When it comes to training their professionals, many global organizations are realizing that one size fits none. How can organizations develop learning programs that meet learners where they are in their learning journey, align with their unique learning styles, and empower them to succeed not only in the course but also in their career?
Increasingly, organizations are turning to blended learning techniques to achieve these goals. By combining individual online learning with live instruction, blended learning creates a more personalized, convenient experience for learners with a wide range of needs. As a result, professionals are better equipped to succeed, while organizations can lower training time and costs by spending classroom time more efficiently.
For businesses, the right technology is essential for delivering on the promise of blended learning. In our ongoing series on digital learning in different course types, we explore how a platform like BenchPrep can support a successful, blended learning environment with customizable tools for any topic.
Why are more education and training organizations embracing blended learning?
As digital innovation transforms nearly every aspect of business operations, training is no exception. While blended learning is in the headlines for its use in K-12 classrooms, many businesses are also turning to this approach to improve training efficiency and outcomes.
The blended learning model combines synchronous and asynchronous instruction, which means learners spend time in class with their peers, as well as learning on their own time. Under this approach, learners can use technology to absorb course material at their own pace during individual learning time, rather than sitting through a lesson that may be too easy or too advanced. For today’s diverse, multigenerational workforce, blended learning offers each professional the opportunity to learn in the most effective way. Live instructors can also take cues from learner performance during online lessons, adapting classroom lessons to focus on areas where several students may need extra help.
How do instructors typically use blended learning?
As lifelong learning becomes imperative for the modern worker, a growing number of credentialing and continuing education programs are using blended learning to help students learn faster, retain more material, and achieve greater success.
While blended learning comes in many formats, the approach typically features live teacher-led instruction combined with student-led online learning. The online learning portion often involves a learning management system, such as Blackboard, Canvas, or Google Classroom. These tools tend to focus on content delivery, however, and often lack features such as individually personalized learning paths and robust performance metrics.
How can a platform like BenchPrep enhance blended learning for students?
BenchPrep’s learner success platform is built to meet the goals of blended learning, putting a personalized digital learning experience at each learner’s fingertips. Whether they use BenchPrep for a single type of content or a full-fledged course, learners receive instruction that integrates seamlessly with live classes or training. BenchPrep's platform also addresses their individual strengths and weaknesses, which helps to improve engagement and comprehension.
For example, Richardson, a global sales training and performance organization, leverages BenchPrep to power Richardson Accelerate™, a learning platform designed to meet the training needs of today’s sales teams. Accelerate blends online and live learning to create a successful learning environment tailored to each seller. By leveraging BenchPrep, sales professionals have access to assessments, online learning, video, social learning, reporting, leaderboards, gamification, and other interactive engagement drivers. At the same time, managers have real-time access to their sellers’ performance and confidence levels, giving them an edge to make coaching more precise and personalized.
BenchPrep helps create the best possible blended learning environment for organizations and their learners with:
- Personalized plans. In addition to organizing course material into an intuitive standard study plan, BenchPrep also offers an adaptive plan based on each student’s strengths and weaknesses. If learners need more time on a particular subject, instructors can create assignments that redirect them through a specific part of the learning plan.
- Impactful insights. BenchPrep offers real-time data on each student’s strengths and weaknesses, making it easier for program administrators, instructors, and learners to track progress and adjust individual learning plans. In addition to measuring performance on practice and test questions, BenchPrep shows how confident users are on each lesson, allowing them to flag certain areas where they may need extra attention.
- Lessons on demand. The BenchPrep platform is accessible from any device, creating a more convenient and user-friendly experience for time-strapped professionals. Mobile-first technology also syncs a learner’s progress when switching from one device to another.
- Gamification. To hold learners’ attention and keep them engaged in the subject, BenchPrep has baked gamification into the learning experience. Learners can compete for the highest score on leaderboards, earn badges for answering questions correctly, or even take a break in the platform’s game center – all while continuing to work toward their learning goals.
Interested in seeing a BenchPrep-powered blended learning program in action? Download the full case study to learn how Richardson has partnered with BenchPrep to transform existing training experiences for learners, helping their customers gain new levels of efficiency and insight into training effectiveness.
