The expectations on leaders of training organizations to improve business performance requires them to understand how to create and deliver content that positively influences the learner’s behavior. Understanding how to better engage the learner is at the heart of how our industry is evolving. Below are some of the key trends for training development your likely to see in 2016:
CONSISTENCY OF PERFORMANCE DRIVES ONGOING TRAINING
The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve shows us that learners forget most of the information they learn shortly after leaving the classroom. Organizations need learners to consistently perform on the job over an extended period of time. Learning leaders are increasingly recognizing their responsibility to provide a training experience that extends the classroom, and leverages the 70:20:10 approach, by providing ongoing training through informal and social means. This concept has traditionally been referred to as performance support systems, but more recently has been coined reinforcement content, or “boost” forms of learning support. We are seeing a growing number of technologies and mobile apps being introduced that support the need to ensure a worker performs their job at a consistent level over time.
LEARNING IN THE CLOUD
As enterprise and workplace systems evolve, so too are the technologies and tools that deliver training content and track learning activities. The traditional LMS has quickly evolved to cloud-based, SaaS (software-as-a-service) platforms that can be turned on and off with relative ease. Tools such as Workday, Namely, HR Cloud, and Cvent are providing a fast and flexible approach to managing small and large enterprise training organizations, single training events, as well as monitoring online, on-demand training programs. The introduction of workplace apps that allow us to deliver training content pre- and post-learning experience, or to better manage and track the effectiveness and efficiency of online training, will change how we use devices for training. Mobile apps are not just about how we access content, but in the future will be more about how we monitor learning and skill progression. In addition to speed and flexibility, these new environments are making measurement and data collection much easier. With the ability to target development at the skill level, testing becomes easier and the data the learning team collects becomes a better proxy of learning impact.
EMERGENCE OF VIDEO AS THE DOMINANT APPROACH TO MOBILE LEARNING
Mobile learning is not a new idea. Since the introduction of the mobile device, learning leaders have viewed mobile devices as another way to get training content in the hands of the learner at the point of application. Video has emerged as the dominant approach to deliver training content over a mobile device. We have not seen a widespread acceptance and adoption of structured courseware on a mobile device, especially the smartphone. A learner’s ability to access a video that demonstrates how a job or task should be done is proving to be one of the most effective methods for ensuring consistency in job tasks, as well as an efficient way to get information to the learner when they need it.
RENEWED EMPHASIS ON INSTRUCTOR QUALITY
Regardless the type of training, great training organizations are increasingly demanding that instructors have real-world experiences and share the stories necessary to give the training relevancy and reflect the values the company intends to portray. Virtual delivery has made it easier to attract subject matter experts (SMEs) to the delivery platform, but it’s adding complexity to how we develop their delivery skills. Facilitators have become generalists in many content segments as they are priced and sourced as a commodity skillset. The challenge is in upskilling instructors – or properly preparing instructors to be quality communicators and SMEs – and developing the skillsets where they enhance the training experience. Expect to see more focus on instructor development and credentialing for virtual and classroom delivery.
