3 Modalities to Include in Your Learning Ecosystem 

Courses are a key component of most online learning providers — but they shouldn’t be the only component. Successful learning programs don’t just provide courses and leave it at that. The ultimate goal of most workplace learning programs is to help companies achieve business goals. And the best way to do this is by offering learning in different formats to meet multiple needs across the organization. Consider how to include diverse types of learning programs,  including on-demand learning, virtual hands-on learning, and cohort learning. Let’s look at each of these modalities in a bit more detail.

1. On-demand learning

As remote and hybrid work become the norm, learning needs to remain accessible to all employees, whether they’re working from global offices, coworking locations, or their homes. You can empower your employees regardless of role or level by offering unlimited 24/7 access to self-paced learning opportunities. An on-demand solution can provide content that’s accessible wherever they are: on desktop and mobile devices and available whether they’re connected to the internet or have downloaded it for offline viewing. 

When building a multi-modal learning experience for your employees, look for providers that offer a collection of self-paced, up-to-date courses taught by instructors with real-world experience in the topics they’re teaching. 

But don’t stop there. You might also want to consider the following: 

• Multi-lingual course offerings: Look for courses presented by instructors in their native language who use localized and culturally appropriate references and approaches.  
• Diverse topics and skill levels: Consider that most teams will need coverage outside their immediate roles or expertise. Technical employees need foundational power skills topics like communication, productivity, or assertiveness. And non-technical employees might need access to topics related to data science or web development to perform their roles in an age of digital transformation. 
• Customizable content: Evaluate whether learning providers will enable you to build and upload your content in their tool or provide support to help you optimize your content and learning programs.  
• Content curation: You can elevate employees’ experiences by curating various learning resources such as courses, how-to articles, and videos in one place. 

2. Virtual hands-on learning  

Technical skills evolve fast. Simply watching an online course doesn’t help tech teams acquire the skills needed to put new concepts into practice. Immersive, hands-on programs help learners to practice their developing skills and increase their comprehension of new concepts.  

David Kolb, an expert in experiential learning, stresses that the experimentation and reflection stages are vital for learner retention. “Time spent practicing does not necessarily lead to learning and improved performance,” he says in his foundational research, Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Knowledge results not from simply having an experience watching a course but from transforming the experience into skills and action. Your technical team will benefit from immersive learning solutions that provide access to assessments, labs, and practice workspaces.

Ensure your tech teams transform their skills by prioritizing three features for technical training: project-based exercises that allow learners to sharpen their skills, assessments that evaluate skills and provide course recommendations, and virtual sandboxes where learners can practice new technical skills in a risk-free environment.  

3. Cohort learning

Cohort learning is when a group of people assembles to learn about a specific subject at the same time. It incorporates a blend of formal, self-paced learning, and synchronous instructor-led sessions, as well as informal learning facilitated through communities of practice. Interactive cohort learning provides a scalable approach for learners to advance their skills by tackling problems with peers in their organization or from around the world.

This 21st-century take on classroom learning ensures employees have the chance to discuss, debate, and learn from others. 

Prepare your organization for continuous workplace learning

This is a time to drive meaningful change within the global workforce, with 71% of CEOs recently surveyed by Deloitte saying their organizations are preparing for talent transformation. Leaders must upskill their employees to ensure a future-ready and resilient workforce so their organizations can thrive. 

In a crowded corporate learning market, how can leaders ensure they’re choosing solutions that will build a holistic learning ecosystem for their workforce? Download A Buyer’s Guide to Integrated Learning Solutions to learn how integrated learning solutions can accelerate the development of your employees and fuel your company’s success outcomes.