Learning and development was unexpectedly disrupted this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For many of us, remote working became the new norm, changing the way we communicate, work, and learn. For corporate learning, the usual classroom-based learning has been taken away.
A positive change
This disruption shouldn’t be perceived negatively – corporate L&D needed change. It’s time to change the tedious classroom learning, to innovative online learning. The corporate world should keep up with the changes, or be prepared for learners to fall behind and become demotivated.
“The shift from real to virtual suddenly has gone into overdrive”.
Change for corporate learning shouldn’t scare L&D managers, let it inspire you, the opportunities available are endless. The range of tools available is growing rapidly, so that we can make learning better than it has ever been, regardless of it being away from a classroom.
So how different will corporate learning be post COVID-19?
A digital world
The biggest change will be the transition from the classroom to online learning. However, many of us already use technology without thinking – use that to your advantage.
The only part of taking your learning online that may be difficult, is deciding which tools to use. Corporate learning will now require more than just throwing together a presentation. It needs more interaction to engage and motivate your remote team.
Don’t scramble to adapt to these changes, ensure you take your time to provide the best possible learning. Create a clear plan of your learning goals and objectives before you pick your online tools.
Digital tools
Not every tool available will be suitable for your group of learners, your organisation or your learning objectives. You should pick the tools which you know will maximise engagement and meet your objectives.
Don’t forget to consider the tools and technologies you already have in place. If your team is already working remotely, can any of the platforms you use to communicate also work for remote learning? Do you have an LMS in place already?
If so, don’t be afraid to use them! Not only will this be cost-effective, but time effective as you and your learners will be familiar with how to use them. Additionally, these tools will make remote learning more seamless.
From static to interactive
Interactions should now become a key part of your learning strategy. With face-to-face learning, you can directly interact with one another without even realising. Whether these be through individual activities, group work, or debates. These are all interactions and keep your learners engaged.
Now, you should purposely and tactically put interactions into your online learning strategy. Working remotely can have many distractions. Therefore it’s important to keep your learners engaged and immersed so that they can achieve their objectives.
It’s important to note, however, not to put interactions in your learning just because it looks good. You should carefully choose how and where to interact so that they are meaningful and experiential.
An experiential journey
Being away from the classroom can also mean you’re not able to provide an experience for your learners. With today’s technology that is more than possible. If it meets your learning objectives, the use of video with interactions can immerse learners and provide an experience.
“Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it.”
Video is a great way to capture real-life scenarios to deliver to your learners online. You can use real video or animated videos. Once you add in interactions, you will be providing an experience that is as true-to-life as possible.
Providing an experience online is key. Your learners should have the opportunity to practice skills before putting them into action in real life. It allows them to fail in a safe space.
How can Near-Life™ support corporate learning post COVID-19?
Near-Life™ CREATOR is an easy way to improve the way people learn online. Our authoring tool allows you to create interactive video learning to increase engagement, and knowledge retention.
We want you to be able to create a story for your learners, to provide them with an experience that will embed the knowledge. More importantly, your learners will have the chance to practice their skills in a safe environment, from wherever they choose to learn.
Not only does our authoring tool improve learning, but it also tracks and records data. We want it to be easy for learners to receive feedback, for a greater understanding of the learning. Plus, the data can help you to provide more personalised, meaningful learning in the future.
Post COVID-19 Corporate learning
Now is the time to use technology to shape learning. Learning shouldn’t stop, and to promote that you should support a remote team through different technologies and strategies. Ensure that you continuously re-assess your learning objectives, learners’ progress, and the technologies available to maintain development in our changing world.
Let’s embrace the disruption and create a whole new wave of the corporate learning world.