Are You Training the Way People Want to Learn?

Traditional LMS solutions are failing to deliver because they can’t provide what your employees want.

According to an Ipos poll, 30% of workers say they haven’t received any formal workplace training from their employer. Of the remaining employees who did receive some form of training, 46% say it just wasn’t effective. There is more than one reason, including the Forgetting Curve and lack of practice and reinforcement. One common problem is that antiquated methods and technology fail to engage workers in the training. Chances are, like many other employers, you are using antiquated technology that doesn’t deliver the mobile, engaging and adaptive learning experience that your modern employees demand. Developing top performers means paying attention to the needs of the modern learner.

So what do they want?

They want learning anytime and anywhere

Employees aren’t interested in a structured approach to learning where they need to leave their desks to participate in scheduled training. What they do want is learning that is integrated into their workflow. In fact, according to Ipsos, 87% of them want knowledge that is accessible to them anywhere, anytime they need it. In short, they want learning tools that are as mobile as they are and as easy to search as Google.

They want learning to be fun and engaging

Of the workers who said their training was ineffective, 46% said it was because it only happens a few times every year, it’s boring (29%), there is too much information thrown at them at once (23%), they tend to forget most of the information within a short period of time (20%), or they are trained on the wrong content (16%). It doesn’t have to be this way. By gamifying your learning, you can teach concepts and reinforce knowledge in fun and engaging ways. Leaderboards, rewards and other incentives inspire competition and participation and continually get your people excited in the learning experience.

They want it personal and relevant

It’s no coincidence that, according to the forgetting curve, your employees forget about 90% of what they’ve learned after a week. The traditional LMS is a static, one-size-fits-all program. It doesn’t adapt to what individual learners need, nor is it able to adjust on the fly so that your people can focus on areas where they just need a little more practice or information.

Adaptive learning does just that. It compares the learner’s progress to his/her individual benchmark data and adjusts content automatically, based on actual progress, to help close knowledge gaps. Think of it as fitting learning to the individual rather than the old method of forcing the individual into the learning. It gives your employees what they want in a way that delivers exactly what they, and you, need.

Maybe it’s time for a shift in learning strategies that focuses on delivering what the modern learner wants.