Every conceivable industry is being transformed by advances in technology, including artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning. Enterprise leaders are recognizing this, and are acknowledging the need to invest in corporate training for their workers in order to prepare for the impending, society-level skills transformation that comes with this technological change. The data supports this; U.S. companies spent over 87 billion dollars on training and development activities in 2018, an increase of over 30% from what was invested in 2016.
But is all learning created equal? For true workforce transformation and reskilling, using active learning methods is key. Active learning is where learners engage, apply and reflect immediately on the knowledge they have gained. With active learning, outcomes are better and the knowledge is retained so that a worker can access, adapt, and apply repeatedly and build upon it. It’s knowledge that is sticky, and is gained from learning experiences that incorporate high-quality content, interactivity and instant feedback.
These are three reasons why active learning will be key to skills transformation for the future of work:
- It’s transferable across situations and contexts. Enterprise leaders need to consider multiple scenarios when arming their employees with new skills. Active learning methods ensure that knowledge can be applied in more than one context — once the skills are honed, employees will be able to deliver new capabilities across their organizations, essentially adding a new tool to the company’s shared toolbox. Knowledge workers are inherently more valuable than tactical workers, so why should training and development be viewed any different?
- It’s conducive to honing subject matter expertise. Cheesy videos and tutorials are often the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about corporate training. But these types of videos, while helpful in the moment, are likely not driving the emergence of experts in an organization. In fact, research published in Psychological Science found that watching YouTube videos, Instagram demos, and Facebook tutorials does little when it comes to driving the acquisition of tangible skills. The study tested a group of 193 participants on their dart-throwing abilities, finding that those who watched a demo video 20 times scored no better than those who saw it once. The reason? Learning through practical application, rather than in a passive format, is more conducive to understanding specific subjects, and the success of reskilling will be dependent on the implementation of deep learning instruction.
- It conditions learners to perform tasks independently. One key principle of active learning is practice, and practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent. Active learning drives better retention of knowledge, and once employees have the expertise on a subject, they will be better able to make decisions, drive strategy and execute. What’s more, they’ll have the foundation to continue to build upon their skillset as they move up the ranks of their organization, driving long-term value for the company.
With so much at stake regarding company data, product development, operations and more, who should companies put their faith in? Employees that have high confidence in what they know, but untested knowledge? Or employees that have tried, tested, failed and truly learned? The biggest takeaway here is that not all learning is created equal, and active learning will be essential to skills transformation.
How to promote active learning?
The most important element of success when setting up a proactive learning environment is motivation.
Studies have shown that active learning results in increased enthusiasm for both learners and facilitators. What’s more, active learning also improves learners’ perception and attitude towards information literacy. These are all critical attitudes in establishing an active learning environment.
Moreover, fostering an environment that values active learning methods is not only the responsibility of a select few (like the training department, for example); but it needs to involve the active participation of the entire community as well — from the CEO to the mid-management, to the rank and file.
10 active learning Ideas that involve technology:
- Collaborative Virtual Classrooms
Collaborative virtual classrooms make online learning more engaging. Aside from the usual audio-video conferencing and chat features, virtual classrooms also provide synchronous and asynchronous annotation, communication, and resource sharing for facilitators and participants. It’s a definite must-have for any eLearning platform!
- Mind mapping / Brainstorming
These two are approaches that can also be classified under active learning methods. Mind mapping and brainstorming are staple methodologies for any problem-solving activity. In these sessions, learners come up with ideas and post them on a board. As a group, the students then select the best ones and use those to come up with a solution. For these methods, there are available apps that allow learners to use their own device and collaborate with others in coming up with a mind-map or idea tree.
- Scavenger Hunts
Here is another fun and engaging activity that involves the use of the company knowledge base. Scavenger hunts start off with a customer concern. The learner’s task is to use the system and find the appropriate resource to address the issue. Not only does it familiarize the learners with the system, but it also prepares them to handle real-life customer scenarios.
- Role Playing
Role playing is also another effective approach founded on active learning methods. Role playing simulates real-life situation that requires problem-solving skills. More importantly, it is also a medium for gauging actual performance. Role playing activities can include job simulations like customer interaction (facilitator plays the customer, learner the agent) through the phones, email, chat, or in some cases, virtual reality.
- Data and Tools for Problem-solving
A combination of a scavenger hunt and role-playing activity, this exercise is one of the more effective active learning strategies for adults. The facilitator assigns a case-study (preferably taken from common customer scenarios) to a learner. The learner, in turn, makes sense of the data and uses the available resources to solve the case.
- Online Discussion Boards
Online discussion boards are also one of many proven active participation strategies. Online boards are virtual boards where students can learn collaboratively. They post questions and answer queries. Most of the time, there is very little facilitator or subject matter expert intervention involved, with most answers usually coming from the other participants who are more knowledgeable on the topic.
- Learning by Teaching
In a nutshell, learning by teaching means that you allow learners to prepare and teach the lessons (or part of them) to their fellow students. Although it may look like the facilitator is taking a very hands-off approach in this method, it actually involves a very elaborate process where the facilitator is both moderator and subject matter expert.
Do take note that learning by teaching does not simply mean a presentation or a lecture presented by the learners. In this particular approach, the learners are the ones who are facilitating the session by engaging with fellow students. The facilitator ensures that the learning gets processed correctly and also lends a hand to the student-hosts. Webinars and online discussion boards are the usual media used for this methodology.
- The Jigsaw Technique
The Jigsaw Technique is another approach that fully reaps the benefits of active participation and collaborative learning. In this approach, learners are given a “piece of the puzzle” that they need to solve on their own. After this, they need to collaborate with other learners to finally complete the puzzle.
This approach would be a good addition to role playing and using data/tools to not only solve bigger problems but also gives participants a glimpse of the ‘bigger picture.’ It is a good exercise to let learners realize their role in the bigger picture by doing both individual and collaborative work and how those are all part of a process.
- The ‘Flipped Classroom’
The flipped classroom is a fairly new term in the learning and edtech industry. Lessons are ‘flipped;’ meaning that most of the work like reading and research are all done outside of class. This goes in contrast to the traditional approach where most of the class time is used for lectures, and activities are assigned as homework.
Flipping a classroom leaves more time for the facilitator to implement active learning methods during class time. This concept works on making efficient use of class time with less (or no) lectures, and more time for activities.
- Game-based Learning
GBL is, arguably, the most fun among all the active learning methods. Game-based learning, or gamification, is turning a certain aspect of learning (or business) into a game. There are available learning apps that let you do this, but you can also create your own! Just don’t forget to apply the three elements of gamification — achievement, competition, and fun — into the endeavor.
The ever-evolving relationship between tech and learning methods
There are still multitudes of activities for active learning methods out there. With the help of technology, learning managers and professionals have been presented more options on how to better engage today’s tech-dependent audience. Nevertheless, it will now only be a matter of time before tech advances again and learning methodologies evolve with it. Learning professionals just have to either keep up and adapt or get disconnected from their learners.