FRESH LEARNING

Practical Guide

2014 SURVEY

Modern Learning Trends & StrategiesCREATED & SPONSORED BY:

Bon appetit!

INTRODUCTION: RECIPES FOR SUC

CESS

Key ingredients include:

• A mixture of multimedia

• Micro-content

• Pull learning

...all in just the right amounts

Every day, organizations are faced with a number of learning-related

challenges, such as preparing employees for their first day on the job,

educating customers, and better enabling employees through

performance support. The true challenge for companies lies in how to

modernize legacy learning programs to fit the needs of today’s learner.

However you choose to define the term “modernize,” savvy companies

are looking at ways to improve their employees’ professional learning

experiences to increase individual and organizational benefits. Intrepid

Learning, in collaboration with Human Capital Media, surveyed 561

organizations to uncover how they are meeting these challenges.

What we discovered was more reminiscent of the careful preparations

of a master chef than the workings of corporate committee thinking.

Key themes included combining a mixture of multimedia, micro-content,

and pull learning in just the right measures to create the perfect recipe

for success. In the upcoming pages we’ll share the facts that our

survey revealed.

L&D organizations can move toward modernization by crafting a

short-term, quick-win strategy — think of it as preparing your ingredients

— that will get all the pieces in place to create a rich, multi-course meal

of a learning experience for employees.

37%

87.5%

Learning isChanging.

of companies are in the process of modernizing their learning strategy We found that 37% of the organizations surveyed report

modernizing their learning strategy, compared to the 87.5% that identifies as altering the mix of their learning delivery methods. So just what is the difference between the two? To modernize indicates a significant shift in the blend and mix of learning modalities — in other words, a whole different way of preparing and serving the meal, rather than merely shifting the blend of spices in the recipe.

WHO’S AT THE TABLE?

are changing the mix of learning delivery methods

RECIPE: MODERN LEARNING

Think of learning materials as hors d'oeuvres. Offer a variety of modalities, and keep learner commitment time short(around 10 minutes) to ensure an enthusiastic reception — don't ask your learners to commit to a long, formal dinner when all they really need is acocktail and a mini quiche. Expert sources suggest that this type of delivery — just-in-time and just-enough — reflects how the brain works and better enables learning and knowledge transfer.

74%of companies have increased the use of learning technologies that deliver learning anytime/anywhere

Technology & Learning

A big component of modernizing learning is the use of technology. An impressive 73.5% of companies surveyed have increased their use of learning technologies (think LMS, mobile applications, and more) to deliver learning content to audiences anytime and anywhere. Using technology as a foundation to modernize learning allows organizations to easily satisfy their learners’ appetites with a wide variety of just-in-time offerings. Much like seasonal offerings at a farm-to-fork restaurant, everything is more appealing when it is fresh and relevant to the consumer.

BROWN BAG LEARNING

RECIPE: MODERN LEARNING

Evaluate all the technologies you have in-house that can support your learners’ appetite for fresh content. Identify gaps and bottlenecks in how your consumers receive information, and review what may be needed to support your overall learning strategy. Think of it as a way to serve your meal in a less formal (or structured) way — what is wrong with eating desert first? Or having Thanksgiving dinner on paper plates?

YUM!

Push vs. Pull Learning

56% of the companies surveyed have transitioned from “pushing” learning content to allowing learners to “pull” it as needed. The concept of pulling allows learners to customize their content intake, empowering them to direct their attention where the need is greatest — essentially customizing their own menus, and personalizing their serving portion size. Putting a robust measurement program in place (beyond merely “checking the box” for attendance) is vital to ensure participants who are pulling content are taking in a “balanced and nutritious” mix of learning.

Interestingly, 61% of companies surveyed feel that aligning their measurement with business objectives will have a major effect on their learning strategy over the next three years. If measurement aligns to business objectives — and performance is regularly evaluated against those objectives — pulling content is a perfect strategy to help learners progress within their roles.

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

56%of companies have transitioned from “pushing” content to allowing learners to “pull” content.

RECIPE: MODERN LEARNING

Take one lengthy e-learning program (90+ minutes), and pull out three key concepts. Make those three segments accessible on-demand to the primary audience — even if just by email.

BALANCED & NUTRITIOUS

Micro-Content

Sometimes a snack is all you need: small, easily digestible nutrition that allows you to quickly carry on with your day. In our survey, we learned that 40% of companies have increased their use of micro-content. Micro-content is “short burst” learning that usually requires less than 15 minutes of a learner’s time. The philosophy of micro-content could be summed up as, “get what you need quickly, get out, and go get it done.”

One of the keys to micro-content is that it allows learners to focus on one idea or one concept, rather than overloading them with many too many pieces to remember all at once. Additionally, brain science tells us that long-term memory is focused on organizing chunks of information into a schema — it’s designed to connect, integrate, and organize new information.

Creating micro-content is a great way to support a pull learning strategy, because the content is already designed to focus on a targeted concept.

BITE-SIZED GOODIES40%have increased their use of

micro-content

RECIPE: MODERN LEARNING

As suggested in “Push vs. Pull Learning,” take a lengthy module and break it into smaller chunks. Then begin organizing related chunks of content to curate a cohesive learning experience.

Eating is most enjoyable when it is a social event; likewise, learning from and with peers can help learners feel more motivated and engaged. Recent indicators in the learning industry suggest that incorporating internal social platforms (like Jam, Jive, or Yammer) to support classroom or online learning is a major initiative for many companies. Our survey results reflect this shift in the market: 45% of the companies surveyed have added social elements to their learning initiatives.

Our data also shows that 67% of those surveyed believe that social technologies and social learning will have a moderate to major effect on their organizations’ learning strategies over the next three years. Part of the impact may be due to the extensive use of social networks by individuals in their private lives. Using a structured, thoughtful approach to incorporating social components will better enable learners to learn from peers, colleagues, and mentors.

Social LearningSHARING A MEAL

45%of companies have added a social

component to their learning

RECIPE: MODERN LEARNING

With the social tools you have available, create a group focused around a key concept where participants can benefit from the input of an experienced team member. Frame three questions that the mentor can answer, and post those questions to the newly created group. You will see the conversation become more lively and engaging, just like at the dinner table.

A significant way to modernize learning is to take advantage of easy access to video and other multimedia capabilities (podcasts, handwritten whiteboard graphics, infographics, games, and more). Today, the cost associated with developing these components can be negligible — YouTube and ubiquitous camera phones have shown us that practically anyone can create a short, impactful video (think of the recent mass-awareness campaign driven by the ALS ice bucket challenge). Multimedia learning takes advantage of more of the channels our brains use in coding memories, including auditory and visual channels, and encourages us to retain information in multiple ways.

One cannot live on bread alone, and the same could be said for how we learn.

MultimediaVARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

62%of companies have increased the use of multimedia (video, etc)

RECIPE: MODERN LEARNING

Take one piece of audio-centric learning that would translate well to a video, such as a how-to-guide or a brief mentor interview. Create a video module — it doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to communicate the message clearly — to support the variety of ways your learners take in information.

Roadblocks

While the idea of modernizing learning is an appealing challenge that many companies are eager to meet, our survey revealed that roadblocks do exist. Time, scheduling, cost, and access to mobile technologies were a few of the issues that our participants had encountered when looking to modernize their organizations’ approach to learning. Just like trying out a new recipe, you may find obstacles in your way — you don’t have enough oregano on hand or you added too much oregano and it just doesn't taste the way it should yet.

FAKE IT ‘TIL YOU BAKE IT

What is the Future of Learning?SERVING IT UP FRESHAllowing learners to pull micro-content — including multimedia learning — and enabling efforts with technology (including social constructs) are the most effective ways our respondents have shown that they are modernizing their learning strategies.

But just as there’s more than one way to serve a meal, there are always other approaches that organizations can take. Our survey also taught us that:

47%of companies believe that

gamification will have an impact on their learning strategy

66%of companies feel that

mobile applications and mobile learning will have an effect on their learning strategy in the

next three years

RECIPE: MODERN LEARNING

LEARN ING H U B CORPORATE MOOC

Take wilted content and turn it into a gourmet, technology-

enabled meal with the Intrepid Learning Hub or Intrepid Corporate

MOOC. Whether you’ve got something on the stove already or are starting from scratch, we can

help you build a fresh learning experience that sticks.

www.intrepidlearning.com

About & SourcesABOUT INTREPID LEARNINGIntrepid Learning, a reputed leader in the learning and development space, is now focused on learning technology. We know the business of enterprise learning because we built a market-leading, world-class learning outsourcing and professional services firm from the ground up starting in 1999. As of October 2014, Xerox, a market leader in business process, acquired the outsourcing and professional services arm of the business, allowing us to focus on delivering innovative learning technology solutions.

Our flagship products, the Intrepid Learning Hub and the Intrepid Corporate MOOC, are our sole focus. The Intrepid Learning Hub delivers the right learning experience to the right people at the right time to allow training to be delivered in a prescriptive and exploratory way. The Intrepid Corporate MOOC is a next-generation blended learning experience designed for scale.

For more information visit our website: www.intrepidlearning.com.

ABOUT HUMAN CAPITAL MEDIAThe Human Capital Media (HCM) Research and Advisory Group is the research division of HCM, publishers of Chief Learning Officer, Talent Management and Workforce magazines. The Research and Advisory Group specializes in partnered research solutions, customizable and proprietary deliverables that integrate seamlessly with existing sales and marketing programs. Leveraging our access to senior level decision-makers and proven HR industry expertise, we undertake market and thought leadership research in the human resources industry. Creating custom content and presenting thought leadership research are all part of the Research and Advisory Group’s focus.

If you have any questions, contact Sarah Kimmel, Research Director: skimmel@humancapitalmedia.com.

SOURCESStress of modern life cuts attention spans to five minutes, November 2008, http://goo.gl/WDqWhd Attention Spans Have Dropped from 12 Minutes to 5 Minutes — How Social Media is Ruining Our Minds [Infographic]; Neil Vidyarthi, December 14, 2011, http://goo.gl/vhZ1kh

Look at the Big Picture (Details will follow), Dario L. Ringach, 2003, http://goo.gl/F1rjiL

Understanding Multimedia Learning: Integrating multimedia in the K-12 classroom; September 2008, http://goo.gl/mp4cfE

Social Networking Dominates Our Time Spent Online (STATS), http://goo.gl/Jttn1J

9 Things Educators Need to Know About the Brain, http://goo.gl/pKLB1r

ALL RESPONDENTSTotal of 561 Respondents

10,000 or More – 24.4%2,500-10,000 – 14.6%2,500 or Less – 60.9%

TOP 5 INDUSTRIESConsulting – 16.8%

Manufacturing – 10.0%Technology – 8.6%

Government – 8.6%Healthcare – 8.6%

Other – 47.4%

LOCATIONSMostly located in the U.S. in one location – 24.1%

Mostly located in the U.S. with multiple locations – 26.6%Mostly located in the U.S. with some global distribution – 13.7%

Highly distributed with multiple locations across the globe – 21.1%Based outside of the U.S. – 14.5%

Demographics