E-Learning Strategies: A Conversation with CommLab India’s Shweta Vyas

Learning Interactivities Podcast with Shweta

0:16
Hello there. Welcome to the eLearning Champion Pod hosted by CommLab India, where we discuss the ins and outs of eLearning training trends and learning technologies that impact corporate training. Your success matters to us, and that's why we bring you what matters to you. Learner engagement in corporate training is one such topic. I'm your host Sherna and we'll be shedding light on some crucial insights on learning strategies today. Just because rapid eLearning is all about high speed course development, it doesn't mean it compromises on instructional design. The new age instructional strategies enable you to create engaging eLearning courses with the help of Rapid eLearning. To avoid any more delay, I welcome Shweta to help us understand more about the learning strategies. Welcome Shweta.

1:12
Thank you Sherna, I am so happy to be here with you today.

1:16
Thank you. Allow me to give our listeners a brief introduction about you. Shweta is a passionate instructional designer with 10 plus years of experience in CommLab India. She is responsible for designing strategies and creating instructionally sound storyboards. She has worked on creating standalone and curriculum training modules, virtual instructor-led trainings and ILTs. She's skilled in understanding stakeholder business challenges and training needs.

Bouncing back to the topic in focus, Shweta, could you tell us more about what is the actual role of learning strategies in corporate training?

1:58
Thank you once again, Sherna, for that lovely introduction. To begin this topic of learning strategies, I would first like to discuss the basic concepts. So any eLearning course needs to cater to the needs of various learners. Usually eLearning courses are created with a blend of learning types, and we have different types of learners. The first type can be a visual learner who is more comfortable to adopt information which is present in graphic format. And then we have auditory learners who retain information by listening to the information presented, maybe verbally. And then the third type of learners are basically kinesthetic learners. These learners gain their knowledge the best by doing some sort of physical interaction. So, any course basically has to address all these three types of learners. And to address them we use different elements like text, images, audio, interactivities, et cetera.

But then there are other things that can add to this list, and that is learning strategies.

3:10
So could you please elaborate on why different types of learners require specific learning strategies? Why are these strategies important?

3:21
As L&D professionals, everyone in this field is actually looking to make sure that learning is delivered effectively in a way that it enhances the performance and also ensures the knowledge is retained for a longer time.

To make that kind of learning happen, we need to focus on the learner types and cater to them in the courses. And apart from the basic instructional design elements, learning strategies help us to achieve this objective. It also helps to fill the void of human interaction in an learning course, because in classroom sessions we have trainers, we have the facilitators, who are having that kind of interaction.

But then these learning strategies can fill that void. Additionally, instructional strategies also facilitate learning in a very innovative approach.

4:17
That clarifies how the types and learning strategies are connected. I'm curious to know what these learning strategies are.

4:27
So there are a lot of learning strategies. And in the list of these strategies, I would first like to talk about scenarios. Learning happens best when it provides proper context and encourages learners to take action that is required from them on the job.

So, in such situations, scenario-based eLearning presents the content in the form of simulated job related situations where learners must judge a situation, use the information that they have in hand, and make the best possible choice to solve a particular problem. It also helps learners with situational awareness. It enhances critical thinking and also helps them in decision making. So, scenarios are very useful to teach topics where there are consequences in their original job, and which can also bring that behavioral changes in learners.

So that is the first strategy.

The next, I think is guided learning. This is also one of the most common strategies that is used a lot. The strategy basically requires to use a coach or a mentor along with voiceovers. So the coach or mentor is actually doing a role of a virtual instructor, guides the learners throughout the course. It's not necessary that the character or the mentor should be a person. It can also be an avatar.

For example, there was a course that we had done on supply chain, and you can't imagine that the avatar in that course was an Ant. And I guess you understand why it should be there.

That is the way guided learning provides a lot of scope to interact with learners.

So this is one strategy and the next is LEAD, learning through exploration and discovery which basically uses a learning journey map to give learners the freedom to get that knowledge through exploration. I'm sure all of us like to do some kind of exploration because we have played a lot of games like Treasure Hunt and such kind of things. Exploration is one activity that learners are motivated to do in the course.

We can use images, icons, and many other elements that can act as visual indicators to show the learners their progress and the destination that they have to reach.

Next we have simulations. I'm sure simulation is pretty common nowadays because this strategy provides the learners a context similar to their job environment. So simulations mimic them in the virtual setting. Where scenarios are giving the context, the simulations are giving them the virtual setting. The high level learning strategy helps learners to gain hands-on experience in a risk free environment. The most common topic for simulations can be a software training. I'll discuss that later when we can talk in detail.

The next strategy is storytelling. This is also something very common and is very powerful. Of course, we all love stories, there's no doubt about it. But the main essence of storytelling lies in its ability to connect with us emotionally, build that empathy, and make even the most boring subject interesting. It does the same thing to the learners as well when it is used in eLearning as a strategy.

It's not that we cannot use storytelling with other strategies. I think storytelling is everywhere. It can be used in simulations, it can be used in scenarios, it can be used in guided learning. Stories can be used with a variety of strategies because it builds that empathy with learners. It doesn't need to be a very long story having all sorts of storytelling elements. It can be a short write up to connect with learners. And I think it's very common.

Now coming to the storytelling, when it is used in bits and pieces, it has a different effect. But when it is used throughout an eLearning in a very detailed format, it forms another powerful strategy, which is the case study.

Case studies are used when you want to present a detailed account of a situation or a person's experience revolving around a particular problem. So right from the beginning till the end, you have that person having all the ups and downs, you're bringing in the problem, you're solving that problem. You're asking the learners to put in their efforts. You're giving some knowledge to learners and asking the learners to be involved in that story. And in that way, we are teaching the learners. So case study is very powerful when we want learners to bring in or put in all their knowledge and get that kind of attention into the course.

And the last one, which is actually one of my favorites, is gamification. So gamification is using game based mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking to engage people, motivate their actions and promote learning and to solve problems. There is a lot of content when you go to search about gamification, there are things that people interchangeably use. Some say game-based learning, some say gamification. There's this huge discussion that goes on and people are trying to understand. But I think gamification is simpler. It is using those game elements that I just told and building that kind of excitement into the course, whereas game-based learning is completely different. It is like creating a complete game wherein the learner is totally involved into it. They don't even know that you're learning. You're just playing, playing, playing and then you finally achieve the objective. So that is a complete different concept, and it requires a whole lot of strategy and analysis before it is created or developed.

Gamification, on the other hand, is simple. It can be used very quickly, and it can be used even with a small effort. Like even if you're adding a short point system into the course wherein you answer a question, you get some points, you collect all the points, and then these points can be used to do some extra thing that the learner can achieve. That itself excites the learners. Other game elements that we can use are levels. We can give the levels to the learners, they can go from one level to another level that also gives some kind of excitement. There are rewards. There is also a timer that we can add. You'll need to complete a particular task in this particular time and the timer moves and then the learners are also excited to try to compete with themselves and achieve that particular target.

So gamification has this impact on learners, and it can facilitate effective knowledge and build that emotional connection. It can elicit responses from learners, foster competition and help retain the knowledge for a very long time. It’s not necessary that gamification can be used only throughout the learning journey. It can also be used post the learning journey. So there are instances that we have used a game which was completely based on a quiz, and we had given this game quiz after the learners complete a particular training. So they were given this quiz in order to self-assess themselves. It was a short game where learners were also feeling engaged and were able to answer the questions in a very interactive way. At the same time, they were also knowing where they are at that particular knowledge level. So not just throughout the learning, but gamification concept can also help after the learning. We can do small little elements just to make sure that the knowledge retention is there for a longer time.

So yeah, I think that is all about different learning strategies which we are using commonly for all the training materials.

13:47
Wow, that's a lot, but interesting, of course. So could you shed some light on where can these strategies be usually used?

14:01
There are a variety of training topics that an organization may have. And these learning strategies have their small little importance of a particular topic. For example, scenarios are a very great concept to teach compliance training, for example, the code of conduct of a company. And when we are teaching the conduct, we also use these scenarios to allow the learners to see, OK, this is a particular situation and now you think what you need to do. So such kind of scenarios and then a question after that is a very powerful way of teaching the code of conduct.

So compliance training is one topic where scenarios can be used. Safety training is also one topic that scenarios are very good at, induction training, of course. And I think soft skill training also should work.

If we want to use guided learning as a strategy, it suits almost all the topics. You can have the guide, a virtual coach or a mentor or a trainer. So you can use guided learning in a variety of topics. But induction training is something that will have a very good impact because as soon as the employees enter a company, they are given induction training by the company, maybe team. And here this particular topic can also have a guide who can also do this particular job.

So induction training and then I also think product training is one thing. Sales training can also be done as guided learning, not necessary we use only one guide. We can have two people on the screen where one is a guide, and one is acting like a learner. The learner can connect with the second person and then think that OK, the guide is teaching that person, and I also belong to that category. So that is also one strategy that we can use.

Product training again is a good topic, and LEAD is a very effective strategy for onboarding training again. Because learners need to know a variety of information, all of it equally important and learners cannot afford to forget that.

Then most common topic for simulation like I just told in the discussion when I was talking about simulation is software.

Of course, simulation is a strategy where we are mimicking the complete environment. So apart from software, there are places where you can build in that particular environment. For example, I need to teach a person about fire safety. I can build in the complete place and give the learners authority to take decisions. It can give learners that connection that you are in that particular situation, you've been given this responsibility, now act. So simulation is a very good topic where you want to make decision making happen as well, apart from software. When it comes to software, you can use the strategy of Watch, Try, Do. It can also be done in other strategies, but then Watch, Try, Do for simulation when you're teaching a software is very effective.

18:11
So Shweta, you mentioned Watch, Try, Do. What exactly is Watch, Try, Do in terms of a strategy perspective?

18:19
So Watch, Try, Do is an opportunity for learners to observe first, then do it with some help, some support, and then do it on their own.

So in Watch phase, what happens is learners are shown how to execute different tasks, with instructions and call outs.

And in Try phase, we ask the learner to take their own decisions with small little prompts and hints. And in the Do phase, we allow the learner to take their own decisions without any guidance, without any support, without any prompts.

So this is how Watch, Try, Do works as a strategy for software simulation.

Now coming to storytelling, as I mentioned earlier, all other strategies can have a pinch of storytelling, like a short write up to connect. But storytelling can support a topic, something like behavioral training. It can be used when you want to coach or counsel. And finally, is gamification. According to me, there's no limit to use this type of strategy. There can always be some ways to add some play to the show. As long as it helps the learners to enhance the training or get motivated, we can use gamification, the game elements, there's no limit to adding some play.

19:54
There's always some room for play, especially with a gamified approach. I'm really excited to see how we can use these strategies to enhance learning and help knowledge retention. But let's face it, we cannot just jump to a conclusion to use a particular strategy based only on a training topic. So what is the thought process that goes behind deciding a learning strategy? How does it work?

20:23
Of course, because learning strategy is not just learning strategy, the complete course that we design, the complete training material that we design, a lot of thought process goes behind it, the objectives, the performance that we want learners to do. So even when we're deciding a strategy, it takes a lot of thought process. And a strategy is chosen after taking some considerations into account such as audience, the subject, and the learning environment. There are some key elements of successful eLearning strategy for your training topic. A thorough analysis goes into deciding a particular strategy.

The first step in developing this strategy is to define the objective. There are some set of questions that we as a team ask ourselves. For example, what are you trying to achieve with this eLearning program?

What is the core objective?

What is that end result that you want the learners to do?

Who are the target audience?

What are their needs?

What are their preferences?

What are their expectations out of this particular eLearning program?

How are you going to measure that effectiveness and impact of your course?

These are some questions that we can ask ourselves before we establish the scope, the purpose, the outcomes of the strategy, and then we can align them with the organizational vision and mission.

Secondly, I think choosing the media elements is a major step that is involved when we are supporting a strategy. Media elements can include the audio that you want to use, the videos in case you want to use graphics, the screencast or probably the characters or avatars, and the style, probably even the font that you want to use can be considered at this particular stage. And it has a very great impact because when we are deciding some things right at the beginning, we don't get deviated from the core objective.

Considering the learning devices is also one aspect that you need to think before we are doing this particular strategy.

The structure of the course with flow diagram and scenarios is the third thing that we should do because it helps us understand how we are going to use the media elements, how we are going to use the content, how we are going to use the feedback, the assessment, when are we going to do this.

So there should be a proper flow diagram of each and every decision that you're doing. And that is the phase that you do right after deciding the media elements.

And then down the line, you need to consider the learning devices because they need to support your courses.

You need to consider how tech savvy is your audience and what are the situations they'll be taking this particular course?

Is there good amount of bandwidth there with them?

Do they have some restrictions?

So such kind of things is something that we need to consider as well. So instructional design strategy should be designed with devices in the mind. I think this is something that we need to consider before we decide the strategy.

23:56
So all that you've told me makes me wonder if there are any pitfalls when using these strategies. Out of your experience, could you highlight some insights on what can go wrong and how to get things back on track?

24:12
There are some parameters that we generally take into account when working with these strategies.

As an L&D professional, we tend to get over excited when we're using these strategies and want to make it very interactive, very engaging. But then while doing this, it sometimes happens that we deviate from the path, we deviate from the goal or the objective of that course. And this is according to me, the biggest pitfall because we just flow. It sometimes happens that to make the course more interactive, we tend to add more elements, this is going to give some more excitement, this is going to engage the learners. So at that moment, we tend to deviate from the objective.

And that can cause us to lose track. When we're using these strategies, we need to focus on how to make progressive structure. We need to be very conscious about how we are presenting this information in a proper sequence, which is building the knowledge on the previous knowledge that the learner has.

So we need to build that gap. Sometimes it happens that we forget that the learner already is aware of this topic, and we tend to repeat that. When we are using learning strategies, the progressive structure should be observed, and it should be carefully categorized between that.

I think what an instructional designer forgets is providing scaffolded support. This is generally done by breaking down complex concept into manageable chunks. But then we also need to consider that we gradually need to reduce the level of support. When we are in the flow, we kind of support everywhere. We give them support throughout the course, throughout the training, throughout the training material. But then at one point of time we forget that the whole objective of giving the training to the learner is to allow them to use the knowledge when they don't have this material. So we need to reduce the level of support to learners to demonstrate that kind of proficiency when they are actually on the job.

And sometime what happens is we forget to do this, and we provide the same level of support which is like hand holding. It doesn't help them to achieve the objective of that course.

This is one thing and there are some other small little things that we need to consider.

They are very tiny actually, at a very minute level, but they do make a huge impact. For example, when using guided learning, we need to consider things that are not distracting the learners. Sometimes we overdo the guide, we bring the guide on each and every slide which is very distracting. You need to give learners some time to digest that, sometime of saturation of whatever knowledge they have now it is going to settle. So we shouldn't be overdoing the strategy a lot, which becomes a distraction and then again we deviate from the whole objective.

And in the same strategy for the guided learning, we also need to consider how the character or avatar is being selected.

It should connect to the learner, it should be into the context of their job. It should also not be deviating from what we're talking.

And again, coming to the same strategy, the avatar is of course going to have a voiceover. So the voiceover also has to be chosen very thoughtfully. It shouldn't be the character of some middle-aged person and the voiceover of a very young man. So, yeah, so it brings to learners which is not going to help us get that objective because everything moves around the whole objective of that course.

So all such small things should be considered which are very minor, but they have a huge impact and will distract the learners at a very great level.

28:56
Wow. Quite a few pitfalls and meticulous things to take care of. You've summarized the topic really seamlessly. A big thank you from all our listeners for sharing all these examples and insights.

29:10
Thank you, Sherna. It's been a pleasure being here.

29:13
Thank you so much, Shweta. To continue this line of thought, dear listeners, check out Learn Flux, a virtual learning week hosted by CommLab India. The dates and details are mentioned on the Learn Flux website. Feel free to head out to our website, www.commlabindia.com, where you can browse the sections on rapid learning, microlearning, and more. Thank you for tuning in to the eLearning Champion Pod. That's a wrap.

And make sure you subscribe to us. Leave us a review or comment on the platform you're listening to us from. Find us on your favorite social media channels to stay in touch. Until next time, happy learning.