Learning Platforms In The Age Of Online Learning
The increasing importance of online learning platforms is making a stark difference in the educational footprint of human resources in many organizations.
The workforce is now equipped with the resources to learn on the go, or to top-up their knowledge with a quick scroll through the latest webinar or intranet posting, and many generations are responding better to the new approach of corporate learning.
Learning in the modern age is no longer restricted to time-constricted sessions in a rented room, or to the schedules of the teacher – contemporary learning in the HR environment is constant, always-on and available everywhere to all employees.
Corporate spending decreases, but learning does not!
Docebo’s study into the 2014-2016 e-learning market reports that “the corporate-training market has lagged behind other education-based sectors, but it continues to represent a viable investment opportunity,” and that amount spent on employee training has declined since 2010, whereas outsourced services has grown to account for 42% of spending.
These outsourced services most likely account for online techniques, which also explain the decline in spending as these services have proven to be miles more cost-effective than renting an office, hiring a tutor and pulling employees away from their desk for hours at a time to hold learning sessions.
With this new platform, is the traditional concept of a Learning Management System (LMS) obsolete?
Lamda Solutions regards LMS systems as an important trend in HR learning during 2015, mostly due to the “scarcity of critical skills required for an information-dense and technically advanced world,” advising for an assessment of an organization’s current LMS platform to ensure it is in line with the digital age.
Learning without teaching, the new age of development
But with so many other options available, the LMS tool is being swapped out for more casual learning techniques through online communication.
Now, employees can be improving both their business and company knowledge, perhaps without even realizing it.
Everything from intranet posts, webinars and mentoring can be considered learning tools, and are more tangible for the millennial generation in the workforce as they tend to engage better with less traditional ways of corporate learning.
This allows for the climate of always-on learning, consistent communication of knowledge and information without having to physically sit down and study a power point or listen to an executive talk for a few hours, and is proven to be an effective tool at enhancing employee development without aggressive teaching.
The people function of every organization must decipher whether this kind of new-age learning is likely to engage better with their workforce than the traditional idea of an LMS platform.
While both methods can be shared relatively cost-effectively over the internet, LMS learning requires a lot more attention and focus from both employees and HR.
© New To HR
