blended learning What exactly is?
When we look at the definition of blended learning, there is a strong emphasis on the student having more control over the learning process than learning in the classroom.
This is more than just being able to take a course at a time that suits them.
It means they can choose specific modules or courses that suit their interests, rather than forcing them to follow a core curriculum.
This kind of freedom is frequently not possible in traditional learning: finding a specialist in the field can be less profitable and difficult.
There are several variations of blended learning, but perhaps the most useful in an office setting is outside-in blended learning. Here, participants interact with the course material at their own pace, culminating in a classroom gathering where knowledge is demonstrated and shared. This allows team members to share the basics of their new experiences.
Imagine you want your marketing team to dig deeper into lead generation strategies.
Rather than forcing everyone to take the same course and treating your entire marketing team to a treatise on TikTok, blended learning means the entire team can take core courses while stakeholders can follow TikTok separately.
Other (lighter) team members might take a course on customer retention strategies using email data or how to make the e-commerce process more enjoyable for customers.
Not only does this mean you have a team that is more committed to your learning and appreciates your efforts more, but it also means you have a complete team. Regardless, one TikTok expert will probably do the trick.
What are the benefits of blended learning?
You have probably already thought about making your office as efficient as possible, for example, by introducing regular standing meetings.
You may not have considered getting your employees as engaged and mentally capable as possible.
This is becoming increasingly important as new generations begin to dominate the workforce.
30% of millennials surveyed by Deloitte believed that the responsibility for training employees with the necessary skills rested with employers.
For the 18-54 age group, the main reason for a career change in 2018 was the opportunity for professional development.
So we know that people want to learn and progress. But how can we safeguard that our learning and development program works for everyone?
Enter blended learning. It is inherently flexible in terms of the courses, and paths employees can follow and when they can complete the courses.
It’s also more affordable, meaning you can offer a higher quality development program for less than or equal to the full personal cost.
Also, a workforce with the time and space to learn how they want is likely far happier.
You can use this to your benefit: try to find out which skills will be indispensable in your company in the coming years and offer your employees the opportunity to train them.
Future-ready skills like cybersecurity are trending as the world moves into a more digitized future, but the classics (leadership, communication) are always preferr
Is blendeds learning relevant to me?
You may think that learning ends when you leave formal education, but that’s not true. LinkedIn found that 96% of learning and growth (L&D) specialists believe employee experience is extremely important.
The same survey says that companies that provide employee training experience with a 53% lower dropout rate than their peers.
Startups are often unable to offer the same competitive salary levels as their larger peers. To compensate, they can provide quick and effective career progression; this is where a good learning and development plan comes into play. Having bold development plans can certainly boost your startup’s perception.
In our rapidly changing world, there are new skills to learn every month. You can take courses on everything from YouTube video creation and LinkedIn analytics to implementing robots in your business.
And as your employees grow, so does your business. Exceptional skills may come in handy as technology improves, or you need an HR manager who knows marketing.
Implementing an apprenticeship program has increased employee engagement and tenure in each case. This saves you from expensive new hires and leaves you with a workforce ready for whatever life throws at you.
Blended learning is a great way to safeguard employees’ engagement while being flexible enough to make it work for everyone.
The endless possibilities of blended learnings
Embracing digitization and jumping headlong into blended learning might be the best we can get out of the Covid pandemic.
It is useful beyond school and can help create more positive and engaging workplaces geared toward personal development and career advancement.
Perhaps we are more enlightened as a society or have a wider range of skills.
Either way, this hybrid model, which combines the support of in-person learning with the ease and versatility of asynchronous online learning.
It makes workplace development more accessible than ever.