This week CEO Mark Savinson shares the problems with personalized learning pathways and how to fix them.
📖 Before you dive in, learn more about our personalized learning content production here.
The concept of personalized learning pathways isn't new. Learning Management Systems (LMS) have long allowed us to craft tailored learning journeys and map people or roles to specific paths. But here’s the catch: the process is often subjective. Users might select their own paths, or their role or job title might dictate the journey. This approach can work for newcomers, but what about those seeking ongoing development?
The Problem with “Testing Out”
Often, the solution to personalization is allowing people to test out of content. Yet, this raises issues. A friend of mine, who has a brilliant memory and numerous degrees, continues to accumulate qualifications based on “do you know” rather than “can you do.” I’m eagerly awaiting his medical degree! 🤓
In essence, I’m not a fan of a “one-size-fits-all” approach. I don’t trust self-selection for development topics, and memory tests don’t prove much beyond memorization.
What Drives a Personalized Learning Pathway?
Clarity on desired outcomes
Objectivity in pathway selection
Clarity on Desired Outcomes
Stephen Covey’s second habit, “Start with the end in mind,” is crucial. With limited L&D budgets, we must clearly define our goals. I suggest focusing on:
Current role effectiveness: ensure employees are competent in their current roles.
Future role preparation: prepare individuals for future roles.
We need to define what “good” looks like for each role. This often involves creating a competency model—a clear picture of the ideal knowledge and skills needed.
Defining Competency Models
Identify the key components for role effectiveness, including both soft skills (like empathy) and role-specific skills (like business acumen). Create behavioral statements to describe not just what people do but how they prove their actions.
Effective Development Solutions
Development isn’t always about formal training. It could involve reflection, practice, coaching, etc. If this seems overwhelming, AI can simplify the process, turning tasks that used to take weeks into days.
Implementing Personalized Learning
To ensure personalized learning pathways are effective:
Focus on change: Guide individuals from unconscious incompetence to conscious competence.
Communicate clearly: Explain why change is needed, what it involves, and how to achieve it.
Immediate Wins with Personalized Learning
Ownership: individuals become proactive about their development.
Manager insights: managers gain a clear view of team capabilities and can identify patterns and mentors.
Agile teams: easily build ideal teams by knowing who excels in what areas.
Corporate culture: get an objective view of culture impact and make necessary adjustments.
Flexible onboarding: incorporate assessments into recruitment and improve onboarding and reboarding.
This approach is not just a pipedream. I’m working with clients who are successfully transitioning to personalized learning pathways. They recognize employees as individual contributors eager for development. Read more about what we do here.
Want to dive deeper? I’d be happy to share more about how we implement these strategies. Give me 15 minutes of your time, and I’ll show you how.
Enjoyed this week's newsletter? We share insightful content like this EVERY week. Subscribe and never miss an edition. https://rb.gy/9whaf2 📰
Comments