Digital learning is gaining popularity in the corporate L&D landscape in recent times. Are you planning to implement it in your organization? Well, let’s take a look at some amazing tips to implement digital learning in your corporate training and boost employee performance.
If you’re responsible for training employees at your company, chances are you’ve had to update your curriculum from time to time. Perhaps it’s because some new laws or regulations impact how you do business. Or maybe there’s been a technological change that necessitates an update. But whatever the reason, the good news is that technology has made it easier than ever before to create and deliver high-quality employee training—and not just in person but also online through digital learning.
The World is Going Digital and L&D is Not an Exception
Here’s how to implement Digital Learning in Corporate Training:
- Use the technology stack that works best for your audience
- Create an adaptive learning experience
- Train learners on how to use digital learning tools
Read on for more tips!
What and Why of Digital Learning?
Digital Learning is any type of learning facilitated by technology. It is sometimes confused with online learning or eLearning, but it actually is an umbrella that encompasses the aforementioned concepts. Digital Learning is gradually becoming the hot favorite of L&D leaders and there are reasons for it. Here are a few reasons why digital learning is gaining immense popularity:
Accessibility
With remote and hybrid work models becoming the new norm, training managers are looking for ways to make training more accessible and digital learning does just that. It makes the process seamless right from imparting training to making the learning materials accessible anywhere and anytime to tracking progress.
Affordability
Imparting training at a pocket-friendly budget and boosting the ROI is one of the major concerns for L&D leaders. Digital learning waives off most of the costs associated with classroom training like transportation, accommodation, and infrastructure, and thereby offers good ROI.
Flexibility
With multiple formats available under the digital learning umbrella, learners find it easy to choose their preferred format and can learn better as they are free to learn at their own pace and in their convenient time. This boosts employee productivity and performance.
Popular Digital Learning Formats
Here are a few digital learning formats preferred by organizations today:
- eLearning: eLearning is learning facilitated by technology — for its design, development, and delivery. It is self-paced learning that is designed following the principles of instructional design and adult learning.
- Virtual Instructor-led Training: VILT is a form of synchronous online training, delivered on a virtual platform wherein the instructor and the learners participate in the session from different locations at the same time.
- Microlearning and Mobile Learning: Microlearning is a digital learning format wherein training is provided in bite-sized nuggets using various formats like videos, infographics, interactive pdfs, podcasts, and more. These microlearning modules have a responsive design and when learners access these courses on mobile devices like laptops, tablets, and smartphones, we call it mobile learning.
- Simulations: Simulations are a popular digital learning format that provides learners with a risk-free environment where they can put their learnings into practice.
- Video-based Modules: Videos captivate learners’ attention and hence this format is a big hit, especially when it comes to training a workforce that is dominated by millennials and GenZs.
6 Tips to Implement Digital Learning in Your Corporate Training
Digital learning can help improve corporate training and there’s no doubt about it. How can you implement it within your corporate training strategy is the next big question. Well, here are a few tips that can help you set sail your digital learning journey:
Make it a Priority
The first step to implementing digital learning is to make it a priority. This can be done by setting aside time in your company’s budget and ensuring everyone knows you’re serious about digital learning. It can also help to make sure your leaders are on board with the idea, as well as other departments like Information technology and HR.
Once you’ve gotten buy-in from key stakeholders and made it clear that this is a task worth investing in, you’ll need to come up with an action plan for how exactly you’ll go about implementing digital learning initiatives at your company–and then start putting those plans into action!
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Use the Technology Stack That Works Best for Your Audience
Consider the learning style of your audience. Do they prefer to learn in a group setting or individually? Are they more comfortable with technology or do they need more time to adjust to new tools and methods?
Having a Learning Management System (LMS) can help you host all the digital learning courses in one place and will help you manage training, right from content delivery to tracking progress. It is also important to check if you have video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Google Meet to host VILT sessions. If you are a beginner in implementing digital learning, you can also consider some easy-to-use authoring tools like Articulate Rise 360, Articulate Storyline 360, and Adobe Captivate which have a short learning curve to streamline the process.
Consider how you will track learner progress throughout the coursework and what standards will be used for evaluation purposes at the completion of each module/course segment. This can be done through various means, including surveys/checklists posted online, short quizzes embedded within videos, and writing assignments submitted via email attachments.
Watch this video to get an overview of an LMS and how it can help you with hassle-free training.
Don’t Skip the Basics
As much as we want to dive right into the meat of digital learning, it’s important that you take a moment to make sure your device and internet connection are ready for the task.
- Make sure you have the necessary infrastructure in place. It is important to help your virtual instructors through dry runs if you are planning for a VILT session. The necessary handouts and worksheets should be provided to the trainers and learners well in advance to ensure readiness. You should also consider taking inputs from the learners, especially remote ones to plan for a training that is inclusive for the global workforce.
- Ensure that there is no malware on your device by running a virus scan before starting any new projects or accessing sensitive information via email attachments from unknown sources.
- Verify that there are no browser incompatibilities between devices used by employees who will be participating in training modules.
- Ensure users have access via their preferred browser settings so they don’t encounter difficulties when trying out new features during classes/seminars etc.
Create an Adaptive Learning Experience
Adaptive learning is an approach to training that uses a variety of technologies to create a personalized learning experience for each learner. It can be used to deliver content, assessments and coaching.
Adaptive learning helps learners achieve their goals more quickly because it adjusts the content according to each person’s skill level and areas that need improvement. This means less time spent on teaching concepts that have already been mastered by some learners, while others may get extra practice on material, they need more help with before moving forward in the course.
Train Employees on How to Use Digital Learning Tools
The next step is to train employees on how to use digital learning tools. This should be ongoing, and it’s important that employees can access this training at any time.
It’s also important for employers to ensure that their employees feel comfortable using these tools in the first place. As such, they should provide introductory workshops on how best to navigate them as well as access points where they can get more information about them.
Some other tips that can be helpful in training employees how to use digital learning tools include:
- Assess their existing knowledge: Before you start training, assess the current level of knowledge of your employees on digital learning tools. This will help you identify any knowledge gaps and customize the training accordingly.
- Identify the appropriate tools: Identify the digital learning tools that are most relevant to your organization and employees. This can include tools for online courses, webinars, virtual classrooms, and more.
- Create a training plan: Develop a training plan that covers the necessary skills and knowledge needed to effectively use the digital learning tools. This should include basic concepts such as how to navigate the tools, how to access content, and how to interact with other users.
- Provide hands-on training: Provide hands-on training to your employees to ensure that they are comfortable using the tools. This can be done through webinars, online tutorials, or workshops.
- Encourage practice: Encourage employees to practice using the tools in a safe and supportive environment. This will help them gain confidence and identify areas where they may need additional training.
- Provide ongoing support: Provide ongoing support to employees who are using digital learning tools. This can include online resources, helpdesk support, or peer-to-peer coaching.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the training: Finally, evaluate the effectiveness of the training by measuring employee engagement, knowledge retention, and tool adoption rates. Use this feedback to continuously improve your training program.
Remember, the key to successfully training employees on digital learning tools is to make the process engaging, interactive, and relevant to their work.
Measure Success by Results
You can’t measure the success of a digital learning initiative by how much time or money it saves. Instead, focus on the results your organization achieves after implementing digital learning. Invest in an LMS or LXP that will help you organize your training initiatives and provide you with necessary learning analytics to measure the effectiveness of training.
In order to do this, you’ll need to use a combination of methods:
- Measure the results from each project that uses digital learning–this will help you understand what works and what doesn’t work for your organization.
- Track user behavior over time as well as engagement with content (number of times viewed). If you’re using gamification elements like badges or points systems, make sure these are clearly visible so users know when they’ve earned them!
With the rise of digital learning, you can create a more engaging and interactive learning experience for your employees. Digital learning platforms are easy to use, so they can be accessed at any time by anyone with internet access. This makes it possible for you to offer high-quality training that improves employee performance, builds skills, and drives productivity.
It’s a Wrap!
These are just a few tips for implementing digital learning in your corporate training. We hope you’ve found them helpful and thought-provoking. Having a training strategy in place that goes with the evolving business needs is a must to have a winning edge. Grab this eBook to get holistic insights on the state of learning in 2023 and the coming future and stay ahead of the curve.
