In recent years, there’s been a lot of discussion about the learner experience and the elements that make a learning program successful. When moving through a learning journey, it’s easy for us to identify which experiences we enjoy and which we don’t care for. It’s far more difficult to determine why the approach feels great or not so great. This leads us to this question: What makes a learning experience great?
In a well-designed video game, the user’s experience is in the forefront. So it is with the learner’s journey through a training program as well. It’s a multifaceted experience that includes unique features of engagement, curiosity and innovation along the way. The learner’s experience begins when he or she encounters the learning material and ends when … well, it doesn’t end.
With that journey in mind, here are seven essential steps to generate and facilitate a rich learning experience:
1. Leverage Marketing Efforts
Strangely, this step is often overlooked as a critical part of the learner’s experience. By creating excitement and fostering curiosity, your marketing efforts will spread the word about your learning program and build awareness for what you are trying to do. By marketing the program, you will ignite a spark in employees to build excitement and prepare them for the learning that lies ahead.
2. Identify Skill and Knowledge Gaps
If the learning program simply blankets the learners and does little to understand their needs, it will lose the intended message. It may be too advanced for some learners or too rudimentary for others. Either way, it won’t help employees make any progress. To circumvent this possibility, routinely conduct thorough audience analyses to determine gaps and shortcomings. From there, use your findings to design learning opportunities specific to the learner.
3. Use the Learning Environment
Another strategy to establish a lasting behavior change is to build in frequent and ongoing practice using the learner’s own environment. Context-based learning has demonstrated its effectiveness time and time again. Using the tools and resources available in the learner’s environment will help create a more engaging experience that promotes retention.
4. Keep the Content Small
Another important strategy for creating behavior change is breaking the content into small, bite-sized chunks. By focusing on just one small bit of information at a time, the learners won’t feel overwhelmed by an onslaught of information. They will remain active participants as they learn the skills at hand.
5. Create a Continuous Learner Experience
To ensure lasting behavior change, include sustainment pieces following each training session. In other words, the learning experience should not end after each learner touch-point but, rather, should continue with no conclusion in sight. Use a variety of strategies, from microlearning modules at 90 days and 120 days to job-aids and resources created for on-the-job reference, to ensure lasting change.
6. Measure for Success
To determine whether the experience meets its goals, measuring behavior change at various points is a must. Take the Kirkpatrick model, for instance. First, measure the learner’s reaction to an experience by administering a satisfaction survey following each touch-point. Next, use a pre-test and post-test to measure knowledge gained. Take the third measure within 10 days following the touch-point, using observation checklists to gauge the level of on-the-job behavior change. Lastly, determine ROI and business results by collecting key performance indicator (KPI) data. With multiple touchpoints for measurement, you can effectively identify learning trends.
7. Cultivate an Engaging Learning Experience Through Creative Design
There is a saying that “we eat with our eyes.” In other words, content loses power and presence with minimal or no design. Companies spend millions of dollars on packaging for a reason; it’s the first impression. Before your learners read or interact with any training materials, ask yourself, “Does this content have visual appeal?” Strong visual design lends credibility, provides ease of use, and reflects your brand personality and culture, ensuring your message is communicated effectively.
The learning experience does not end when the learner leaves the learning environment. It’s an ongoing process, one that will become an integral part of your organization if you implement it correctly. To determine whether your training touchpoints have the intended effect, measure knowledge and behavior change following each one. It’s the best way to show progress, and progress indicates a great learning experience.
