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Four Tips on Easing Techno-Novices into Workplace eLearning
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Benefits of Micro-Learning in Workplace Training
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Ways to Ensure Employee Complete the Elearning Courses
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1. Four Tips on Easing Techno-Novices into Workplace eLearning
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Be absolutely sure that you want eLearning for your organization before you roll it out
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The main purpose of corporate eLearning, or any L&D methodology, is to facilitate the Learning and Development of your existing employees and make them learn new skills so that the organization doesn’t have to hire new employees. But that cannot be accomplished if your employees are not ready for such a drastic change. Change can be confusing, and you should make sure that it will actually benefit your organization in the long-run, rather than confuse employees and obstruct their Learning and Development completely.
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Train Your Employees
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Keep your employees in the loop right from the start about what this transition means, and what is expected of them. Give them absolute clarity, and train them on how to use the eLearning courses, the LMS (Learning Management System) and other features of your corporate eLearning program well in advance before you roll it out. Demonstrations can help a lot, so either get professional experts to demonstrate how to use all the features of your corporate eLearning program or get those employees who have experience with eLearning to demonstrate it for their colleagues. The latter is favored because people are more likely to receive a demonstration from a colleague in a positive way, rather than from a stranger, and be inspired to learn the workings of the new technology.
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Feedback, Feedback, Feedback!
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Guess what the important ingredient of a successful transition to eLearning is? That’s right, feedback. Right from the first pilot eLearning module, encourage employees to be vocal about ideas and suggestions of all sorts. Measurable data is important but comes second. First, you need to assure your employees that the organization is here to support them through this transition and that all of it is for their own benefit, which is in fact true. Pay particular attention to the older employees who have been with the organization for a long time, as well as those who find this transition disconcerting (sometimes they’re one and the same) and listen and appraise their critical views.
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Give your employees time to get accustomed to eLearning
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Once the corporate eLearning program has been implemented, give your employees time to get accustomed to it, and don’t start breathing on their necks if it takes more time than expected for some of them to get the hang of it. Encourage exploration, and let them play around with the platform a bit, as sometimes employees can find novel and creative ways to get things done if left to their own devices. If certain employees are having a hard time making a head or tail out of the new program, get those who’ve mastered it to help them. There’s nothing that can stop you if you are committed to making it work.
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Adapted from: Sengupta D Easing Techno-Novices Into Corporate eLearning Mar 23, 2019 eLearning Industry
2. Benefits of Micro Learning in Workplace Training:
Employee Manuals:
With micro learning, each section of such a manual can be put into an engaging video, and employees can be provided just a deadline in which to complete all of the small modules.
This empowers them – they can choose when they access the modules and where they are when the do so. Many may be happier watching a module on a tablet while eating, or in bed before sleep, or during a train commute or on a plane.
A library of modules is invaluable for new and ongoing training:
There are interviews scheduled this week for a new position, and the HR specialist who will be conducting those interviews comes down with pneumonia. You can cancel all those interviews, of course. But what if there were a module or two that the specialist’s manager could access and in a matter of 10-15 minutes be “up” on the latest regs so that s/he knew what to ask and what not to ask? The interviews proceed as scheduled.
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An employee has just been promoted, and there is a body of knowledge and skills that must be learned. Micro learning modules allow this to happen on that employee’s own time schedule. A new piece of equipment is introduced that will be utilized by several employees. Each employee can schedule his/her own time and access the training module while actually on that piece of equipment. Faster and far more efficient; and any new employee who joins the team can train himself without taking the time of another employee.
Workplace “culture” is changed by micro learning:
Micro-learning is all about people digesting shorts chunks of learning in ways that are engaging and often interactive, if the modules are developed well. Giving the learner autonomy empowers him/her and provides a sense of being respected and trusted.
Updates are much easier:
If something needs to be updated, just send it out via a quick video or social media. The targeted employees get the information and managers save time.
3. Ways to Ensure Employees Complete the eLearning Courses
Help Them Understand Why It’s Important
Most employees don’t care about completing eLearning courses because they don’t understand their purpose. Tell them why it benefits them, both before introducing eLearning in your organization, as well as at the start of each eLearning module.
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eLearning modules should begin with learning objectives or outcomes, along with the fact that how do they connect to an employee’s job role or “What’s in it for me?” section. While this might not motivate all employees to start completing their courses, you’ll certainly see the rational ones start committing to the organization’s eLearning courses.
Reward Course Completion
Well, there are only two sorts of motivations, the carrot or the stick i.e. reward or punishment. When employees are ready to skip eLearning courses even though it affects their performance review that means that the “stick” isn’t working.
Reward course completion with badges or certificates (LinkedIn certificates work best), and you’ll see an increase in the number of employees that begin completing their courses. This is so because rewards like badges bestow a sense of accomplishment even though they have no tangible value, and certificates can be flaunted on LinkedIn to show career growth. Leaderboards can also be used to create a sense of competition and motivate employees (may have side-effect: employees are urged to do it but they also HATE it). All of these features are part of gamification, which is a technique used in eLearning to engage learners by using game dynamics in an eLearning course.
Use Micro Learning
Employees may not be completing your organization’s eLearning courses because they are too long or take up too much time. Employees are usually already busy with the workload and would like to skip anything that eats too much into their time.
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Micro learning means that no eLearning course should take longer than 5 minutes to complete and should impart learning in short, concentrated bursts. Micro learning modules use content that has been stripped of all irrelevancies and are quite straightforward. Just make sure you do not create bland courses devoid of interactivities that fail to engage learners at all.
Use Quizzes Generously In Your Courses
Research says people like to be quizzed, and particularly about things they’ve learned recently. This works in your favor as you can add short quizzes (feedback or refreshers) at regular intervals in your eLearning courses. This helps in fortifying learned ideas through repetition, and as they are easy, it gives that small accomplishment boost that all learners enjoy.
Market your eLearning Courses Internally
We live in the age of social media, and as it is obvious, we are influenced by it a lot. So are your employees. Marketing your courses internally means turning your eLearning into something fun through teaser posts shared to all employees, as well as contests, rewards, and leaderboards (as mentioned before), as well as winner announcements.
This will ensure that your eLearning courses become something which is eagerly awaited. Encourage employees to share their progress. Social media is a part of every employee’s daily lives, and when you take eLearning to that platform, it becomes a part of their daily lives, too.
Create Courses That “Wow” Learners
Perhaps, the most common problem that employees face is the eLearning courses are uninspired, glorified PowerPoint presentations with zero engagement that bore them out of their wits. This is why they don’t feel the need to complete them.
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Modern learners are used to seeing vivid graphics, fun interactivities, music, videos and other such aural and visual appeal every day. If you cannot provide that in your eLearning courses, you won’t be able to capture their attention.
Adapted from: Sengupta D How To Ensure Your Employees Complete Their eLearning Courses? Mar 27, 2019 eLearning Industry