Innovative Training Ideas
Published
October 28, 2018
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Company training can be a fraught process for all involved. Face-to-face training sessions can be a logistical nightmare for L&D professionals to organise and potentially grumpy adult learners get forced to learn at the same pace. Meanwhile web based training is not always effective with completion rates frequently hitting less than 20 per cent. Some of the most effective and innovative training program ideas are available right now…
4 Innovative training ideas
Innovative Training Technique #1 – Use workers’ own smartphones
With workforces more widely-distributed across the globe than ever before, the notion of relying upon transmissive, face-to-face learning can almost seem unconscionable. At the same time, while many learning management systems do allow eLearning to be performed on mobile devices, the non-native design means operation is clunky, user experience is poor and learning is less effective. However, all staff are likely to own a smartphone and so it still makes sense to distribute lessons and course materials directly to those. By using a mobile-focused LMS with built-in authoring tool, lessons are immediately optimised for mobile and therefore intuitive to access.
Accessing lessons on mobile devices also means that microlearning can be employed – the breaking down of topics into easy-to-digest, bite-sized chunks. By adding lesson content to powerful interactive templates, which smartphones are easily capable of rendering, learning becomes much more engaging and far more effective. Last but not least, learners can learn at their own pace in their own time!
You can try one of our courses from our content library to see how effective microlearning is and see the interactive elements in action. Here is one of our popular courses on Gender Matters.
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Innovative Training Technique #2 – Peer Learning
Experts say that up to a third of training should derive from peers and it’s simple to see why. A great deal of training courseware comes from isolated instructional designers who may come from a different department and even a separate company. The real expertise on how to deal with a task or situation comes from the experienced employees who deal with it every day. But while it’s not practical to involve regular employees (who likely have minimal L&D experience) in lengthy course authoring sessions, it’s simple for them to produce microlessons using a related, integrated, rapid authoring tool.
Training Idea #3 – Just-in-time training
By embracing microlessons, it’s simpler to make use of just-in-time training (JITT) methodologies. Rather than getting a workforce to sit through traditional (just-in-case) corporate trainings – and run the gauntlet of the forgetting curve – by distributing engaging microlessons shortly before they are needed, there’s a far greater likelihood that the knowledge will still be fresh in the learners’ minds. This can involve instructions on how to operate a machine or advice on how to deal with a particular client (especially if the lesson has been part-created by a peer).
Innovative Training Program Idea #4 – Gamification and prizing
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Indeed, the best, most effective training doesn’t feel like learning at all. This is why gamification is so successful when it’s employed with L&D and the most innovative training ideas. A good mobile LMS will give points for correct answers and higher scores for the fastest completion times. Leaderboards can add another element of competition and instant prizes (such as shopping vouchers) can be given to those who complete a course.
Gamification stops learning feeling like learning and so is more effective.
Innovative Training Program #5 – Peer Learning & Learner Video
Peer learning facilitates further peer collaboration amongst the workforce for a more holistic approach to the learning experience. Learner video is incorporated into the peer learning saga as employees are able to learn off each other by watching practical videos uniquely uploaded. This provides a practical application of essential processes for peers to follow and employ in their own roles.
By employing all of the above innovative training ideas you can expect to see training course completion rates skyrocket from (what might well be) less than 20 per cent to over 90 per cent and beyond – it’s common for completionists to retake microlearning based training courses to attain higher scores!
If you’d like to try SC Training (formerly EdApp) App’s rapid authoring tool, get in touch at enquiries@edapp.com. You can try SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s Mobile LMS and authoring tool for free by signing up here or in the box below.
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More ideas: Try spaced repetition
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Author
Guest Author Daniel Brown
Daniel Brown is a senior technical editor and writer that has worked in the education and technology sectors for two decades. Their background experience includes curriculum development and course book creation.