorporate Resources For Learning & Development In The Workplace – Choose learning & development vendor to offer the kinds of courses & tutorials which will aid job skills required in the work environment. Offer quick access to learning opportunities to all employees & motivate them to attain specific milestones in their careers

Evaluate your learning and development program’s outcomes, failures, and successes throughout time to improve it and prepare for the future. 

The Learning and development techniques is the best formula to be outlined to pursue growth in teaching curriculum Learning and development are the two sides of the same coin. Development is possible when the approaches of learning are varied and cost effective. The approaches to learning need to be adopted so that learners can have positive growth and the progress becomes faster.  When there are learning procedures, then there will surely be development and growth models. Learning is aligned with development to bring the changes and make the changes visible with the adoption of correct techniques. In order to design development techniques for learning, a well-designed platform for learning will work. Learning is coupled with different development techniques. With the correct precision and the proper format of learning, the learners will have key roles to play regarding understanding, developing, presenting of the facts.   

The selection of rightly adopted techniques helps to sharpen the skills and improve the areas for growth. It defines the ability to learn, develop and have knowledge of the innovative ways of learning. When the need-based techniques are adopted, the learners can boldly proceed and reach the success point. Visual and interactive based L&D techniques are well accepted and can create positive impacts because through interactive sessions, students and the young learners bring changes. By stepping into the process of social media, the learners come to develop faster and the interest for learning grows. 

Effective Ways of Learning Techniques

Another thoughtful way of effective L&D techniques is to have open communication. The possible ways to make the growth visible is to bring effective changes in learning. The measurement of knowledge retention is to be done periodically. The most successful effective techniques of teaching are to grow and expand by gaining knowledge in the advanced and possible ways. What the learners expect is to have two way processes of communicative possibilities. The goals need to be effectively chalked out and it will yield effective outcomes. Fresh approach to learning and effective means are aligned to meet the learning objectives and the innovative applied ways need to put attention to quality and requirement based learning to serve suitable positions.  

The L&D techniques need to meet with the challenges and the structured patterns of goals are will surely help learners to have impressive performances. The possible ways of advanced and easier achievable mediums of learning and development techniques are to have customised training, e-learning, training audit and digital library. These techniques work in the areas to arouse interest among learners and it makes the students develop in shaped personalities.  

The Learning and development techniques need to be designed in such a manner that it will create benefits for learners. The learners need to come in contact with new procedures of learning techniques and its proper application too. Learning becomes complete when the most recent examples and techniques are cited and opted. It helps the students and the professionals to relate with the matters. Learning techniques matter when it is focused to have development in the related field. Learning outcomes increase when development techniques are critically assessed and to acquire better outputs, result oriented approaches and L&D techniques are required. Learning development techniques cast a bigger importance on the growth of the learners.  

Benefits of learning development techniques

Advanced development techniques refer to the use of accessing internet facilities because it acts as a vast field to serve the purposes of the learning activities. The L&D techniques need to replace the traditional method of delivering lectures than to present it in the most communicative way. The youngsters like to generate interactive approach among students and teachers. No matter what interests the students is the interesting ways of learning techniques. One of the innovative and preferred means of developed learning technique is to adopt response technology as one of the training tool mediums. By applying this medium, students can reach mentors and learning process gets easier. 

By integrating the software in the existing instruction materials, it is possible to submit answers by click on the mobiles and it also allows the students to make the students assessment visible on the screen charts. Learners can participate in classrooms discussions and critical assessments can be made to analyse performance of students. The learning objectives and the techniques need to be made clear to students. The learners prefer transparency in learning and developing. They too agree with online assessment techniques by which they can make note, prepare and present it in the required time. The L&D techniques get expansion and foresee bigger development. Learning development techniques need to be focused based on the delivery style of the learning materials among students and it needs to fulfil the demands. 

L&D techniques can lead to faster process of development when the click is made to choose the properly directed development techniques and it can lead to rapid gaining of knowledge by learners.

Having knowledge of the business and learners will give you guidance, but the ability to create a functional and effective learning strategy, and deliver it, is essential for a successful L&D business partner. For years learning and development professionals have felt neglected while HR departments have introduced the successful business partner model. But as L&D experts now develop business partner status too, a certain amount of professional conflict is arising. An effective L&D business partner needs to be at the center of design and delivery. 

Workplace learning continues to evolve, bringing along not just challenges and opportunities, but also the need for L&D to continuously develop their skills to meet the demands of its people. An effective L&D business partner needs to understand the business problems they are facing, and command stakeholder engagement.   

Role of L&D Business Partner

L&D business partners are responsible for ensuring what L&D contributes to and impacts improved performance in the workplace at an individual, team and organizational level. They also have the responsibility to adjust learning needs with the strategic ambitions and objectives of the business. They are agents for change, influencing key stakeholders, giving suggestions on what the business should do in an L&D context. The L&D Partner will often have expertise and competence in a specific field. They link the work they do to the context and strategic preferences of the business and measure the results and impact of any learning interventions, to demonstrate a return on investment. 

Their role requires a good grounding across all areas of L&D and is business and future focused. In larger organizations, they may be one of a team supporting the business and may be accountable for managing people and a budget. The L&D business partner is better able to evaluate and correlate business and individual performance to identify relevant human factors and design L&D initiatives to address them.  

L&D departments are quickly becoming the core of all strategic partnerships for organizations across industries and will be the most innovative department within most organizations over the next few years. They have the capacity to inspire innovation and drive organizational goals forward, as well as increase an organization’s income and profit margins. However, they must first build strategic partnerships with several other sectors. 

A L&D business partner, should work closely with HR to build a steady, high-quality, and loyal set of participants for various programs and courses, which can include onboarding courses, leadership courses, soft skills training courses, etc. They need to build strategies for how they’ll better personalize their L&D initiatives so that employees are consistently engaged in the right programs for them and their individual career paths and interests at the right times. 

They should create programs that will decrease an organization’s employee destruction rates while providing each employee with the necessary training he or she needs as a new hire with your organization. As an L&D professional, you will need to build strong partnerships with your organization’s IT and technology departments. As you adopt and update your online systems, you will need their support and expertise to ensure your programs and tools are always first-rate and that they’re always available to learners. 

Learning and development have long struggled to drag their function into the mainstream by showing how their work contributes true value to the bottom line, and is necessary for long-term strategic planning. 

Learning and development is often an in house department, but learning and development services can also be provided by specialised organizations .  

Getting such learning and development services from other professional institutions is often quite beneficial owing to a number of factors. Some factors to be recalled are: 

1. Expertise 
2. Unbiased analysis of needs 
3. Global experience  

There are many other factors that make this an advantageous option. However, the major challenge about outsourcing L&D initiatives is the expenditure. It is important for the business firms to understand that the expenditure is worth it and will finally prove economically beneficial for the organization itself. All the employees in a particular business firm have a common aim. They are all working unanimously for the success of the one particular business firm. Hence the educational gain for them will finally benefit the business firm. 

What are Learning and Development Companies?

L&D companies refer to those professional institutions who offer learning and development programs at various levels for almost all the portfolios of any business firm. These companies have their own level and areas of specialisation in this regard. Besides, mostly each one of them offers many reasons to avail their services. 

Types of L&D Companies

There are basically two ways of imparting learning and development related education and hence the division. The two ways are: 

• eLearning 
• Classroom learning 

The two types of companies are also under these two classifications. Also, not to forget that both of them are equally beneficial and follow their own system of imparting knowledge.  

Job of learning and development companies

L&D companies have their own mentors, industrial psychologists and consultants. They are trained in such a way that they can identify the problem areas based on certain assessments and different types of examinations. These companies have professionally experienced experts who not only rely on participant profile and pain areas as outlined by the managers but also on other need analysis tools. They also opt for different scientific procedures to arrive at conclusions like skill based and psychometric assessment tools. This is where the expertise and clarity of these professionals’ matter and this is another reason why organizations summon learning and development firms to drive L&D initiatives for them.  

The kind of learning imparted through the learning and development initiatives is not the same as what we learn from regular school, college or university classes. This kind of education rather facilitates functionality. This is a unique learning that helps employees in getting enhancing their skills and knowledge at any stage of their career. Many softer aspects of job success like people management, etiquette, behavioural effectiveness is addressed through such initiatives.  

Learning is not only important for professional success, but also helps in getting rid of job monotony. It is critical to keep employees motivated and learning initiatives plays an important role in employee retention. Hence, this is an important process in retaining employees which is also vital for the system and lack of human resource might prove deadly. 

The most general learning development methodologies are collaborative, cooperative, discovery-based, engaged, problem-based as well as whole language approach. Knowing the nature of each kind of these instructional methodologies and learning scenarios is vital for tutors who plan to optimize learning outcomes. By deeply realizing different learning methodologies, tutors can easily align their teaching styles according to the needs of students.  

• Collaborative Learning: It refers to the learning process where social connections amongst learners are massively leveraged to create the desired learning outcome. Collaborative learning involves a helpful interdependence among learners and creates individual accountability, amicable conflict resolution, leadership, social skills, and teamwork. In collaborative learning, every individual is responsible for their own development and those of other members of a group
• Cooperative Learning: It is a kind of collaborative learning which is more structured, organized and targeted. In cooperative learning, students become a part of tiny groups which are assigned to attain a specific set of objectives and goals.  Each individual assumes responsibility for his/her learning whilst being simultaneously engaged in group work. For cooperative learning to function, the groupings have to be small enough to encourage sturdy participation of all members. Additionally, the objectives must be evidently established & the working parameters are well-defined
• Discovery-Based Learning: It is an individual-centered instructional technique which is entrenched in the constructivist theory of education. The primary philosophy of this learning technique is that an excellent method to study is to “learn by doing”. In this way, the empirical and experiential approach to learning is given best than the teacher-oriented model where all concepts & learning chances originate from the actions started by the tutor. These learning development methodologies might be implemented for tasks which involve the detection of simulations, patterns, problem-solving & experiments, compliance with a set of instructions and much more. It is a worthy instructional method for teaching subject matters like IT, engineering and natural sciences
• Engaged Learning: It is one of the best learning development methodologies compared to discovery-based learning methodology. The individuals are regarded as the active participants in designing their methodologies to learn in this method. Similar to discovery-based learning, the engaged learning technique is also a student-centric technique, but with more fundamental sense.  Numerous researchers agree on the crucial significance of engaged learning in classrooms. Within these learning development parameters, individuals have to do plenty of research, take part in discussions as well as provide different kinds of outputs depending upon their learning decisions
• Problem-Based Learning: This is regarded as the radical alternative to traditional teaching methodologies. Like the engaged and discovery-based learning, this method of learning is also massively individual-centric. In this method of learning, the tutor will present theoretical and real problems rather than one-sided lecturers. Students are provided with an interesting and complex set of problems which they have to solve coordinately as small teams. This method of learning offers several positive outcomes & benefits including discipline, self-discovery, socialization & communication skills and logic
• Whole-Language Approach: It indicates the instructional philosophy which gives more quality on derived meaning compared to the decoded features of the system which is implemented in phonics-based language teaching technique. This approach follows a constructivist philosophy and was created based on findings in several disciplines which incorporate sociology, anthropology, education, and linguistics

Learning development methodologies are known as the method of acquiring any useful information which modifies individual’s behavior, knowledge base, and values. An ongoing procedure which begins as early as the childhood stages of humans, it happens in several forms including conscious, experiential, instinctive as well as purposed learning. Controlled training, formal education and personal experiences are some of the common scenarios within which learning tends to be administered. Some kinds of learning development methodologies occur as the segment of learner’s regular social interactions. Some others like martial arts training are intentionally undertaken by learners who are encouraged by several reasons to learn a specific subject, skill, and discipline.  

Principles Of Learning Development Methodologies

The training on learning development methodologies is interactive, dynamic and rigorous. It is based on the four principles: 

• Teaching Experience: All the seminar tutors are taught by highly experienced lecturers. Moreover, the seminars are based on highly proven teaching principles & sound didactic approaches 
• Use Of Industry Expertise: Seminars on learning development methodologies will not only offer fresh knowledge but also serves as a forum to permit the exchange of industry experience among the participants, evaluating their insights & experiences as important contributions of each seminar
• State-Of-The-Art Knowledge: The seminar concentrates on latest developments, replicate contemporary applications & experiences in risk management and they include the recent research findings applicable to the specific seminar topic
• Interactive Format: At the time of the online workshop, you will be combined with real-time classmates and facilitated through interactive group discussions, chats, polls, and whiteboards design sessions

L&D specialists are hired consultants who design, create and manage training programs of employees and often work with them to reinforce their knowledge of workplace and ameliorate general and specific job skills. They help to develop employee skills and knowledge by articulating instructional plans and implementing new training materials like manuals, training videos, slideshow presentations. They manage contracts and select vendors who develop or present training. They also design training and guide employees on program-related job skills, give refresher training programs that help them to update their skills. They also give information about program structures or dynamic technologies. The objective of the role is to drive strategic learning development initiatives and to manage and monitor them to gain maximum benefits. 

Duties and Key Responsibilities

A L&D specialist is responsible for designing communication plans, implementing training projects, creating and distributing course material to employees. They evaluate training outcomes, create summary reports and set meeting with clients and upper management to assess their needs in the organization. The specialist will frequently use surveys, questionnaires and electronic learning management software to administer training programs. They must also report on their training progress to ensure that the organization’s goals are being met. They may use a variety of methods to train employees such as role-playing, on-the-job training, tutoring and online training. It is the responsibility of the specialist to tailor the program to the company and to the employee. The key responsibilities are as follows, 

• L&D Strategy 
• Competency framework 
• Regulatory and compliance 
• Training service providers 
• Training catalogue 
• Training analysis 
• L&D Report 
• Continuous improvement 
• Training delivery 
• Group induction 
• Internships and bursaries 
• Induction program 
• Support to operations 

Salient Features

T&D Specialists often spend a considerable amount of time creating training programs and writing reports, it is thus very important for them to have excellent skills. Some primary skills are, 

• Analytical skills are important for L&D Specialist to evaluate training programs, methods, materials and choose best fit for each situation
• Instructional skills are teaching techniques that pave a way for adapting methods to meet the needs of particular groups
• Interpersonal skills help the specialist to collaborate with instructors, trainees, and subject-matter experts
• Speaking skills are essential because they often give presentations. Specialists must communicate information clearly and facilitate learning by varied audiences 

The specialist must also think critically about the type of training that would be most effective and must be willing to stay abreast of change within the field. They must also exhibit the soft skills needed to effectively manage and influence people. They must be well-organized and innovative and able to work separately. The L&D specialist should have knowledge on the following perceptive: 

• In-depth understanding of regulatory requirements relevant to L&D skills
• In-depth understanding of grants and the process to obtain funding 
• Awareness of L&D policies and procedures 
• Understanding the requirements of skill development 
• Conscientiousness 
• Tenacity 
• Meeting deadlines 
• Knowledge of the current opening systems 
• Conflict management 
• Process design and re-engineering methodologies and practices 
• People management 
• Understand Business Ethics and Values 

Career Requirements: 

A bachelor’s degree in business, instructional design, education or related field is the basic necessity. To be proficient acquire presentation and teaching skills. Get experience by part-time entry-level jobs through internships. Aspiring L&D specialist can also join public-speaking and leadership groups such as Toastmasters to hone their public speaking and presentation skills. A completion of certified course elevates our knowledge and improves the chance of getting more offers. Candidates with at least three years of experience can apply for the ISPI’s Certified Performance Technologies credential. Seek career advancement when available to lead productive teams. 

Promising Pay Scale: 

The variety of earnings for L&D specialist can be attributed to the range of experience in the occupation and the specific skills the specialist can offer, for example, the ability to generate new training programs. 

Job Stance: 

Employment of L&D specialists is projected to grow 15 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations. In many fields, employees are required to pursue education and skill development courses throughout their careers. In most industries, employment of L&D specialist is expected to grow as companies develop and introduce new media technology into their training programs. Training and development contracting firms are often better equipped with the technology and technical expertise to produce new training initiatives. 

Advances in technology and the constant competitive urgency to upgrade workforce skills are interrupting corporate learning. These forces are pushing companies to develop innovative ways to have employees foster a culture of learning throughout the organization. Employers should keep up with technology in order to provide continuous learning best practices. In today’s extremely ambitious global economy and highly competitive talent market, continuous learning is very important and companies that do not regularly enhance skills and build leaders will not be able to accomplish their business plans. 

When looking for ways to incorporate technology into continuous learning, the task can be challenging as there are so many options. There are some essentials that leaders can ponder to help them decide what types of technology would be best for their organizations. 

• Self- assessment – This is crucial for preparing workers for ongoing learning since it encourages skill development
• Social Networks - Employees can contribute their expertise and information that is widely available on social media
• Learning Analytics - Employee self-evaluation is helpful, but it’s also critical to have access to a system of learning analytics. Monitoring progress is an important step in to help employers and their workforce see their capabilities and shortcomings, monitoring their progress is important
• Cohesive Structures - Companies must assess the limitations and hurdles in their current learning system as part of the process of establishing a culture of continuous learning. When a new technology is adopted, it is crucial that everything be in place to make it as productive as possible
• Blended Learning - Companies can combine technology with in-person learning while creating a continuous learning system to boost their chances of success. Technology-based learning can be aided by in-person instruction from coaches, mentors, or advisers
• Reward – Rewards and incentives can be offered to employees who use the new systems to encourage the use of new technologies in learning

When companies realize how to create a continuous learning environment considering technology, they can then begin exploring technologies and the trends in learning and development. When creating a culture of continuous learning in an organization, there are numerous technologies. Leaders need to learn about the different ways they can be used and what the needs and skills of their employees are. With the right kind of technology, continuous learning becomes an essential part of the culture of the organization, leading to more committed and higher performing employees. 

Learning continues to be crucial to business executives worldwide, as they attempt to adapt to the unsettling change that is sweeping through corporate learning and development. In this article, we will look at what is behind the push for continuous learning. In organizations employees want to carry on learning new skills and develop their competencies.  

Trends in Organizations

Organizations differ a lot in the trends they practice, but there are some of the trends that they have in common. These help companies create a reliable employable workforce and motivating them to become more flexible, innovative, and customer focused. 

• Mobile Learning – Online learning allows learning anytime, anywhere via phones and laptops. For businesses hiring independent contractors, this kind of learning might be crucial
• Microlearning – Similar to mobile learning, microlearning teaches staff members about marketing in really brief doses
• Gamification – This is the process of developing a  continuous learning environment that incorporates game components, such as story and instant feedback, in order to increase engagement and information retention
• Sharing Digital knowledge – Encouraging staff to use forums and social media will help them discover worthwhile learning opportunities. When employees live in distant places, social networks help them remain in touch and share information
• Informal learning Technologies – Employers can encourage ongoing learning by implementing tools for informal learning that can make learning a regular part of the workday. Organizations having limited funds can also make use of Video-based learning
• Content Management Systems – These systems enable companies to create learning pathways and link learning to job abilities, as well as facilitating employees’ access to useful information. Making employees accountable for their own learning and increasing engagement comes from exposing them to numerous forms of continuous learning
• Individualized Learning – Since not all employees will be interested in a small number of possibilities, employers should provide a wide range of learning opportunities. The ability level of each user is taken into account in personalized learning. In order to give learners, the most accurate information, online learning systems are now made to identify their strengths and limitations

Many of the technologies have been there for years and are still being integrated into companies to create best practices. There are also other recent technologies which are making a big impact on continuous learning, across the globe. 

Social media learning advances self-coordinated and promoted learning, which prepares learners to look for answers and make choices freely. When reinforced in a classroom setting, these social media abilities can be guided and refined to produce better learning results and critical mindfulness. Social media also permits learners more opportunity to connect and team up beyond the physical classroom, which implies learners anywhere can begin to experience the globally associated world well before they enter the workforce. 

The Worldwide evolution of social media

Most people define social media as the ability to utilize the internet to connect and share with others instantly. If we go by this definition, social media learning can be traced back to one site alone. The primary social media website was a site called ‘Six Degrees’ that was launched in 1997. It permitted its users to make a profile and afterward get to know different users. From Six Degrees, the internet developed into the period of texting and blogging. 

LinkedIn was one more site that was one of the absolute first social media websites. A lot of social networking websites we have today are inspired from and are like LinkedIn. Even in 2002, when LinkedIn was established, it was aimed towards professionals who needed to connect with each other, and functions that way even today.  

In 2004, Facebook was launched by Mark Zuckerberg, which proceeded to turn into a social networking giant. Even after so long, Facebook is the main social media learning site boasting over a billion and increasing users. In 2006, the popularity of text messaging and SMS inspired Biz Stones, Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Noah Glass, to create Twitter. Today, Twitter has an amazing 500 million user base, a number that is increasing even as you read this article.  

In a little while, a few different sites appeared. Instagram was launched in 2010 for iOS clients and in 2012 for Android clients. Today, it is one of the top-most social media sites for photograph sharing. At the end of the 2000s, online life was not only widely utilized, however it also got across to business and education. Today, practically all brands are available via social media, and it is irregular when you go over a business that doesn’t have a solid social media presence. 

Starting at 2017, there are a lot of social media platforms. A few platforms are more famous than others yet every platform has a dedicated audience, regardless of however small. For instance, Instagram caters to group of users that interacts through photos while Twitter is ideal for the users who like to communicate to the point. With exciting and innovating technology at the use of individuals, the further development of social media learning will be interesting to observe. 

Social media learning is active learning, which implies that learners take part directly in their own learning as opposed to passively absorbing information they will more likely forget once the course is over. Social media shapes and presents information such that it makes sense to and energizes learners more than conventional tools do, regardless of whether it’s through a livestream of an important event, a shared article with comment functionality, questions posted to the broader community or a study related with course materials.  

• Collaborative learning A lot of information is exchanged through students on social media websites. So, this platform can as well be utilized to empower collaborative earning. Many institutions all around the world are urging learners to take up global partnerships utilizing social media learning for taking up some project assignments. By doing this, they get engaged with one another and figure out how to coordinate with teams and manage projects sitting globally alongside culturally diverse sensitivities. Also, the utilization of social media has made it simpler and quicker to collaborate with peers or educators about class-related points
• Utilization of social media also familiarizes learners with another work culture of overseeing work through online engagement which is significant in the present business condition. It shows them how to build up a solid online presence by improving their communication skills
• Information sharing by students Students are constantly hooked on to the internet through their advanced mobile phones and hence quickly transmit information to their connections. Aside from simply imparting opinions and views they also exchange lot of significant data. This data is significantly something beyond fascinating snapshots or videos and spread helpful stuff related to their learning. They trade information which is helpful for classes and assessments
• Helps to foster research Social media learning offers collaborative chances to encourage research activities. It is perhaps the best platform to extract secondary information. You can conduct survey pools to assemble sampling and discover opinions of general individuals and other experts on a specific subject. Social media can enable academic researchers to compile and produce useful content by working on collaborative assignments and projects
• Advantage of virtual library Setting up a personal site or blog gives instructors a lot of opportunity to build intellectual credibility. They can transfer their academic work and other important videos and lectures that will permit learners to accept relevant contributions as reference material for their studies

As social media systems advance in training frameworks, numerous beneficial and helpful tools will rise that can make learning a more enriching experience. Learners today are personally engaged with social media at each stage. In case you’re missing onto the use of social media you are pushing away a ton of potential audience. Using it in educational institutions can end up being an extremely successful measure. The advantages of social media for educational and training institutes are many. Social media learning offers great open doors for communication among instructors and peers. 

Organizations have relied upon instructors to train their employees because they need a team with advanced skills, lots of motivation and preparation to excel in their work. With the growing importance of digital age; another learning strategy was required, and it was blended learning. Organizations started to develop hybrid learning techniques that used both; digital based learning and classroom learning methods. These methods combined the benefits of flexibility and human interaction.  

The approach of blended learning utilizes plenty of learning methods which are beneficial for any learner/employee. These include presentations, classroom sessions, multimedia and instructor-led training. Employees are given a comprehensive experience which helps them boost their engagement levels with retention. 

Blended learning is viewed as a powerful methodology, it focuses on interaction. When an organization fosters communication, it strengthens the working relationship of its employees and promotes new innovate ideas. Blended learning is very flexible and if its strategies are executed properly, organizations can benefit by the efficient performance of its employees. It also allows corporations to evaluate the performance of its workers.  

Blended learning utilizes a wide range of models to ideally expand the productivity of training while at the same time benefiting as much as possible from the most recent technology patterns. Multiple areas of skills, proficiency and development are covered through blended learning.  

For corporate training, blended learning methods are not just engaging, but also versatile and provide a natural way of learning. They help in sustenance and retention of learning for the participants under learning purview. An organization must empower its workers to become dynamic members and play their part in the success of the company.  

Individuals learn best when they can have the control over their learning. This is significant for corporate training, because representatives are not regular students and they have a lot more going on. They have time constraints as well as work load. Blended learning creates a platform which can meet everybody’s requirements. Strengthscape believes in blended learning and focusses on achieving sustenance of learning. It works to provide extensive learning experiences for its clients. 

Blended learning is a mix of offline (traditional, face to face learning) and online learning such that one compliments the other. In the virtual world, it is the blend of synchronous and asynchronous mediums of learning.    

It gives individuals the chance to appreciate the best of both worlds. For instance, a learner may go to classes in a real-world classroom setting and later supplement the learning plan by finishing the online tests or coursework. This allows the learner to go on their own pace, and can attend the class once or twice in a week.     

Blended learning is often referred to as “hybrid” learning and can take on various forms in online learning situations. While a few organizations may just use blended learning strategies on rare events, others may use it as a primary teaching technique with their educational program.   

History of blended learning    

1840: First distance course. The first distance education course was launched by Sir Isaac Pitman. Pitman sent shorthand texts to his students by sent postcards and they were required to send them back to be reviewed and corrected. Even though computers and smartphones weren’t included, and wouldn’t be developed for approximately a century, effective assessments and feedbacks were still a necessary part of the procedure.    

1960 & 1970: Mainframe computer-based training. It was the first occasion when training could be deployed to countless employees in a company without depending on face-to-face instructions and printed materials.    

1970 to 1980: TV-based technology to support live training. At this phase in the blended learning course of events, organizations started utilizing video networks to train their employees. Learners had the option to speak with their peers, watch the educator on TV, and even address any concerns or questions by sending them via mail.    

1980 & 1990: CD-ROM training and rise of LMS. As technology developed, so did blended training applications and strategies. Organizations started using CD-ROMs to deliver more interactive learning experiences. This was also the case when the first Learning Management System (LMS) was presented, however, they didn’t offer similar functionality as the learning solutions that are accessible today.  

1998: First generation of web-based instruction. At this point, computers were not only for the wealthy few and companies, however for the masses. An ever-increasing number of families started buying computers for their families to enjoy, other than distributing CD-ROMs to students, companies could simply upload eLearning assessments, material, and tasks through the internet, and learners could access them with a click of a mouse button.    

2000 until today: Blended learning integration. Technology is quickly changing, and an expanding number of private learning institutes and companies are starting to see the advantages of a blended learning approach. Step by step, the relationship between technology-based learning and face-to-face instruction is creating new and inventive approaches to improve the learning experience and make learning energizing, fun, and even more effective.  

Blended learning and training have become a buzz word and the concept has grown in popularity over the past few years. Blended learning is an approach which combines multiple building blocks to create a wholesome learning intervention. This hybrid methodology combines the historical classroom-based training with online/virtual classes, eLearning videos, assessments, follow up classes, etc. to make the learning last long and more effective.   

Ways to Create Effective Blended Learning & Training  

• Reiterate the benefits of this approach – In order to show the success of blended learning and training, it is essential get a buy-in from the participants. For that, they must be oriented about the benefits of a blended approach. Proper, well-reasoned and to the point explanation enables in convincing them about the approach and helps in successful implementation
• Align the program to the learning outcomes – It is essential to focus on leaning outcomes and design the approach in line with it. As blended learning and training has multiple building blocks it is essential to decide where to focus which topic and which method of learning can be used to meet that outcome. This way the program design turns out to be much more effective and implementation becomes easier
• Consider the preference of the audience – While creating the design the crucial aspect to assess the environment of the participants and their preferences. Considering this makes the learning more relatable and enjoyable to the audience. This could be one through a quick call or a survey. This enables one to design the approach in a way the blended categories meet the needs effectively
• LMS can act as an effective tool – This is because in a blended learning and training the LMS aid in reminding the session schedule, access to support materials, conduct assessments, measure effectiveness, facilitate discussions etc

Benefits of Blended Learning & Training

• Classroom training becomes more efficient – Adopting a blended approach enables the trainer to focus on the crucial aspects during the classroom training. As the other topics can be covered through classroom or self-paced method. This allows time to address queries and engage in discussion, which will make the training effective. This also allows time to engage in activities and debrief to make the training more experiential and applicative. Classroom training also acts as a stage to check the knowledge level of all the participants and ensure all of them are in the same page
• Saves time & Money – Blended learning and training help in reducing significant amount of costing spent in travel, stay, venue, etc. which is a part of classroom training. So, the reduction in time engaged in a classroom helps in reducing the cost involved
• Increased Engagement – Say, simple self-paced eLearning without anyone to monitor lead to poor engagement of the learner. Similarly, a one-day classroom program doesn’t have much impact as there is no constant reminder or material to go back. Thus, blended learning and training tends to keep the learner more engaged and the benefits of different learning formats can be acquired

Though blended learning has lot of benefits to offer, it shouldn’t be just used for the sake of it. The purpose should be well-defined, the outcomes should be clear, justification for the approach needs to be provided.

Blended Learning has become a trend in both the academic and corporate sector. It creates a holistic experience by combining a variety of learning modes together. Traditional classroom learning is combined with the millennial friendly eLearning and mobile learning modes. This is further enhanced with one-to-one mentoring and coaching followed by learning by doing (assignments and projects) and learning by listening (session by SMEs and Leaders sharing their stories) approaches. In this entire journey, technology is embraced to promote learning and connect with a larger audience. 

When the aim is to broaden the horizon of learning landscapes, demographics must be considered. Demographics would include gender, age groups, geographical/regional location, professions, lingual diversity etc. With this demographic’s diversity, comes the challenge of diversity of learning needs and preferences. The millennials prefer bite-sized, technology driven learning while the Generation X population would prefer traditional classroom learning, for instance. That indicates the importance of blended learning for inclusion. 

Due to its feature of combining various methodologies to learn, blended learning has helped in enhancing inclusion. It is no more a one-size-fits-all approach. Rather, learner can choose their preferred mode of learning for interested topics and continue the learning process. As most of the courses can be accessed online just by using a mobile phone (which almost everyone has access to today!), learning is no more restricted to the white collared folks only. The employees in the factories, the support staff and all other blue collared employee can now access courses from their mobile phone in their preferred language. 

Further, lessons are created for multiple proficiency levels and skill gaps. One can opt for multiple number of courses based on their skill gap and preferences. Someone at a leadership level can join the basics course to refresh and update oneself and then move on to the intermediate and advanced level. Therefore, diverse learner demographics get the same opportunities as others starting out in less disadvantaged positions. 

Additionally, learning is also made self-paced. Traditional classroom sessions help to learn from peers and an instructor. But often, in a scenario like that, pace mismatch is a threat to learning. eLearning then balances the risks of those challenge and ensures that the learner can clarify concepts and learn at their own pace. This approach to blended learning for inclusion has been one of the major reasons for its popularity today.  

Technology has played a huge role in this process. First, leveraging data analytics in blended learning has further helped in the process of increasing inclusion. Analytics report indicate the high performing learners and their weakling counterparts. Accordingly, mentoring and coaching journeys that focus on more one-to-one development can then be arranged for them. Second, use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reduced biasness from the learning process. No more some learners are screened out of training and development plans while others get more preference being top performers. Moreover, people get the right intervention based on the learning needs. 

AI has also helped in providing learning recommendations to learners, motivate the learners to complete their courses, help learners to keep a check on their learning progress and so on. Third, use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Responsive Design feature has ensured that learners can revise, refresh, retain at home as well. Learners can now complete projects and assignments from the comfort of their home, get feedback from the instructor, track their learning progress and plan what more needs to be done. These aspects of technology have increased the use of blended learning for inclusion. 

To sum up, it is quite evident now that when most of the learning material and delivery is made learner-centric, assuming that the learner has full access to technology, as well as the skills to use it properly, it’s easy for the demographic issue to fall behind and the focus remains on learning.  

Why is Blended Learning the Future of Professional Learning?    

• Personalized learning – Blended learning helps the learners modify the training to suit their specific needs. Trainers and facilitators have the tools to understand the learning patterns, interests, and behaviors of individual learners. This helps in creating personalized learning paths which would help in providing personal support as required. Time, space, and facilitator’s role adapts to the needs of learners by using flexible structures and technology, rather than being a “one size fits all” learning experience.  
• Higher engagement – Blended learning enables the inclusion of interactive gamification in learning. Compared to learning from text-based books or eBooks, learners are more engaged through video and game-based learning. Moreover, microlearning has eased the process of providing information in small, digestible nuggets. This increases higher engagement and retention levels
• Flexible learning – With a blended approach, learners can access wide-ranging resources, including eBooks, audiobooks, or online videos at any place and time. Various resource links and libraries can be integrated into a Learning Management System (LMS) when learning is delivered through digital means. This also lets learners take advantage of micro-moments in their everyday busy life. Additionally, technological use in learning has proven to be the best approach for Gen Z students. As per a 2018 study, Gen Z learners responds better to learning through videos, rather than textbooks
• The transformation between the medium is smoother – Online, face-to-face, and individual learning appear to be a continuous flow in blended learning. This helps the learners in better engagement and superior learning, using collaborative, immersive, and interactive virtual learning platforms. The online components offer individual guidance and group support from your peers. With the help of blended learning, learners can seamlessly shift among the different mediums
• Utilizing different modalities dramatically reinforces engagement, learning, and retention – Various studies have shown how for most individuals, learning is improved by combining different modes and activities alongside passive study. This could include different elements of interaction, and different modes (read, watch, listen) to encourage effective learning by individuals. By learning through different facilitation modes (video, live instructor, practical) learners can fill in knowledge gaps left by modes 

Blended learning is another approach to improve the training procedure by the simplicity of routine tasks, saving money, time, and helping society enjoy learning. It is not expressed that this better approach for learning is flawless and structured perfectly on the grounds that it requires a lot of work from the instructor and cooperation from all the learners. Yet, it creates opportunities and makes learning more adaptable by learning at your own pace anytime and anyplace. 

Microlearning is the division of information into relevant, bite-sized chunks. By interacting with these highly focused on learning bursts, learnings become a lot simpler to process and the probability of information retention is increased. Microlearning courses are simpler to create, update and distribute as opposed to conventional eLearning courses and completion rates are significantly higher. Moreover, the compact idea of microlessons implies microlearning is an incredible enabler of other strategies, for example, Spaced Repetition, Peer Learning, and Just-in-Time training.  

As per the Journal of Applied Psychology, learning in bite-sized pieces makes the retention and transfer of learning 17% more efficient from the classroom to the desk. Microlearning centers around the key components of any subject which makes both company training and educational learning much more effective. By concentrating on fewer topics, information has a more prominent likelihood of moving from short-term to long-term memory where it is embedded.  

The origins of micro learning

The first published use of the term microlearning goes back to 1963 to a book called ‘The Economics of Human Resources,’ by Hector Correa. Microlearning began its journey to eLearning fame with the local utilization of the internet in the mid-1990s. The internet revolutionized the way the world had the option to learn. Out of nowhere we could stream our lessons on the internet, or transfer learning modules in about an evening.  

Regardless of the internet making it a lot simpler to share training, the early stretches of internet learning were equivalent to holding up in a line at the amusement park. You should be having lot of fun, yet rather, you’re left with a long, slow and exhausting experience. eLearning made the way for microlearning.   

Smartphones and learning apps

Learning applications are designed in view of the micro learner. This is fundamentally based on the grounds that they’re downloaded onto cell phones, so individuals will often be learning while in a hurry. The first smartphone was launched in 1994 and had 10 in-built applications. This incorporated an address book, a calculator, a sketch pad, a note pad, and many more. With the beginning of smartphones, learning opportunities increased. With access to the internet accessible always in our pocket, learners were invited into a universe of information with only a couple of taps. The App store assisted with facilitating this with an expanding number of educational applications. Hence, it didn’t take long for instructional designers and application creators to tailor learning content to the mobile experience, by making shorter, increasingly impactful learning experiences. 

Microlearning is the best type of learning. As per the results of a survey on Learning and Development professionals, 8 out of 10 L&D professionals favor microlearning because their learners prefer it. Besides, organizations that have adopted a microlearning technique instantly experienced higher engagement rate.  

Microlearning is proven to make learning increasingly engaging and meaningful because of the single-objective, short, focused lessons. With pop-up messages reminding learners to finish them, companies see unbelievable completion rates compared to traditional eLearning courses. However, we take microlearning further by including two key ingredients: Spaced Repetition and Gamification. These features are extraordinarily successful for microlearning-based training by expanding learner commitment and knowledge retention, motivating learners through a scientific, tailored methodology.  

The rise of millennials and tremendous growth of smartphone possession in the working environment make it the ideal learning and development solution for any skilled workforce, regardless of whether it’s hospitality, retail, or some other industry. With the adaptability to convey customized learning, everything remains targeted and relevant for your learners.  

Current Trends in Microlearning

Microlearning has developed from miniscule beginnings into a multi-million-pound industry. Since the time the internet has emerged, we’ve been discovering approaches to consolidate learning. Here are some ongoing trends of microlearning: 

• More data – The more detailed your analytics are, the better handle you’ll have of how effective your training has been. Microunits may just take minutes to finish, however they can be rich in analytics too. xAPI is another eLearning standard you can use to get more richer information from your training
• More focus on personalization – As per Econsultancy and Monetate survey, 94% of organizations state that personalization is critical to their success. From fast food to your streaming service, you would now be able to tailor numerous services and products to your precise preference. Pioneering learning technologies are making it simple for learners to enjoy a customized experience  
• Video-based learning – 61% of instructors accept that learners want to learn through video (as per report commissioned by Cisco Systems Inc). This is just because of rise as it gets simpler to make your very own videos
• Game-based learning – Game-based learning blends the universe of L&D with gaming. Questions, recordings, pictures, text and sound can be embedded into games by means of slides, changing the learning experience into an enjoyable game
• Microlearning is getting shorter – When the possibility of microlearning surfaced, 20 minutes appeared as though a nanosecond in contrast with 60 minutes classroom session. As the L&D business put more research into the advantages of microlearning, we’ve all come to understand that smaller is better

Microlearning is presently changing the way everybody learns. As accessibility and technology improve, this wave would take on the entire world. 

Neuroscience offers insights into employee engagement. It helps individuals to understand who they are and what they were meant for. When you make adjustment between who someone is and what they bring to the workplace, they understand their value and are willing to express themselves and this means they’re naturally engaged. Neuroscience and psychology are coming together to provide a better view to improve understanding of employee behavior so as to increase engagement. Neuroscience of learning is a means of helping you understand what you’re doing and why, but it’s up to psychology to make out how someone becomes engaged.  

The only way organizations can maintain their competitive advantage in this rapidly changing, knowledge-soaked world, is to figure- out and recreate the competition. By gaining knowledge of how the brain functions in support of learning and problem-solving workers can be prepared in a better way to adjust to the evolving and expanding workplace. All of us are aware that neuroscience of learning is a reasonable process of the brain. Knowing how the brain works and particularly what happens while learning can help every learning and development, professionals use this knowledge to design and deliver highly effective actions.  

Neuroscience in the Workplace

With the effective use of neuroscience of learning, training departments can develop and implement programs that directly drive performance improvement and financial growth. They can move from the perimeter of organizations to become a critical, core capability. The field of neuroscience of learning in the workplace is a growing one. There is much focus on workplace neuroscience, specifically in the areas of leadership, learning, change and culture. 

Neuroscience research shows that our ability to learn, adapt and change never stops, which is very important in the context of the workplace. We can learn, grow, change and adjust in almost all phases of our life, including our work. This is very helpful when it comes to the competency of teams to learn how to better connect with one another. Organizations and employees are adapting the field of neuroscience as a source to make it happen. 

Managers are very important for the success of business and so they need more resources, guidance and training. They have a great impact on each employee’s success or failure. When it comes to organizational change, it is important for organizations and their leader to understand where each employee is on the change journey. Leaders who build new organizational strategies have time to adjust to the new change while employees do not get enough time to consider and adjust to those changes. In this situation, neuroscience of learning can help. 

The neuroscience of learning is a versatile field of study that examines how people learn and how their learning and development can improve talent management, performance improvement, organizational learning, training, and instructional design. It is quite evident that organizations will do well by coordinating offerings with natural brain functioning. Doing so will open up more sales, increase wellness, and enhance productivity. 

Learning and Neuroscience –

Learning experiences alter who we are. All learning involves thinking, action and reflection. It alters the range of our abilities. Learning is always prevalent be it consciously or unconsciously. While providing training for business environments, we focus too much on the content we want people to know rather than how they will learn. Thus, failing to keep them engaged, and unable to help them transfer their knowledge into action.  

No doubt, a good instructional design can go a long way toward getting it right. Though, it misses out on some powerful and effective insights into the workings of the brain. Learning professionals usually struggle to stand up to the pressure to give lots of information to learners quickly. Neuroscience of learning, on the other hand, offers a new way to think about the design of learning activities and programs. It brings together some of the available knowledge about learning and the brain and how that knowledge can be directly applied to learning in an organizational setting.  

Neuroscience is a field known for understanding the working of the brain. It can have a positive impact on how we work with and lead others. If the leader knows how to change the brain to motivate and engage people, it allows them to focus on behaviors that can be changed to move their teams in the right way. Neuroscience of learning focuses on how to leverage the brain for maximum impact, how to change it for the better, build confidence and resilience, and align the brains of your team so you can focus on common goals, and to use neuroscience to solve common management challenges, such as increasing team diversity, performance, speed, innovation, and focus. While application of neuroscience in the field of learning is relatively new, it can no doubt, change the way we train for the better. 

Training in the area of neuroscience of learning will give you insights on how to make the learning function of your organization more effective. It can provide new ways of learning that will increase attention, enhance retention and encourage application of what has been learned. It is about understanding the mental processes involved in learning. The following aspects of active learning can be implemented into the talent development training programs – 

• Volition – Decision-making is very important for efficient learning, so you have to give employees choice over their training and follow their decisions about what they think they should learn. Most people would want their employer to  improve their expertise and learn new skills, though already knowing which path to take and what they’d like to learn
• Long Term Goals – It is not possible to make decisions if you don’t know what they are for. Learning is more powerful when people lay stress not just on what they have to learn but also on how their learning can help in achieving long-term goals. They also pay more attention to receiving information related to the goal. In the workplace, a training program should be consistent with employees’ personal objectives, which will focus and engage them in acquiring knowledge
• Practice – As you understand, our brain learns and memorizes things, include practical assignments in your training program related to neuroscience of learning, so that employees can put to use what they already know to real life. Real-life training, applicable to everyday work situations, is proved to be most effective
• Engagement – Engagement manages the level of involvement of your employees in the learning process. If the employees are more involved, it will lead to better results. To build engagement, any new concepts or skills the employees are learning, should be worthwhile and capable of being put to use. This way they will be able to use the new information properly and build connections needed for learning
• Regular Checks and Feedback – Training feedback is a source of information for modifying training, making it more employee-dominant. Employees’ progress should be checked regularly to understand which stage of obtaining new skills they are at. With that information, you can assess their progress, direct them to the next steps, and give them more information, if needed. The best way is to divide training sets into small, consistent pieces, and collect feedback on each of them
• Personalization – People’s achievements arise from their individual communication with instructional techniques. Difficulties of training program often arise when it doesn’t take into account the different ways employees’ learn. Programmed personalization in the development of a training program is needed for successful employees’ performance outcomes. To deliver personalized training, feedback, performance, operational, and any other available data will be useful
• Motivation and Empathy – Motivation and engagement increase employees’ results. Emotions and learning are interdependent, so the connection with employee’s emotional state and the awareness of oneself should be considered in developing a training program. If employees think that intelligence and skills are fixed, they won’t see mistakes as opportunities to learn. By analyzing their performance, you can help them with personalized training that could be very simple. This will improve their productivity and, therefore, their perception of themselves as being more successful
• Mnemonic Exercises – The principles of active learning include the summary of obtained knowledge and skills.  Mentorship will give employees the chance to refresh conversation with new viewpoints and challenges. To teach their colleagues properly, they’ll have to simplify what they already know, taking a wider approach to certain topics and using information to make training practical and instantly applicable

Organizations believe that it’s crucial to consider neuroscience of learning when designing and developing training programs in order to increase the efficiency of employee learning and boost their personal and professional growth. 

The basic premise of adaptive learning is utilizing technology to improve education and training by giving personalized learning programs to learners. This is done based on information and data accumulated both before and all through the learning journey based on how the learner interacts with the learning platform. The best adaptive learning platforms employ various kinds of the information mining to construct learning content for the learners which is optimized for their learning requirements. Adaptive learning decides which learning activities, delivered through what medium and in which sequence will help improve the student’s learning. Utilizing adaptive learning, every learner experiences a highly personalized learning experience, leading to better learning outcomes.    

History of adaptive learning

Adaptive learning showed up on the educational scene during the 1950s. Behaviorist, B.F. Skinner is credited for creating this strategy. Skinner developed an educating machine that concentrated on effectively teaching new ideas as opposed to strengthening memorization. The machine worked by allowing the learners to practice new ideas by addressing questions. If the inquiry was addressed effectively, feedback and encouraging feedback was given. If the response was wrong, rather than simply having the learner attempt once more, smaller steps were taken towards the correct answer through a series of little clues. This allowed learners to learn at their own pace, also get quick feedback so they could perceive how they were performing.     

From that point forward, adaptive learning has been incorporated into various fields outside of just training. Different parts of the military use it to train for asymmetric warfare, NASA utilizes it for simulations, and we can even observe it being utilized on the internet through social media. For instance, when you first sign-up platforms like Netflix and Amazon, they have an organized and generic gathering of streaming services and products they offer to you. At that point, in view of how you react to these items and what you buy, it will begin making suggestions that are exclusive to you. This is how the internet learns out about you as a customer.   

Adaptive learning: Enhancing the Role of Instructional Designers    

With all the ongoing trends around AI in learning and development, a natural fear has built up that AI will undoubtedly begin replacing instructional designers, educators, and analytics specialists, very soon.     

Donald Clarke wrote in 2018 that instructional designers must “adapt or die” in the coming surge of AI technologies that have been intended to replace them. Although, this feels like a fundamental misconception of AI advances, not only in eLearning but as a component of technological advancements in all businesses and domains.     

While Instructional Designers would still be required to develop content, they would be required to be flexible in creating content that is not one-size-fits-all. Contents of different levels, different examples, and activities, etc. would need to be designed for the learning platform to further select the right content for the learner.      

The future of adaptive learning in training incorporates customized education experiences, and adaptive learning is the way in which we will make meaningful experiences for learners of all age groups. The transformation has just started. Organizations have started giving customized experiences for school and college-going students. Regardless of whether in their foundational years or part of higher ed, students can tweak their learning experiences and access the learning, they need as per personalized learning plans.      

Instructors and trainers of the future will become specialists in adaptive learning as they coach and guide the learners through the learning paths. Eventually, adaptive learning will be the standard in training, not the standout. 

Before getting into understanding assessment for learning need analysis, we’ll start by differentiating assessment of learning and assessment for learning. Assessment of learning is to gauge the knowledge of the learner and measure their learning after a training intervention. Whereas assessment for learning implies a measure to understand the area of strengths and challenges for the purpose of devising a plan for development.  

If we aim at defining assessment for learning, it is basically a method or procedure by which the results from the assessment are used for the purpose of development in the workplace scenario. Any assessment by itself does not have the capacity to amplify or hinder the entire process of learning and development, it is entirely dependent on the application. 

There could be various methods implied to measure the capabilities. They could range between observing everyday tasks, 360 assessments, personal interviews or meetings, formal psychometric assessments, etc. The weightage is placed on the kind of details gathered through the mode of assessment and not the mode in itself. 

These type of assessments for learning needs diagnosis aid the assessors or supervisors in quite a few ways. The purpose of interpreting any data or result for the individual or group is to decide the level of development or learning, how can their strengths be best used and where the focus of development is essential to ensure success. With the information gathered from these assessments, the manager can use it to create or plan the development plan for the individual, nominate them for the appropriate training program, understand the strengths of the individual to leverage them in the right manner. Similarly, these assessments for learning help the individual themselves in many ways. It provides an overview of their strengths and challenges and helps in introspection.  

Some examples of these assessments for learning are observations during on-the-job tasks, observing during meetings and other interactions, periodic performance reviews, planned and unplanned review meetings, assessments, 360-degree feedback, etc. These assessments for diagnosing learning needs can be time consuming and needs some amount of effort but the outcome of these is worth all the effort as it helps in enhancing the productivity of the individual and the organization. 

These assessments can also be combined with or used as post-assessments. When a pre- and post-design is used, instructors and supervisors can measure the improvement in one’s knowledge and skill level post the training and practice sessions.  

When these assessments for learning are well incorporated into the system, the benefits it has to offer include:  

• helps in setting clear and specific goals and targets 
• creates a meticulous environment that promotes employee development 
• enhances the individual’s performance standards as their strengths are leveraged
• Helps to give targeted and specific feedback aimed for improvement 
• constant progress check on development boosts motivation and employee engagement  

To conclude, one must remember that when using assessments for learning it is important to define the purpose of the assessment that is important than the type of assessment. 

Blended learning is an emerging approach to education that “blends” traditional teaching methods with technology and virtual learning environments. Blended learning is not just substituting in-person training with eLearning. It’s about creating an integrated approach, leveraging several types of learning elements together to accommodate different learning styles and preferences.  

Having understood this , Skillsoft and Strengthscape have partnered  in delivering such an integrated learning intervention. We begin by developing your learning intervention in conjunction with your strategies, culture and events to leverage best practices—then working with you to maximize your learning success. Our team of certified facilitators, coaches, instructional designers, behavioral consultants and marketing specialists along with Skillsoft’s team of solution architects, eLearning consultants, customer support, and application engineers provide core support as a team to our clients to ensure value is delivered to them. These teams in collaboration deliver a class apart learning journey for all.  

How are we different?

• Experienced facilitators – Experienced trainers and facilitators who have undertaken varied projects bring experience and knowledge of the industry best practices
• Personalized Learning Experience – Strengthscape works closely with stakeholders to deliver a program that is customized to your needs to make learning more relatable to the audience  
• Extensive Handholding - Strengthscape provides continuous support through individual handholding for higher learning effectiveness  
• Extensive Post-program Support - We at Strengthscape and Skillsoft, pride ourselves in providing continuous and extensive support post any program  
• Complete and Optimal learning experience – Our blended learning design revolves around three aspects to have an optimal learning experience: relevance, meaning and emotion
• Experience a comprehensive learning path – We provide access to curated engaging content to ensure customers have the latest information

Every individual has their own learning pace . Our team recognizes this and creates an engaging program where participants under purview will be able to understand their respective learning journeys. When exposed to multiple such elements in the learning path , they are bound to be on their toes and highly engaged.  

What we Offer as Part of This Alliance

Discovery: Identify specific behavioral indicators, list situations and cases that support the learning need and eventually, helps in customized learning, gain buy-in from learners, giving learners control of their learning path by co-creating the design with them, identify key company principles/values that apply to the target audience, identify the intended performance outcomes, identify risks to program success, review current learning interventions etc. 

Pre-Assessment: Strengthscape is an authorized partner for Central Tests and EverythingDiSC by John Wiley. We offer pre-assessments so that the participants are self-aware and can make their developmental journey personalized.  

Instructor-led Sessions: We offer a plethora of instructor led sessions which encompasses master workshops and micro learning sessions of shorter durations to address the learning needs. Each of these sessions are carefully devised by our internal team in order to keep them relevant. Strengthscape believes that where theoretical learning is must, but experiential learning is a must in today’s competitive world where learners know how to practically apply the concepts. Hence , we drive these sessions around activities for this purpose. These sessions are spaced carefully to avoid overload of information for the learners .  

Live Projects: Post the completion of these classroom sessions, a live project or assignment is given to the participants to gauge the level of learning progress which is followed by virtual or face to face feedback sessions thereby making it a personalized approach.  

eLearning and Digital Library: Skillsoft eLearning is introduced either for the entire duration of the learning intervention or after the classroom trainings so that the learning can be sustained for longer periods.  

Industry Expert Sessions: Leader connect sessions or industry speaker sessions are also relied to give the participants a wider perspective of the topics under discussion. The learner is subjected to portray situations that closely mirror actual issues and situations found or experienced in real life. We develop these scenarios with characters that are relatable, sympathetic, outrageous, entertaining and believable. This approach ensures the content is more relatable and therefore more meaningful and memorable. 

Following are a few advantages of leveraging eLearning from Skillsoft:  

• Intelligent learning platform: Skillport and Percipio 
• Various modalities offered: Visual, Audiobooks (read’,’listen’,’watch’) 
• The personalized learning approach is adopted:as the participant can learn on his / her pace
• High on user-friendliness – Gives recommendation of content based on interest
• Coupled with assignments and tests towards the end to administer learning 
• The pricing works on subscription-based, scalable model 
• Device Compatibility 
• Delivered in different languages to suit global audiences 
• Ala carte model available for compliance courses

Blended learning allows increased flexibility, as it enables anytime anywhere learning.  

Skillsoft knows its learners. We’ve used these elements to form the baseline of our latest content offerings as we are now using a mix of design approaches that are learner-centric to meet learners’ needs better. Strengthscape believes that theoretical learning is important, but experiential learning is also a must in today’s competitive world where learners know how to practically apply the concepts and create subjective meaning out of their learning experience.