K-12 schools across the country have transitioned to eLearning, and corporate learning teams need to pay attention. While there are certainly differences between adult and adolescent learning approaches, K-12 eLearning uses several training concepts to provide content, increase knowledge, and encourage action. Corporate learning teams can apply these same learning concepts in understanding a large volume of information or difficult or complex material.
Below is a list of K-12 eLearning concepts corporate learning teams should begin using.
Thoughtful Content Curation and Paths
K-12 eLearning understands that different age groups have different needs and curate information accordingly. If a unit on the ocean is being taught, younger grades receive material related to the basic groups of creatures that live in the ocean rather than on land, mid-level grades dive into the different ecosystems within the ocean, and older grades may study the detailed classification of marine life along with data analysis of aquatic plants.
Curated, or the best and most applicable content, is presented to each group of learners based on their learning path or grade.
Corporate eLearning Application
Rather than giving all employees a two-hour eLearning course on all compliance concepts, consider creating learning paths for different types of roles—research and development, sales and marketing, and operations—and only giving each learning path the compliance information they need in their role to be successful.
Intentional Information Breakdown
When teaching children early math, information is broken down into manageable categories. First, number identification; second, counting objects; third, small digit addition, etc. Elementary teachers don’t simply jump into addition equations. K-12 learning builds on chunks of information over time using spaced learning principles and periodically reinforces them so the addition (and more complex equations that follow) result in success.
Corporate eLearning Application
Consider a new manufacturing process. Putting an employee on the manufacturing line without proper knowledge of the new parts, placement, and results will produce unfavorable outcomes. Manufacturing training, though, that describes the new parts, how they work together, and what specific actions the employee needs to take, will help make connections between the new process and the desired end result. Tie in and build on the information already known. Is this new process similar to another manufacturing process they may already be familiar with? Can the tools they now need be correlated to existing outcomes?
Planned Variety of Learning Formats
The recent transition to K-12 eLearning created a surge of teachers using a variety of digital learning formats to connect with their students. Through live instructor-led video streams, well-done YouTube video animations, printable worksheets, writing and art prompts, book lists, and many others, K-12 teachers are providing the same content in many formats. This allows students a variety of ways to absorb the information and reinforce key concepts. The best use of multi-dimensional eLearning is when it is planned. The content does not feel repetitive but purposeful and engaging.
Corporate eLearning Application
Provide sales reps the comprehensive product knowledge and the ability to communicate product value they need to be successful. For example, a motor oil sales rep may be asked to complete an eLearning course introducing a new product line, then send an animated 3-D video of how the product functions in an engine, followed up by a digital guide of key phrases to use when meeting with auto repair garages, and finally a scenario-based microlearning module of how other sales reps have been successful in encouraging product sale in multiple channels.
Purposeful Partnership Across Disciplines
Team teaching is a concept used in many modern schools that involves a group of instructors working together purposefully and regularly to help their students learn. Through eLearning, teachers have joined Zoom calls together with groups of students or created assignments that pair language arts with social-emotional learning. Science teachers have collaborated with math teachers to explore the same concept from two different angles. This allows students to make deep connections with the material, and the multiple ways it can be used or applied. It provides the benefit of two or more people saying the same thing in different ways. The partnership of teachers encourages student partnerships to solve problems.
Corporate eLearning Application
Human resources teams have often leveraged multi-disciplinary training approaches and provided a strong example for others. HR training is provided across functional areas and reinforced, often even driven by, non-HR team members. For example, harassment training—while created by HR— is provided by compliance or legal teams. It’s presented by team managers directly to their staff and reinforced through messages from senior leaders. Anti-harassment training is provided from multiple angles, reinforcing core concepts, and creating a culture where harassment is never tolerated.
It can often be difficult for business subject matter experts to apply these K-12 eLearning concepts to their own content or information. Partnering with a high-quality custom eLearning vendor can help apply adult instructional concepts, interactions, and patterns to material to ensure it is effective in driving business results.
