Notes from Mzinga webinar “Embracing Social Learning Across the Enterprise”
Social Learning
80% of job activities are learned
via day-to-day, informal
interaction, not formal instruction
Instructor-led training
1 to 1
Social media
many to many
Old:Top-down
New:multi-directional
Social learning success
The user’s manual doesn’t have all the answers you need– An online community of Scooba
vacuum users provided support and solved a customer’s problem
Social learning success
Good ideas can come from anywhere in the organization– A Cisco internal wiki is credited
with crowdsourcing ideas resulting in $3B of new ideas
3 social learning models:
Embedded model
Social media IN learning
(commenting within a course, blog, ratings, voting buttons. etc)
Applied model
Social media ABOUT learning
(wrapped around a learning object – discussions around it, ratings, reviews of the object )
Community model
Social media AS learning
More integrated, community approach. People interacting, sharing their expertise
1 & 2 are bridge models (easier to launch) which can be rolled into the larger, integrated model.
A good place to start
Open-source, lightweight technologies
Easy to get up and running
But, is it scalable?
Be sure your tools of choice can support the desired growth.
As you grow your initiative, the need for moderation arises
What happens when things go wrong? Need to minimize risks, especially in heavily regulated industries.
Don’t over-moderate
Too many rules and up-front filters will inhibit participation
Open the bottom of the funnel to allow more info throughput, then correct as needed.
Content is still king
In the end, it isn’t about the tools,
it’s about the information.
Make it easy
Weave the community tools into everyday activities –
don’t make it an extra task
Make it findable
y!Search is ke
