Why Personalizing Corporate Online Training Is Beneficial
In our society, we are pampered and used to being served based on our preferences. If you order a burger with no onions, you expect it to come as you requested. Or, if you reserve a rental car with a sunroof, you expect the rental company to have one ready when you arrive.
So, why should corporate training be any different? You should personalize training experiences for your employees to the furthest extent possible if you want them to benefit from your training efforts. Almost all organizations have realized the benefits of offering unique learning experiences to their employees. They have found that if they personalize their online learning modules based on the needs of every employee, then the end results are richer. And, why not? If you offer something that your learners want, they are more likely to accept it. Below are 5 reasons why you should create custom course content for your learners.
1. Targeted Learning
Personalized learning is aimed at the specific needs of learners. That means that not all your employees need to take the same course on a specific topic. Each employee will have their own unique pace of learning. Also, not all of them are on the same competency level. If you force them to go through the same topics together, they will likely get bored, and could even be offended. Instead, allow them to choose their topics and level based on their interests and proficiency. Or, let them prove their skill level by taking a course assessment, and then allow them to choose what they want to learn and when. Also, not all learners learn the same way. Some prefer video-based learning, some learn through audio like podcasts, and some like to read through documents or articles. Therefore, you should allow your learners to choose which format they prefer to use if you want better results.
2. Higher Engagement
When you allow your learners to choose what they want to learn and in the way they want to learn, they feel valued. They feel happy that the organization cares about their learning and upskilling efforts. They choose their learning path based on their personal preference and they are invested in the course. Since they are getting what they want, they have a higher engagement level. As a result, they learn faster and recall better when they have to apply the concepts to their work. This freedom to choose is something they value highly.
3. Greater Customization
Personalized learning modules are better than off-the-shelf resources because they can be customized to a wider extent. You can use your brand logo and design elements. You can include relevant scenarios and examples that are inherent to your organization. You can tweak the content as you wish, in order to make a better connection with your employees. Also, you can make updates faster and at a smaller cost.
4. Personalized Feedback
Just like there is no one-size-fits-all training content, there can be so no one-size-fits-all feedback. When your learners go through their chosen path, they get customized feedback. They can work on the necessary skills and improve their productivity. Since they receive instant feedback for their actions, their ‘wrong moves’ are not committed to their long-term memory. They are aware of where they have gone wrong, and how they should remedy it. They replicate the same behavior in the workplace.
You can create personalized online learning in several ways. But, there are 2 approaches that are quite effective and used by several learning designers.
- One of them is adaptive learning. With this, you use methods like pre-assessments to create personalized training for your learners. It offers customized learning paths and personal feedback to each learner.
- The other approach is to provide control to the learner. Here, instead of taking control with the help of pre-assessments, you give the learner the power to create their own learning path. They choose what they want to learn based on their interest and assess their own proficiency. This is a learner-centric approach, and hence more popular.
Personalized online learning can help you boost your employees’ performance and ensure that your Return On Investment (ROI) is high. Technology is helpful in executing a personal learning strategy. But, it takes a combination of people and processes to make it work.
At Designing Digitally, Inc. we create custom eLearning designed specifically for your training objectives. Our courses ensure strong retention of information and provide innovative ways to change learner behaviors. To learn more about how we can help develop your custom course content, reach out today!
