Blended learning combines face-to-face instruction with digital training methods. This approach allows workers to benefit from the strengths of each strategy while ensuring that training is flexible and engaging while reinforcing learning.
But once you’ve onboarded blended learning into your organization, how do you get the most out of it?
Follow this guide to understand blended learning best practices to help your implementation achieve its goals.
1. Personalize digital training to ensure completion
In-person training takes a one-to-many approach, which educates multiple workers on a broad scale. The problem is that information might not be relevant to everyone in the room, meaning learners can easily zone out or not pay attention, which impacts their ability to learn and develop effectively.
But, with digital training, you can personalize learning for the user to ensure greater relevance and drive engagement.
The best part is you can do this at scale by using automation and segmentation to deliver the right training to the right person at the right moment. This helps ensure that the content resonates with individual training needs and is tailored to the development of the specific worker.
By delivering relevant training, you help learners connect new information with previous learning and knowledge, which can impact retention.
Automation also reduces the time it takes to manually assign training modules, creating a seamless workflow and learning experience for the end user.
You can also use automation tools to send refresher training reminders and stagger onboarding to help new starters learn materials that relate to their position and job function.
2. Create a curated learning library to promote autonomous learning
Build a library of helpful, informative content to promote a culture of continuous learning.
Gathering relevant materials into a visible knowledge destination means learners have a place to go when they need information or want to access older training materials, and creating a familiar learning environment also helps improve engagement and uptake.
For example, build a knowledge hub that acts as a repository for training materials that workers can access on the fly. This helps enhance training and knowledge retention by empowering learners to return to training materials and explore them at their leisure.
On-demand delivery company Grubhub created a dedicated home for learning within its driver app. This knowledge hub was available for drivers to consult 24/7 at their convenience, which improved the driver experience.
“The more we can get useful information out to new and existing drivers, the better experience they’re going to have and the more value that’s going to add to GrubHub.”
Another way to drive behavior change faster and more effectively is to make the experience as congruous as possible with your workers' other digital experiences of your brand.
Urban, an on-demand wellness company, did this by integrating training into the app its contractors used to book jobs and communicate with clients.
To make the training more visible and drive practitioners towards it, they created a fully branded experience, dubbing it their “Hero Academy”. This created a resonant experience that felt so unified it was unnoticeable to practitioners that they were actually using a third-party app and leaving the Urban app for another.
The result? A 99% learner satisfaction rating.
3. Make learning access frictionless
Access to learning should be frictionless. For example, passwords can slow down workers' access to important information because they’re easily forgotten, and requiring multiple login steps is cumbersome and unproductive for a busy frontline worker.
For example, your retail employee wants to learn the best way to manage a complicated customer return. To access the information, they have to leave the shop floor, go upstairs to the break room, and log in to a computer.
Not only are they leaving the shop floor and customers, but they’re also spending time tracking down key information.
Instead, you integrate training into your workflows by introducing a QR code next to your POS that the employee can scan on their device and log in with single sign-on (SSO) or a one-time password (OTP) for a step-by-step walkthrough on how to process returns.
4. Ensure comprehension with minimum score assessments
Use a minimum score assessment to set an expected quality standard and establish a bare minimum competency level that all workers must pass before moving on to the next topic or module.
This way, you can:
- Ensure workers understand and retain key concepts or ideas
- Identify any knowledge gaps or areas where an individual is struggling
- Remedy skills gaps with supplementary training or support
For example, see how many attempts a learner makes to achieve a certain score. If they fail to meet the minimum requirement, the assessment triggers relevant follow-up training, which signals they need additional support.
If you notice that there’s a high volume of respondents unable to pass the test, there could be an opportunity to revise your training content to ensure that it’s not too challenging for your workforce.
Assessments also help with knowledge recall. For example, after completing onboarding training, prompt workers to take a test that includes multiple-choice and scenario-based questions to ensure they understand how to use a system effectively.
Or test retail employees every quarter on product knowledge and customer service best practices to ensure they’ve retained key information.
5. Optimize digital training for data capture
Blended learning puts you in the unique position of being able to measure how well the training is received by the learner. This data allows you to customize training based on individual needs and performance and continually monitor and measure progress in real-time.
In contrast to traditional training methods, where you aren’t ever 100% on whether the information is valuable or retained, blended learning and digital training data help you see where to act next. For example, closing a skill gap or holding an in-person session.
Analyzing engagement metrics also helps you see what training is more engaging or effective than others and adjust your training or delivery methods accordingly.
Look to onboard a blended learning platform that integrates well with your tech stack. For effective people-related data management, it should link with your HRM or HRIS tool, such as Workday, to give you a comprehensive view of performance.
eduMe is built for the frontline. Watch a demo to learn how the platform can help you create training that workers want to complete.
