On-demand learning has been the buzzword for the past few years. But the Learning and Development (L&D) world is moving on again.
The next buzzword will be—personalized learning.
You might be thinking, but how will we meet compliance requirements if everyone gets to choose their own courses?
Luckily, learners don’t choose what they’ll learn with personalized learning paths, but how they learn it. All you need is to take your one-size-fits-all model and plug it into a personalized learning technology. The right technology generates personalized learning plans to make learning more efficient and engaging for your learner.
Create Efficient Learners Effortlessly
Personalized learning plans create efficient learners without radically redesigning your program.
Here is the secret—create a pretest to allow learners to find their “just right” level or “test out” level.
This one step can save some learners hours of time. Plus, they get right back to working productively.
It’s not just proficient learners that become more efficient with personalized learning. When learners find a concept difficult, they often waste hours trying to learn it before seeking help. A personalized learning plan can efficiently move learners from whatever level they start at to proficiency in the least amount of steps.
Plus, your LMS can take personalized learning a step farther by segmenting your learning audience. Then, you only train people on the skills they need.
Make Your Learners Love You
No more sitting through boring classroom training with online personalized learning plans.
Instead, learners choose which skills they need to strengthen, rather than being stuck at the same pace as the rest of the class. Even better, learner choice increases engagement. And you don’t need to redesign your content to do it. Just let learners choose where to start, rather than forcing them to start at the beginning.
Adult learners find relevant information engaging. However, finding the “just right” level in a one-size-fits-all learning model is almost impossible. So many learners just “click-through” their eLearning programs as fast as possible, while still hoping to pass the test at the end. With personalized learning plans, learners stay engaged because the material is relevant.
Personalized learning is truly a win-win. Businesses love that learners move through the material more efficiently because it increases productivity. Learners feel happier with their learning experience because it matches their needs.
Supercharge it with Blended Learning
You can create a powerful one-two punch by creating a personalized blended learning program. Your learners try to learn everything through the self-paced online modules first, then they still see an instructor to conquer any challenges.
Instead of training everyone with the same in-person training, you only use expensive instructor-led training to remediate learners. Instructors personalize their course by accessing the data generated by the self-paced online modules to see where learners need assistance.
With video conferencing tools, personalized instruction is easier than ever. You can maximize your instructors’ time by asking learners at different locations to log into the same virtual classroom. Then, they work on their personal challenges together.
Businesses receive a better return-on-investment from personalized blended learning because it takes less time. They also have data from before and after instructor-led training to prove its value.
Why Personalized Learning is the Future of Education
Learning environments are moving out of the physical classroom and onto our work devices. If businesses want to be part of this transition, they need to provide alternatives to YouTube tutorials or amateur blog posts. Self-paced personalized learning plans offer a powerful solution.
Even more importantly, skills are becoming the new currency of the workplace. Learning and Development (L&D) needs to focus on mastery, not just learner satisfaction. Skill mastery usually can’t be accomplished in a few days of intense training. Businesses need ways to continuously train their workforces, without losing engagement.
Personalized Learning Plans offer the most efficient way forward for businesses. Self-paced learning plans allow learners to continue to be productive and engaged, while also mastering new skills on-the-job.
BenchPrep's cloud-configurable learning platform offers dynamically updated, personalized learning pathways. BenchPrep Ascend makes knowledge transfer fast and efficient. Pair it with our microlearning product, BenchPrep Engage, to keep the personalized learning going long after the course has ended.
Want to see a BenchPrep-powered personalized blended learning program in action? Download our case study to learn how Richardson increased new efficiency, engagement and success by implementing BenchPrep’s modern online learning platform.
