Asynchronous Learning: The Future of Custom Exec Education

I have been doing custom exec ed for 25 years. A decent portion of it has been face-to-face. Increasingly, I get the feeling that regular face-to-face teaching is a teaching “model in a coma” (paraphrasing the hit song “Girlfriend in a Coma”, from the Smiths). For the last 5 years, I have been on a journey to develop so-called customized asynchronous learning journeys for companies. For me, this represents the future of custom executive development. But I sense some people are left out. This article is for those that want to be “in the know”.

What are asynchronous customized learning journeys?

1. Asynchronous: Learners go through online training modules at different speeds, on their own, and when they choose. So, while in typical learning, we all go through the same class from 10-11.15, now we all go to what looks like an interactive website (Articulate is probably the best-known platform) at different times and places and follow a different learning path (within a module but for sure across modules).
2. Customized: In this learning environment, I can give meaning to terms that are specific to the firm, I can add the brand everywhere, I can have executive videos, and I can have customized examples. I can also change anything almost overnight. An executive changed position or changed opinion (the first is more common than the second…??)? No problem just copy-paste a new video in. Everything is customized all the time and super flexible to change. And it does all this at a low cost.
3. Journey: People do not just attend a program. They are on a journey to learn according to their current and desired levels for their functions. Meaning, I can assign levels to modules of learning and assign that to roles. Or, I can make different versions of the same training for different backgrounds, roles, functions, etc. at a low cost. I can allow experts to go on a fast track of a learning module compared to more basic learners. I can provide assignments if I want a certain group of participants to dive deep and others not.

A closer look: So why is it a great model?

1. Scalable: I can do all of the above at a fraction of the cost! I need to develop it (which costs me about the same as a real-life face-to-face), but then I can repeat it at zero cost and everyone can take it instantaneously. I can keep it alive by doing updates, but updates are a fraction of the cost of the original. And I can organize it always without travel (and thus without CO2). I can guide cohorts through and organize live work or sharing sessions. And I do not have localization constraints, I can do local languages in a split second and can add different versions for different regions.
2. Digestible: Because I need to think harder about how I slice information on an interactive website and need to excessively storyboard everything, I significantly lower the chance that the learners get overwhelmed as I think better about how to slice information. Learners can digest information at their own pace and I can break down complex topics in easier-to-digest parts. I can also structure the content visually in a scrollable environment and thus learners benefit from this structure.
3. User-friendly: These self-learnings are perfectly portable across platforms. You can start the training on your laptop at work and continue on your phone from the train. It is available 24/7 (most professors aren’t…??) which makes it ultra-convenient and allows it to fit into any schedule securing work-life balance. It can be applied and used across any domain. And it doesn’t require travel as you can access it remotely, thus making it perfect for the full life-work-life balance. And you can take it at any moment of your career. Thus, welcome newcomers! They can be onboarded on a firm’s innovation or commercial approach in the first 1-2 weeks by steaming through the trainings at their own pace (as they do not need to wait for the “next workshop”).

How to make it magic? SPACE!

The main critique against this form of learning is that it would not be engaging. In my mind, if you do it well, this is complete B.S… (B.S. does not stand for Business School!...;-)), and your engagement can skyrocket into SPACE... ?? How to do it well?

• Storify: We all know from communication theory that stories are etched into memory. We have the best experiences with telling stories in these types of training with a strong theme that carries engagement. Whether it is “Game of Thrones”, “Seven capital sins” or “Sherlock Holmes”, everyone wants to know how the story goes and ends and be visually lured into the training and stay there (a bit like a page-turner book).
• Personalize: Allow learners to interact with the training in the way that best suits their needs. Whether they are newcomers going through training as part of an onboarding program, or seasoned professionals brushing up on best practices, asynchronous learning allows for self-paced exploration. Define basic and more advanced content (e.g., using ‘read more’ sections), which helps different learners pause, rewind, and take time to focus on different parts of the training and grasp complex concepts without the pressure of keeping up with a class.
• Action: Use the learning modules as pre-work or preparation for follow-up project work or more in-depth conversations and synchronous cohort-based discussion sessions (thus, it is a wonderful component of a flipped classroom). Set out clearly the “why” to act beforehand in the beginning and also end with a call to action. This makes learning deliver the ROI in the improved practices companies need.
• Chunks: Use “bite-sized” modules (for us that means a maximum of 25 minutes spent per module). This enables learners to absorb information more effectively and at the pace that best suits their busy lives. Make sure that your chunks are communicating clear content at all times.
• Engage: if you do the above well, you’ll engage. The best metrics are learner feedback, preferably along multiple dimensions that cover satisfaction and word-of-mouth, but also application and ROI. If we develop asynchronous learning modules that follow the above rules, learner metrics are simply awesome and among the best that companies have seen. Learners also finish the learning at an almost 100% rate.

SPACE is the “Final Frontier…to boldly go where no man has gone before…"

(Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek)

?

I will be sharing more about asynchronous learning, including topics like storifying or the role of humor. If you are interested, stay tuned. If you have any questions about asynchronous learning or our training offering, message me.

How would you feel about this type of learning? As a learner? As an executive organizing trainings? As an executive or business owner paying for training? And what are your experiences like?

Looking forward to hearing from you…

?

#AsynchronousLearning #ExecutiveEducation #ProfessionalDevelopment #InnovationInLearning #Competencies #Upskilling #LearningandDevelopment