Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021 - 25

Delivering Better
Experiences That Lead
to Better Retention
of Learning
Traditionally, we have used printed job
aids and displayed them in work areas,
and it has worked! However, today's
learners must internalize a lot more
information than will fit on a flyer to
keep pace with the competition. Being
digitally savvy, they prefer the learning
to be available at their convenience - at
the workplace or outside. They can learn
while they are commuting to the office
or in the field waiting for customers.
Learning must be made available to
them at their fingertips.
To address the challenge, the L&D or HR
teams must get in the driver's seat and
continuously equip learners with what
they need. This is where continuous
learning helps in bridging the gap.
How to Deliver Continuous
Learning Experiences
When you build new programs or
revise your existing programs, consider
continuous reinforcement using
microlearning approaches:
Before and after the training for
easy consumption.
Build them quickly with a focus on
real-time applications.
Sustain that for a specified period to
help learners build mastery.
Ensure availability on any device.
So, how are the typical learning
programs rolled out?
For example, an induction program will
have a combination of instructor-led
training or virtual training and eLearning.
They are all combined over two to seven
days or more in some industries. After
the induction program is completed,
the participants are handed reading
material and expected to know and
understand the materials without any
other intervention.
Another example would be that of new
people managers. They are provided
with classroom or eLearning material
and expected to manage people
efficiently immediately after that.
Is he or she ready immediately after a
course to manage people efficiently?
As mentioned earlier, after a week or so,
the learner tends to forget the majority
of their training - but they are still
expected to be optimally efficient. That
can lead to a mismatch of expectations.
Next, we will see how microlearning
interventions can be designed and
delivered as part of the continuous
learning journey.
Various forms
of
interventions include:
LEARNING NUGGETS:
microlearning
Bite-sized
interventions, each addressing one
learning objective. There can be
multiple learning nuggets for a specific
competency.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES: Trigger activities
such as going through a PDF and
answering a question, researching a
topic and submitting a note on the topic.
You can also add crossword puzzles or
other brain teasers to the mix.
VIDEOS: Videos built using infographics,
motion graphics or with whiteboard
animation.
QUESTIONS: Two to three questions
per learning nugget. Also, stand-alone
quizzes to support the learning.
GAME-BASED ACTIVITIES: One gamebased
activity per competency per level
(so to attain a level, one game-based
activity can be designed).
Continuous learning can also be
implemented as memory boosters
(short nuggets based on the courses
that are administered earlier). These
features are generally available in LMSs,
LXPs and microlearning platforms, and
can be utilized by organizations to
implement microlearning and continuous
learning journeys.
An Example of
Continuous Learning
Induction and onboarding are crucial
for an employee to understand an
organization's culture, its products and
services, organization structure, policies
and so on. Employees can't remember
everything they heard in the induction
and onboarding sessions.
However, induction and onboarding are
crucial for employees to feel at home
and get the right perspective about
organizational work practices. This lays
the foundation for employee satisfaction
and performance in the long run.
This is where the continuous learning
concept
can
be
implemented
using microlearning interventions.
Microlearning nuggets that talk about
the key people of the organization and
its key processes can be provided as
reinforcement to help the employees
recall the information.
Conclusion
These best practices can help to ensure
that continuous learning journeys are the
way forward in optimal training delivery
that leads to better learning and better
retention of concepts, thereby leading
to better application of learning.
Suresh Kumar is a learning professional
with over 16 years of experience in
strategizing and providing learning
solutions for varied customers across
the globe. For the past 5 years, Suresh
has been leading Tesseract Learning as
its CEO. Email Suresh.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
| 25
https://www.trainingindustry.com/magazine
Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021
