614 Learning Shouldn’t Be Comfortably Numb
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET
Tuesday, November 8
Workplace training has more rapidly transitioned from live classrooms to virtual classrooms and eLearning than expected pre-pandemic. This presents risks to the effectiveness of the training if key factors are not considered during instructional design.
The well-known needs of adult learners have been shoved aside by the contingency of remote workers. How do designers engage learners that are alone in their home offices, or learners still in an office, fitting a prescribed eLearning course into their busy day? How does an individual contributor, alone in a remote office, get the feeling that the training is uniquely for them?
Over half of learners polled replied they want more personalization in their training. Generalized learning content can feel impersonal, and the risk is that it also feels irrelevant. Effective training must be very learner-centric to keep learners motivated and to consistently change behaviors and performance. But every learner is different. Before you can make focused, personalized training, you must understand the characteristics and needs of adult learners. You must recognize how changes in the workplace in 2020 quickly made virtual training and eLearning practically replace instructor-led group training. And the changes are not always for the better.
For the experienced designer or training manager, this session will remind you of the common characteristics (which are that learners vary!) For the new designer, this session will explore the overarching needs of adult learners. For all, we will then discuss how to apply adult learning theories to our training.
How do you tie into a diverse, disparate learner group to make each individual feel that their training is personalized? Training must motivate to learn by being in sync with learner experiences and by being concise. We train one problem at a time with parsing and proper sequencing of complex topics. We quickly attain an agreement with the learner that there IS a problem because they’ve experienced it or can imagine it. We then provide a reasonable and clear solution and place background information… in the background. Whether for virtual facilitated training or eLearning, there are good ways to do this. Join us and let’s explore how to make learner-centric training.
In this session, you will learn how:
- How to personalize training and avoid disengaged learners
- How adult learners are different and how remote learners are different
- How to engage with and motivate adult learners, whether remote or on-site
- What ‘learner malaise’ is and how to avoid it
Garrett Allen
Senior Instructional Designer
Ingenuiti, LLC
Garrett Allen has 25 years of experience designing learning solutions and content for a wide range of industries and topics. From aerospace pilot academics to pharmaceutical manufacturing, compliance, or software systems, Garrett applies sound educational principles to the needs of the audience and the level of learning. He has been instrumental in designing learning ecosystems down to microlearning assets.
Paul Meskanick
Vice President, Learning Solutions
Ingenuiti, LLC
Paul Meskanick leads Ingenuiti’s Learning Solutions line of business, where he oversees custom learning sales, marketing, and partnerships. Paul is a contributing writer to Chief Learning Officer Magazine and Training Industry, and has led efforts to garner over 20 key industry awards. Prior to Ingenuiti, Paul worked for GDIT and its predecessor companies, where he held leadership positions in sales and marketing. Paul received his MBA from Duquesne University and a bachelor’s in business and psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.