Blended Learning: How to Reinforce In-Person Training with Online Learning
Hi there,
Welcome back to another edition of Training the Frontline, your favorite source for all things frontline training.
In this edition, we're answering a question that we've heard many times from frontline leaders:
How can I combine in-person training with online learning?
We've talked before about how it's important to leverage both of these methods to maximize the impact of your training. Now, we're sharing the specific ways in which you can combine both methods to ensure that your frontline workers are not only retaining knowledge acquired through training, but also applying it. Scroll down to get started.
Also in today's newsletter: the biggest frontline headlines, a beginner's guide to microlearning, and a case study showing how one frontline company successfully integrated online training into their onboarding process.
Thanks for reading.
The eduMe Team
Frontline news ??
Deep dive ??: How to Reinforce In-Person Training with Online Learning
Imagine that it's your first day on the job as a cashier in a grocery store. You receive warm welcomes and a thorough in-person orientation, learning about the company's values, store layout and customer service protocols.
However, as the days pass, you struggle to remember all the information thrown at you during orientation. You find it difficult to recall specific procedures or product details, impacting your interactions with customers. You rely heavily on your colleagues for guidance, but they aren't always around to help. You grow frustrated at your inability to meet expectations, and wonder if maybe this job isn't right for you...
It really is that simple. No matter how perfectly planned your orientation sessions are, crucial information will be lost unless reinforced - we know from Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve that learners can lose up to 90% of new information after just one week.
That's why integrating online learning into your strategy is so essential. It's not realistic to schedule regular in-person sessions or expect managers to be around 24/7 to coach new staff. Instead, lean on technology to reinforce learning at strategic intervals and give workers instant access to information whenever it's needed.
Here's what that might look like in practice.
1. Preboarding
Before the in-person sessions, share online preboarding modules to familiarize new joiners with the company and their role. This ensures a smoother transition into your organization and reduces time spent on basic introductions, maximizing the value of in-person interactions.
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2. Refreshers
Provide summaries of key concepts covered in in-person training sessions. Leverage microlearning to break content down into smaller, manageable chunks that employees can revisit on-the-go to quickly refresh their memory and get back to what they need to do.
3. Practice and Application
Utilize interactive online learning to enable employees to apply the knowledge and skills gained during in-person training. Tools like Scenario Videos foster critical thinking and problem-solving, allowing workers to learn by doing in a risk-free setting.
4. Knowledge Checks
Introduce quizzes and assessments to test employees' understanding of the content covered in in-person training. This not only identifies knowledge gaps, but also reinforces key concepts.
5. Feedback at Scale
Leverage surveys to gauge employees' perception of the training and their preferences for future learning topics. This valuable feedback informs future training initiatives, ensuring continuous improvement.
Extra reading ??
Microlearning: The Beginner's Guide
Gone are the days of lengthy powerpoint presentations and clunky Learning Management Systems. In this guide , discover everything you need to know about the microlearning method, including: definitions, proven benefits and examples of how to implement it into your own employee training strategy.
Alto: 70% reduction in time-to-productivity
In this case study , find out how US rideshare company Alto were able to scale and standardize their onboarding process by supplementing in-person training with integrated microlearning.
Join the conversation ???
The eduMe team recently flew out to Zurich to visit our partners at Beekeeper ??
It was a great opportunity to align on our collective mission of empowering frontline teams, and update the Beekeeper team on the latest advancements we've been making to provide even better experiences for our joint customers.
Read more about our partnership here , and check out some photos from the day below ??