We live in a mobile world, just look around. Already we have moved to a more mobile platform and the sale of PC’s is declining. Putting information, education and training into the palm of someone’s hand is just common sense. They can learn at a time and place that suits them in a fashion they are comfortable with. If you agree with this statement try this train of thought on embedded learning.
We all know how traditional training and education is delivered. It has benefits but also a lot of drawbacks. The simplest example is as soon as the lesson ends the forgetting starts. I recently saw some research that suggested that after three months 60% of what was learnt had been forgotten. For a business that’s a huge waste of time and money. For the student it’s a great shame.
This I can believe. Did you watch the news or read a newspaper last week? That’s a conscious decision you made to learn something about the world around you. You invested time in doing it and maybe even some money. How much of that can you remember today? On the other hand think of a pastime you enjoy doing. Chances are you are pretty good at it. Why? Because you embed what you have leant every time you do it. You get better at it by repeating the process.
Enter the words “embedded learning”. There are many descriptions as to what these two words mean but here is mine. Would it make sense if after the original training course the student could receive refresher courses that reinforced what had been learnt? Would it make sense if they could continue to learn after the original training session? The ability to deliver that has already been outlined in the first paragraph of this article.
Take traditional training, stand up delivery. For a period of time a group of people get to know a trainer. If all goes well they build a relationship and enjoy the learning experience. Now what if that trainer could be there for each and every student in a month’s time, three months, six months or a year later in the palm of their hand in video embedding what had been learnt?
It makes sense to me. So much so that you have to wonder why it is not the norm for all training companies? Our courses come with embedded refresher courses that are presented by the original trainer, in video, right into the palm of a student’s hand. A simple idea and an idea we think works really well. It just makes sense which is why we include it with our courses
What I really like about this idea is the fact that for a business it means they don’t have to give staff time off work to continue training. For the student it fits into their lifestyle, as in they can do this when and wherever they like at a time that suits them. When you add evaluation to these refresher courses; it just makes common sense.
Its early days and we have more ideas we are implementing across all our training programmes that use a means of delivery that people are comfortable with to enhance and add to the original training. I for one think these are very exciting times and the journey is only beginning.
If you would like to be part of our journey or would like to discuss your training requirements please drop me a line or leave a comment.
