According to a recent poll conducted by ShiftELearning, a massive 74% of workers felt that they could benefit from frequent and regular professional training.
In the same report, 56% of HR Managers considered continuous training and development to be an essential business enabler but felt that they weren’t doing enough to increase employee education opportunities.
So what can be done to ensure that staff are receiving the education that they need?
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The answer may require a radical re-think of the education process. In fact, most professional staff educators agree that the standardised education process was tailored for a workplace that simply no longer exists.
Whilst the standard format of simply completing a day course or completing an online class may well garner positive results in the short term, research conducted by education specialist Speexx found that 75% of newly-learned skills are all but forgotten within just one month.
Macro and micro learning
Whereas the issues surrounding the drop-off in effective education are undeniable, fortunately a viable solution is available; the answer, according to Speexx is a combination of both macro and micro learning techniques.
Smart micro learning refers to key information that staff need to know on a daily basis. This is the key information that aides them in carrying out duties effectively.
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Essentially, delivering long-lasting micro learning means providing small (two minutes or less) but frequent targeted learning ‘bites’ with a mix of self-study exercises, trainer-led activities and live communication sessions.
Ensuring that staff are undergoing small but regular sessions will effectively fend off the one-month ‘forgetting period’, and regular reviews will help in truly ensuring that information sinks in.
Macro, on the other hand, is a far more traditional form of education. This is best actioned when a learner needs to truly take in bigger concepts and learn something new. This can take several hours or days, and will only truly be effective if delivered with effective coaching and support.
Whilst micro learning is often a one-person form of education, macro is historically more effective when actioned as part of a group, in which learners have the opportunity to share ideas and learn from others. Whilst both concepts are effective, a well-rounded approach to learning requires a consistent mix of the two.
Gameification
There is no reason why learning has to be dull. In-fact, 80% of learners are more likely to take on board the information if it’s in some way gameified, and the concept isn’t new; 350 companies have launched gameification projects since 2010, with consistently positive results. This could be as simple as awarding prize to those who score high in regular evaluations.
“There is no material gain from winning a badge or accolade in the workplace, however it works on a psychological level,” Docebo CEO and founder Claudio Erba told HR Grapevine at the recent Learning Technologies exhibition.
“I’m a Fortnite player and the reward when you win an in-game battle is that your character’s appearance alters. This has no benefit, but other players know that you’ve won – and it’s very rewarding! This is the same with gameification in the workplace. That rewarding feeling actually accounts for a lot, and staff respond well to it.”
