Does Your Organization Need a Full-Scale Learning Ecosystem?
What’s a full-scale learning ecosystem and how can that help you improve training initiatives?
You’ve just spent what feels like the hundredth hour trying to make one piece of software talk to the other. Because you were told when you signed up for one software package that it would integrate with anything else you need to make your learning environment work. Sound familiar?
If you’ve spent any time trying to do the work of your software, you probably have the wrong software. But worse, you’re probably trying to fix the wrong problem by investing in new or better software. Instead, when you think about upgrading or improving your learning programs, consider the systems and frameworks you’re using might not be the right ones for your needs.
Recently, I spoke to a client about adopting a new way of functioning as a learning and development business because what they were doing wasn’t working. But the urge to simply replace the learning management system was so strong, it seemed difficult to imagine that it might be the people causing the problems. Ouch, right? Right. That’s why I reminded them that taking a reactionary approach to developing training will never get you right with time or your ROI because you’ll always be playing catch-up, just trying to put the next fire out. Learning suffers. Your job suffers. Your patience, well, it runs thin, doesn’t it?
Investing in a full-scale learning ecosystem offers numerous benefits that can significantly enhance your organization’s learning and development efforts, and it goes beyond simply switching learning platforms or integrating an automated email responder. Want to know more? Here’s why incorporating a comprehensive learning ecosystem can be a game-changer for your business.
You Can Create a Multi-faceted Learning Ecosystem and Environment
A full-scale learning ecosystem provides a complete suite of training options, from initial onboarding to advanced professional development. What’s more, a multi-faceted solution means that you’re not left trying to pick up the pieces of integration or make your existing software packages talk to each other. Creating a full-scale learning ecosystem means your questions are answered before you build anything, ensuring your needs are met. More importantly, this process ensures your students, staff or community are learning in an efficient manner. Not to mention, cutting the time it takes you to deliver your training, create reports, and provide follow-up, coaching and more.
You Can Improve Learner Engagement
By developing a full-scale learning ecosystem, you can ensure your learners’ needs are met, not just in the classrooms, but offline as well. You can boost engagement through emails, follow-up calls, coaching, video conferencing, resources, libraries, modules, and more.
Creating a complete learning environment and ensuring your existing systems work with new systems means that you get more done for less work. And who doesn’t love the idea of less work? Within customized learning solutions, you can opt for personalized learning paths. Learning isn’t one-size-fits-all and your professional development, community initiatives, or leadership courses can make the mark you intend with a variety of tools and approaches to learning. Keeping learners engaged in their own journey is vital to success; therefore, creating an environment where they can succeed is paramount.
You Can Improve Performance with Full-Scale Learning Environments
Whether you offer one-off courses or you want to redesign your offerings to include in-depth, customized learning paths, your ultimate goal is to increase performance. We use tools such as learning management systems and automated email follow-ups to ensure learners have a container in which to learn, but in the end, these are just tools.
What counts is how learners interact with and utilize what they’ve learned to improve performance. Want to recruit better volunteers? Your learning management system can’t do that, but the course packages contained within it can. Want to improve sales through training? Your automated workflows won’t fix a decline in sales, but the motivation and methods within the emails will. With continuous access to relevant learning materials and resources, learners can quickly acquire new skills and knowledge.
You Can Create an Efficient Learning Environment
If you run several software packages to manage your learning and development initiatives, you are probably spending more time ensuring those systems are functioning than you are creating and developing new learning materials. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a system that actually works, monitored by someone who actually knows what your company needs, and wouldn’t it be nice to be able to count on your learning environments doing the job you asked them to do? It sure would.
A centralized learning platform, supported by the appropriate frameworks and systems, integrated with the right software packages can help streamline the management of training programs and resources. This reduces redundancy, saves time, and ensures that learning materials are consistently updated and accessible for you and your learner.
You Can See Results in a WayThat Makes Sense to You
Advanced learning ecosystems provide valuable data and analytics on learner progress and training effectiveness, but sometimes too much data is simply too much data. Your organization might not require an advanced learning ecosystem. You might require a core learning ecosystem that provides the basics to your learners. But how can you know? With all the options out there an experts telling you that you need to hire them, it can be overwhelming to feel confident you’re moving your training in the right direction. Properly fitting data is key to an organization’s success, and more importantly, using that data to drive learner-focused decisions is essential.
A Customized, Full-Scale Learning Ecosystem is Just a Call Away
With over 20 years of experience designing and developing learning initiatives, Heather Deveaux Instructional Design can assess, assign, design and develop a customized learning ecosystem for your organization. Whether you’re just making the transition to online learning or your organization has been struggling to make your systems work in a streamlined manner for some time, I can help.
We can work together to align your systems and frameworks with your organization’s goals and enhance your training outcomes with the right tools. By investing in a comprehensive learning solution, you’re not just investing in training; you’re investing in the future success of your organization. It goes without saying, but you know I’m going to say it: investing in a full-scale learning ecosystem also ensures the success of your learner.
Book a call with me to discuss your options for a learning ecosystem today.
