How To Incorporate Active Learning In L&D Programs

By 2030 more than 1 billion people will be required to upskill. Organizations can choose their response to this scenario and invest in L&D programs that help their workforce get ready to face the challenges that lie ahead or spend more resources hiring and training new employees.

However, creating passive learning modules like lectures or presentations or any kind of instructional set-up where an instructor speaks to the audience and the audience absorbs the information without any application is not an ideal learning set-up.

Some of the prominent flaws of the passive learning method are listed below:

1. The material may seldom match the learner’s requirements
2. Less interaction between the learner and the instructor
3. Employees seldom know why they need the training
4. Employees rarely engage, and often feel like they have no role to play in the learning process

Active learning on the other hand is an engaging way to get employees interested in the L&D programs. It encourages your workforce to roll their sleeves up and get hands-on with the new skills that need to be picked up.

With active learning, your employees benefit in the following ways:

1. Boosts comprehension and retention
2. Provides hands-on experience for workers
3. Helps employees hone transferable skills
4. Improves interpersonal abilities
5. Improves communication, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork and other soft skills

Bearing all this in mind, let’s jump right into how you can incorporate active learning into your organization’s L&D programs.

• Encourage application

Structure L&D sessions to encourage application of skills taught. Passive learners might quickly grasp concepts but usually fail to apply them to real life situations while active learners better apply learned concepts to the real-world.

• Create smaller learning groups

Small group settings help learners feel safe while learning, giving them the safe space in which to engage with the learning process and learn from each other. They are more likely to express their opinions and gather feedback from a smaller group than they are from a larger group.

• Dedicated reflection time

A dedicated reflection time helps learners evaluate their learning and helps them assess themselves and their effectiveness more accurately. Brainstorming sessions followed by quiet reflection time can even help employees retain information and combat boredom or tiredness.

• Learn from mistakes

Mistakes made during training should act as an opportunity to engage in-depth and learn more. The program should be set up to encourage candidates to learn from their mistakes. A safe learning environment should be created to help workers express their doubts, queries, and suggestions.

• Involve employees in the decision-making process of learning programs

L&D managers should encourage employee participation in the creation and execution of learning programs. This encourages employee loyalty and participation and on-the-job involvement.

The Takeaway

To future-proof your workforce, shift your focus from passive learning to active learning in L&D programs.

By incorporating strategies like hands-on application, small group sessions, reflection time, and learning from mistakes, you create an engaging environment that boosts comprehension, retention, and transferable skills.

Involving employees in shaping these programs ensures relevance, loyalty, and enthusiasm, preparing them to tackle future challenges with confidence and adaptability.

Active learning isn’t just a strategy—it’s a workforce investment.