Companies are still struggling to digitally train employees in 2024. Why? Many want the training offerings – although they are abundantly available – simply do not want to accept them. Too many other commitments, somewhat exhausting, somewhat like "school," and real fun is not found in learning either. So what must a digital learning platform deliver for people to use it gladly?
Regarding "Learning Platforms"
A digital learning platform (Engl. Learning Management System) can be defined as an integrated system that provides technologies and tools to create, distribute, and monitor educational content. It should support the learning process by facilitating access to learning materials, promoting collaboration, and enabling personalized learning experiences. These are all points that are in the interest of companies as they facilitate progress, innovation, and competitive advantages.
And especially since 2020, a large number of companies have implemented such digital learning platforms or at least considered introducing them. However, there are still not many successful projects. What is the reason for that? Probably not due to the now hundreds of digital learning platforms that have sprung up, often referred to as LMS, LXP, or something entirely different, but are very similar in terms of functionality and goals.
Digital Learning Platforms Only for High Performers?
They all pursue the same goal: to equip employees with additional know-how and thus nourish progress and development. One might think that – besides the companies – employees are also interested in these points: after all, they also advance their own lives and actions, potentially save time, and help in climbing the corporate ladder. Nevertheless, many of these systems are optimized for eager high performers, not for people who simply do not enjoy learning – yet that is precisely what such a system should accomplish! We do not want to only further educate those who already do so of their own accord but also those who ought to, could, or should.
We thus find ourselves in an age of digital inundation regarding the question: “Do I want to subject myself to digital learning content in addition to my actual work, which additionally challenges my mental and cognitive understanding? And more importantly: Even if I do this, can I actually remember everything?”
This increases the requirement for digital learning platforms because it is of no use if thousands of contents are available but I cannot consume them in a low-threshold manner and within my cognitive capacity. After all, I am not eager for even more effort. 😫 And then these reminder emails: “You must do this and that …” In reality, that stresses me more than it helps.
The Catharsis of Digital Learning
So what would be the solution? Offer content in as "bite-sized" a manner as possible. Okay, short learning units are good because my attention span is sometimes at TikTok level, thanks, I already knew that. But much more importantly, the content must interest, fascinate me, and provide me with an obvious added value, as it ideally solves an acute problem of mine. Otherwise, my school traumas surrounding the topic of binomial formulas and vector calculation return, whose (at least for me) limited practical use creates a feeling of massive time waste within me.
So let me come up with an example of how to turn the unmotivated learner into a learning aficionado:
Problem Solved: Never Again VLOOKUP!
I just struggled again with VLOOKUP in Excel, which is doing some strange Excel things, and I have no idea why. And suddenly, I stumble upon a small video content (Duration: 1:40 minutes) on my digital learning platform that screams at me: “This is how you save yourself from VLOOKUP.”
How awesome would that be? And suddenly, I would have learned something useful in a short time. Perhaps I would then check the local LMS or the digital learning platform more often as a motivated and satisfied learner. Apparently, there are indeed things that help me, and maybe I will even take part in a training course on my own initiative, as it seems someone has genuinely thought things through.
Digital Learning Platforms Should Promote Productivity and Save Time – But Often Do Not.
This case is, of course, highly constructed, but a digital learning platform should ideally do just that: teach me things based on needs and show me ways to save time and consequently be more productive.
From my perspective, a system must achieve the following:
Access must be easy and low-threshold.
The learning content must be well-tagged and easily found via full-text search.
The learning content must load quickly.
The learning content must be attractively prepared.
The learning content must help me precisely in solving a specific problem.
I must be alerted to new content that fits my needs.
However, for the company or those who create learning content, the world looks completely different.
The digital learning platform is, for the learner, somewhat of an incarnated revelation, a temple of knowledge that contains everything and more from which one simply needs to help oneself. Let’s take LinkedIn Learning: it really covers pretty much everything that a person wants and can learn today. And the employee just needs to go there and hit play. Great solution!
Low-threshold, accessible from anywhere, and additionally flexibly usable for almost all areas. And yet, somehow no one is doing it... Why is that even? Everything is there! And still, I must constantly remind people to complete their required training via our own LMS. After all, we painstakingly created the content it contains and keep it up to date – what a job, what a pain. Ungrateful people.
The Search for the "Learning KPI"
And yet, I must meet my goals (e.g., training quota X for ISO certificate Y) before the management and then justify why the fun actually costs so much money ... In the search for the famous KPI that measures the learning effect and captures the RoI, many have already despaired. Progress people are, after all, different, and how and by what means they learn best is hard to generalize. There are at best learning goals in the form of exams that check knowledge and require relevant foundational knowledge – but here too, the self-learning organization is still far away.
The Current State, Which is Constantly Changing
The challenge and the requirement remains to incorporate at least current knowledge statuses into the LMS and give people the opportunity to continuously develop themselves. However, one would have to – as various disciplines are indeed required in companies – have at least a fundamental understanding in each of these areas. Not an easy task alongside actual day-to-day business. One would have to curate content again, pass it through the hands of subject matter experts, and then distribute it accordingly. Effort, effort, effort… and then the person who can curate is on vacation, etc.
What Should a Digital Learning Platform Achieve Here?
Simply put: It should take work away rather than produce work. In the event of doubt, learners conduct their research themselves, as they know best what they want and need to learn. But for that, the aforementioned requirements must be met, and first and foremost: People must enjoy working with the learning platform! Ensuring that is much more difficult than it initially sounds. Perhaps, however, the expectations of these systems as saviors and problem solvers are too high in some places; a multitude of functions, including course management, learning progress tracking, assessment tools, and communication options are just functionalities that create prerequisites to solve the following problems:
Accessibility and Flexibility: Employees often have different schedules and working hours. Digital learning platforms enable learning content to be made accessible anytime and anywhere, which can increase or at least favor flexibility and participation.
Cost Efficiency: Traditional trainings can be expensive and logistically demanding. Online learning platforms reduce travel costs, room rental, and printing costs, leading to significant savings.
Central Administration: A digital learning platform centralizes the management of training materials and processes, increasing efficiency and consistency.
Scalability: Companies are constantly growing and changing. Digital learning platforms can be easily scaled to meet the training needs of a growing company.
Individual Learning Paths: Employees have different learning needs and paces. Digital learning platforms enable personalized learning paths tailored to the individual needs and goals of the learners.
Progress Tracking and Analysis: Companies can track and analyze the learning progress of their employees to measure and continuously improve the success of training programs. Measurable results are also important as proof for certification bodies, authorities, and higher-level committees.
Interactive Learning Methods: Modern learning platforms offer interactive and engaging learning methods such as videos, quizzes, simulations, and gamification that can make learning more effective and interesting.
Compliance and Certification: Many industries require recurring trainings and certifications. Digital learning platforms ensure that all employees complete the necessary trainings and keep their certifications up to date. At the same time, it enables training coordinators to keep an overview, send reminders, and monitor learning progress.
Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Digital learning platforms promote collaboration and the exchange of knowledge among employees, which should lead to better teamwork and innovative capabilities. In reality, however, this is difficult to demonstrate.
Continuous Education: In a rapidly changing work environment, continuous education is crucial. Digital learning platforms support the ongoing development of employees and keep their skills up to date. However, a lot of support is needed, unless one has a system in place that uses AI to provide learning recommendations and conducts individual upskilling.
These are the Functions a Modern Digital Learning Platform Should Have:
User-Friendliness: An intuitive and user-friendly interface that allows users to navigate easily without extensive technical knowledge.
Enabling Mobile Learning: Support for mobile devices, so employees can access learning content from anywhere at any time.
Personalized Learning Paths: Adaptable learning pathways that meet the individual needs and abilities of the learners.
Interactive Content: Providing a variety of engaging and interactive learning content such as videos, quizzes, simulations, and gamification elements to make learning more appealing.
Progress Tracking and Reporting: Comprehensive tracking and reporting features that allow monitoring and analysis of the learning progress and performance of the employees.
Integration Capability with Other Systems: Ability for seamless integration with other business software solutions like HR systems to synchronize data and processes.
Security and Data Protection: High security standards and data protection measures to protect the sensitive data of learners and the company.
Community and Collaboration Features: Tools that promote exchange and collaboration among learners, such as forums, chat, and comment functions.
Automated Notifications and Reminders: Features that remind learners of upcoming courses, deadlines, and updates to improve participation and completion of training.
Certification and Recognition: Ability to issue certificates and recognitions for completed courses and learning paths to increase employees’ motivation and meet compliance requirements.
As this breakdown shows, there is a gap between the learning needs of users and the needs of those who populate and/or operate the systems with content. This is also entirely natural from the mentioned roles; however, differing objectives have the disadvantage that digital learning platforms satisfy neither one nor the other side sufficiently, as they are forced to constantly make a compromise.
A Change in Thinking is Necessary
A system that is interactive, easy, and fast for the consumer in the front end does not have to be just as simple and logically constructed in the back end. The reason is that completely different needs must be fulfilled in one software. And this leads both sides – sometimes quite rightly – to be dissatisfied with their digital learning platforms.
However, it may also make sense to fuel the desire for further education not through features and software but through interpersonal and corporate learning incentives, a productive and progress-driven working atmosphere, and leaders who measure progress, qualification, and learning success not only by budgets. Hence, a change in thinking is required, which would benefit the entire industry.
We hope you enjoyed this article and wish you continued success with digital learning!
