The advent of the cloud, big data and artificial intelligence is overturning processes that have been established for decades. Today, employees have to get on board the train of continuous innovation, or risk being left behind. However, acquiring the new skills needed to adapt remains a major challenge. So how can we change mindsets and encourage employees to adopt digital tools? The answer lies in the deployment of innovative training programs known as “digital learning”. Let’s take a look at a key concept in change management in the digital age.
Digital learning refers to the use of digital technologies to help employees acquire new skills.
This concept encompasses all online training solutions, from e-learning modules to virtual classes, MOOCs and microlearning via smartphone.
Unlike traditional e-learning, which is based on fixed content and a solitary experience in front of the screen, digital learning offers far more dynamic and interactive formats. The learner benefits from enhanced pedagogical support and fun features that encourage engagement.
Moreover, e-learning is only one part of digital learning, which encompasses a much wider range of teaching methods and practices. Digital learning also perfectly integrates advances in data analysis. By tracking each user’s activities, we can personalize learning paths and target areas for improvement in real time.
The virtual classroom reproduces the interaction of a face-to-face course at a distance. Participants and trainer connect via a dedicated platform at a fixed time, to follow the course and exchange views in real time.
Virtual classes also incorporate a range of collaborative tools, such as screen sharing, interactive whiteboards, live polls and emoticons.
This format is ideal for short, dynamic sessions, project launches or geographically dispersed team meetings. The virtual classroom reproduces the feeling of belonging to a group, encouraging interaction and memorization.
Some digital learning tools have even taken hybridization a step further, with immersive virtual classes in augmented reality. Participants move around a real virtual campus thanks to their avatar. All the more reason to engage learners!
Serious games are interactive simulations designed for educational purposes. The learner is immersed in an immersive experience that combines challenges, narration and rewards to maintain a high level of motivation.
From videogame tutorials aimed at acquiring specific know-how, to the development of real “war games” to train strategic decision-making, serious games take a variety of forms, adapted to a multitude of objectives.
They offer an effective means of anchoring knowledge by provoking strong emotional involvement thanks to the principle of gamification.
💡 Knowmore has successfully supported Crédit Agricole in upgrading the skills of employees at its 39 regional branches, whose IS has been merged into a Unified Customer Advisor Portal (PuCC).
MOOC stands for “Massive Open Online Course”. MOOCs are online training courses accessible to a large number of participants.
Far from the traditional closed and expensive e-learnings, MOOCs focus on quality content available free of charge, sometimes with a paying certification at the end.
Originally developed in the academic world, MOOCs are now targeting vocational training, providing access to cutting-edge courses that are proving immensely popular.
The SPOC (Small Private Online Course) is a more confidential variant of the MOOC, designed for a restricted audience within a company. It’s generally a tailor-made online module designed to pass on strategic business expertise to specific employees.
With the democratization of smartphones, training has now found its way into employees’ pockets! Mobile learning offers short modules of less than 10 minutes, available on mobile applications.
These “microlearnings” present pedagogical content addressing a specific issue and providing an immediate solution.
Accessible at any time, they fit in perfectly with employees’ busy schedules, allowing them to fill their downtime by acquiring new knowledge.
In the digital age, learning is no longer a solitary process. Social learning emphasizes peer-to-peer interaction to reinforce understanding and anchor knowledge.
Commenting features, forums, news feeds and chatbots enrich individual learning paths. Learners help each other and collaborate in online communities focused on a particular area of expertise.
This social sharing accelerates problem-solving and the assimilation of new concepts, thanks to a collective approach to training.
Adaptive learning takes full advantage of the latest advances in data analysis. This approach relies on algorithms that adjust content and learning paths in real time, based on learner interactions.
The system constantly collects data linked to exercises completed, content viewed and assessment results, before providing a personalized response. If the learner masters a concept perfectly, he or she will be able to access more complex topics adapted to his or her level more quickly.
The Digital Adoption Platform is a separate category of digital learning solutions. Its vocation is to support the deployment of a new technological tool within an organization, by providing real-time support to users on their application, thus promoting adoption and lasting appropriation.
DAP offers contextual, interactive training and assistance resources integrated directly into the software interface. Users can access a virtual agent or tutorial videos at any time, according to their needs, to get to grips with the solution.
Many companies see digital learning as a simple technological project. They invest huge sums in the latest platforms, without considering the purpose of these tools or the profound changes to be made to teaching methods. A pitfall that can prove fatal to any digital transformation initiative.
To avoid these fatal errors and ensure successful change management, it’s best to follow three preliminary steps:
All digital learning initiatives must begin with a detailed analysis of learners’ needs and associated objectives. What are the skills to be imparted? In what context will they be implemented? What difficulties are currently encountered in this field?
Answering these questions will help you lay the foundations for a digital learning strategy in line with your business challenges.
Once you’ve clarified your needs, it’s time to select the format(s) best suited to your immersive and interactive requirements. Digital learning is more than just traditional e-learning! As we’ve seen, the range is much wider: DAP, virtual classes, MOOCs, SPOCs, microlearning and more.
Each option has its own specific characteristics, which need to be weighed up against the problem to be solved and the target audience.
The last essential step is to implement the technology that will facilitate the implementation of the chosen strategy. Numerous high-performance digital learning solutions are available on the market, such as our K-STUDIO platform, which enables you to create interactive, 100% realistic training courses, perfectly adapted to your business applications.
Ideally, you’ll want to make sure that the tool you select is flexible enough to allow for easy future upgrades.
The management of digital learning projects raises more general questions about the relationship with work and the social bond weakened by increasingly dematerialized organizations. Connected training alone will not be enough to re-enchant groups that have been tested by physical distance. Its impact depends on bold managerial initiatives that place the human at the heart of the machine. In this respect, new learning methods can either amplify dehumanization or, on the contrary, weave a digital Ariadne’s thread to help us live together better in the face of acceleration. Digital learning invites us to wisely redraw the contours of a sustainable world of work.
The digital revolution calls for a constant adaptation of skills. Knowmore’s response is K-NOW, its digital adoption platform combining training and on-the-job coaching.
