What do you think of when you hear the term blended learning? A blended or hybrid approach to learning is any combination of on-demand resources, courses, and materials in addition to scheduled live training, whether that takes place face-to-face via instructor-led training (ILT) or digitally through virtual instructor-led training (VILT).
Over the past few years, rapid digital transformation and remote work has pushed many companies to switch their strategies for learning, converting ILT to VILT and moving from in-person training to an all-VILT or total e-learning approach. But a comprehensive blend of both on-demand and ILT or VILT is the key to boosting engagement.
Blended Learning Promotes Deeper Understanding
Adding contrast to the types of content that you offer combats distraction —the ultimate nemesis of effective learning, especially in a virtual environment.This contrast can be created in a number of ways. For example, you could provide different delivery styles by hiring more than one instructor to teach a course or ask instructional designers to build multiple kinds of dynamic visual content. However, these options are both expensive. It’s equally effective to offer completely different kinds of content within the same course—for example, an on-demand playground environment where you can test a learner’s knowledge after a live session, a module or two that are entirely self-serve, or even something as simple as a snazzy printable that can be used on the fly.
On-demand precourse and postcourse content can also augment the ILT and VILT experience and improve the efficacy of the session itself. Consider a blended experience that includes an introductory quiz, which gives the instructor a feel for any knowledge gaps in the class ahead of time or a wrap-up assessment where learning experience designers can measure the impact and knowledge transfer of the course.
Hybrid Fits Into Your Customers’ Flow of Work
Josh Bersin coined the term “learning in the flow of work” in a Harvard Business Review article in 2019 with employee training in mind, but it also aptly describes the new paradigm for the challenges of customer, partner, or any kind of training.“Through good design thinking and cutting-edge technology, we can build solutions and experiences that make learning almost invisible in our jobs,” says Bersin. There’s no escaping the fact that achieving this vision relies heavily on blended learning—offering in-app tutorials, quick toolbar tips, on-demand video content, micro courses, and context-sensitive learning for the moment of need.
If you combine these tools with ILT and VILT sessions, you’re not only offering learners in-the-moment education, but also you’re helping knowledge transfer and encouraging behavioral change. This combination provides customers a chance to practice what they’ve learned and put it into action soon after the training session, aiding knowledge retention and impact.
Face-to-Face Is More Powerful When Supplemented
It’s no surprise that when learners are given additional resources outside of an in-person training session, the event has greater impact. After all, a one-off hour-long session is easy to forget as soon as the instructor says goodbye. It’s also powerful to be able to offer social features such as collaboration and sharing, taking blended learning to a more dynamic level. According to the LinkedIn Learning 2021 Workplace Learning Report, “Learners who use social features—Q&A, course shares, and learning groups—watch 30x more hours of learning content than learners who don’t.”Perhaps being engaged leads to increased social sharing because engaged learners want to tell their friends. Or maybe having the options for collaborative, blended learning experiences paired with the technology to share and advocate for learning on demand increases engagement and explains the positive impact on the amount of learning an individual completes. It hardly matters which direction the connection works. We know that it works. Put it to work for your
