Corporate training should always try to look for ways to improve their methods. With the various advancements in technology, these improvements will not be hard to find. Elearning, in particular, goes through a lot of updates and innovative changes. Using it in the training program of the business will make updates readily available and easier to implement.
One of the things that you may want to look into is personal learning networks. This is a gathering of individuals with similar ideas, experiences, and backgrounds. It can be done offline and online. But it ends up being more beneficial if it is done online. In the digital world, setting up these networks online will make it accessible regardless of the location of the participants. You can set up a network through forums or social media networks. You can even use the corporate website. It really depends on what you think will help you meet your training goals.
There are three reasons why you should think about these personal learning networks.
Reason 1: Support from peers. Employees learn more from informal learning than they do in formal sessions. The thing is, you hardly have control over this area – unless you create a platform for it to flourish. Social learning is a great way for employees to learn and this can happen and be controlled in a personal learning network. You can inject information that you want them to have access to and the participants can discuss it among themselves. Peer-to-peer learning is a powerful way to learn and this can thrive in personal learning networks. The interaction between employees and the sharing of ideas and opinions can be a great way to open their minds and see different points of views.
Reason 2: Personalized learning. Let us start with the way it can be customized to meet your specific elearning needs. We all know that learning is best when it is personalized because value and retention both increase. As mentioned you can feed the right information through these networks and step back to let the others discuss it. Based on the profile of the participants, you can filter the data and information that they need to learn. Not only that, you can present it in such a way that would be most appealing to them.
Reason 3: Opportunity to collaborate. Finally, this is a great way for everyone to collaborate – regardless of how far they are or what they are doing. Employees can discuss relevant topics or participate in the discussion without having to leave or disrupt their usual work routine. What is great about having all of this happen online is the fact that most people are more inclined to share opinions in the digital world. The sense of “anonymity” allows them to be more open about what they really want to say – something that may not happen when the discussion happens in the physical world.
These three reasons make personal learning networks valuable in any corporate training program. Of course, this does not diminish the need for a classroom type of training but it can be a great follow up activity for employees. That way, instructors and trainers can monitor how the employees are responding or implementing what they learned during the formal learning sessions.
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