There was a time not so far away when learning took place inside classrooms, face-to-face with an instructor, and relying on printed material such as books or study guides. But today, learning has evolved to incorporate technology, giving form to modern learning.
A growing tendency for users to use multiple devices to learn, read and watch videos on screens has become the new normality. This shows that learning environments have changed forever while learning itself has become what is known today as modern learning.
What is modern learning?
It’s necessary to keep two facts in mind to understand modern learning: First, users’ rapidly changing needs, for which learning cannot be an activity for which “we must stop everything and go learn.” The second is technology’s omnipresence to make it easy to access lots of content.
These two facts happen independently of any formal learning structure, and this use of modern technology creates the concept of modern learning.
Unlike the traditional one, modern learning does not focus on a face-to-face solution based on listening, reading, and memorizing but offers more relevant and didactic knowledge with the help of technology.
For example, if a user needs to learn how to manage a project, they can watch a series of videos or complete a micro-course to learn how to use a management tool quickly.
Modern learning understands how users interact with the world and their preferred ways to access information. It allows you to solve performance problems and develop relevant skills for the future, such as logical thinking, management, collaborative work, or problem-solving, using different forms of technology in various environments.
Needs of the modern learner
The modern learner requires relevant and suitable information. They are independent, impatient, ambitious, and have the initiative to learn on their own. And because of this, the way we train our employees must change to respond to their needs:
Smartphones as the primary tool
The modern learner wants to learn using multiple devices. The tendency to use electronic devices such as tablets, laptops, mobile phones, or voice assistants for learning-related purposes is increasing, but smartphones are the preferred tool.
Smartphones are the most useful for getting and interacting with information. A book can only provide written information or illustrations, a video player only allows you to watch movies, and a face-to-face instructor answers questions and guides you. Smartphones do all that and much more, and the modern learner can interact with the information and have it available anytime, anywhere.
Just-in-time learning
Learning has long ceased to be limited to the time and place of face-to-face training. Today, the user requires the information when he needs it to do something, and this is the origin of what is known as Just-in-time Learning.
27% of people search for information during their commute to the office and 47% during evenings or weekends, compared to 42% during working hours. This means that learning is a multi-situational experience for the modern learner and is often satisfied through a mobile Google search.
To meet the needs of the modern learner, organizations find an ally in new e-learning technologies that have created software and apps to offer learning experiences available to the new workforce and perfect for the modern world.
A training app created especially for the modern learner offers knowledge in micro-content, allows the user to have access to all corporate knowledge from the palm of their hand, and constant communication with their entire team. For the modern learner, mobile learning, micro-learning, and social learning are pillars of their development. Do you want to know an app for modern learner training? Meet isEazy Engage.
Better content, higher quality, in less time
Modern learners want answers, and they want them fast, but they also prioritize the quality of the information. In this aspect, search engines like Google satisfy the need for speed and convenience, but when it comes to content quality, relevance and personalization, e-learning is more beneficial.
E-learning occupies a key place in the modern learning environment because, well formulated in small modules, it responds to the need for information at any time or place and in an individualized way. An e-learning platform that adapts to the pace of your employees with up-to-date content in attractive formats, intuitive is all that a professional needs to seek answers and acquire knowledge.
Professional growth as a priority
Modern learners prioritize their professional growth. This means that acquiring new skills and improving existing ones to face new professional challenges is very important to them.
And companies are aware, which is why an organization that favors training in modern learning environments will have a competitive advantage over others.
Training with micro-content
The modern learner needs to learn in small doses of content because giving the professional, who is already constantly busy, long, and dense content leads to little interaction and consequently low absorption and retention of knowledge.
Short content can increase retention by up to 20%, and this is achieved through short micro-content of a single topic or concept at a time and spaced repetition with longer intervals between reviews.
#4 keys to creating a modern learning strategy in your company
There are four essential aspects to consider when implementing modern learning in your company:
1. Involvement
Training leaders are responsible for providing solutions for the professional development of their employees. That is why the organization must provide them with technology that facilitates knowledge access to perform their daily work better.
2. Mobility
How the modern learner acquires knowledge is gradually making traditional training environments obsolete. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt how we deliver content to allow the professional to be trained from anywhere through their preferred device and with easy access that adapts to current consumption habits.
3. Collaboration
Collaborative tools allow employees to share knowledge agilely. Training applications that integrate these tools (chats, task managers, forums, among others) favor knowledge acquisition and collaboration between colleagues and departments.
4. Personalization and segmentation
The shorter or more segmented training courses are, the greater the attention or interest of employees. In terms of personalization, technology plays a crucial role because it allows us to adjust the content individually to meet each employee’s needs.
Modern learning techniques
Mobile learning
Mobile learning is available anytime, anywhere, through mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. This type of learning is the logical response to the needs of the modern learner who seeks convenience, speed, and easy access.
M-learning allows users to take courses, complete quizzes, activities, or assessments from their cell phones, and stay connected to the company, which is a significant advantage for frontline work.
Microlearning
Microlearning breaks down large content, transforming it into small doses that are easy for learners to consume. Each training module may touch on a specific focus individually, but together they lead to the attainment of skills or the completion of a task.
Microlearning can be used to satisfy an immediate learning need because it provides quick access to essential concepts but also to learn more complex or branched processes.
Self-Directed Learning
This type of learning can arise from the immediate need to solve a problem or satisfy a curiosity. It occurs when an individual takes the initiative to select and manage their learning activities anytime, anywhere, and through multiple media.
Self-learning can benefit not only the individual but the organization. This type of learning takes employees’ responsibility, but it must be supported or encouraged by leaders, who must provide training with appropriate e-learning tools for learning.
Social learning
Social learning responds to the need to adapt to the new training requirements of today’s world. This technique is based on the theory that a person’s different behaviors or skills can be acquired through observation and imitation.
Social learning is a system that favors the acquisition of soft skills and non-formalized knowledge; it also plays a significant role in employees’ satisfaction and commitment. Thanks to today’s digitized environment, people don’t have to share the same physical environment because they can use e-learning tools, chats, forums, or task boards to accelerate these social learning processes.
Gamification
It’s a fact that people learn more when they don’t know that they are remembering; the same thing happens with learning through games. Gamification incorporates game elements into activities such as learning.
This technique can take advantage of validation tools such as points or badges that allow the user to level up after completing specific tasks, but also quick quizzes or the creation of competitive teams. Gamification makes learning enjoyable and ensures long-term content memorization, making it a highly valued modern learning technique.
Blended learning
Blended learning offers a combination of traditional and online methods. This technique is widely used in corporate training because it takes advantage of the best face-to-face activities (debates, exchange of ideas, or instructor-led activities) and virtual activities (videoconferences, micro-courses, chats, games, etc.).
Boost modern learning in your company with IsEazy Engage
Now that you know about modern learning, and if you are thinking about getting a tool to give your employees and frontline workers everything they need in one place, it is time to get to know the isEazy Engage training app.
It is an app that accompanies them in their daily lives, offering them training, communication, and all the corporate knowledge in the palm of their hand. Discover the best technology for the modern learner. Request a demo!
