The Four ‘R’s of Rapid eLearning: A Conversation with Shalini Merugu

Commlab Podcast on Rapid eLearning 4Rs

0:05
Hey there. Thank you for tuning in into the eLearning Champion pod. It's so good to have you back for our episode today on rapid eLearning and the four ‘R’s. And thank you for all your appreciation for our previous episodes. If this is your first time here, well, a hearty welcome to you. I'm your host, Alekha, and this is the eLearning Champion pod. This is your home to everything eLearning. Here we discuss the ins and outs, bust various myths, and basically keep you on par with the eLearning world out there. Your success matters to us, and that's why we give you what matters to you. A very good morning everyone. Today's podcast is on Rapid eLearning and the four ‘R’s. The Rapid eLearning strategies will help you address all your training requirements which you will need in the coming months. This is what we are going to discuss today along with some pointers on how you can do that with scale and repeatability.

To take us through the four ‘R’s of Rapid eLearning, we have today's speaker, Shalini Merugu with us who is the Director of Learning Solutions at CommLab India. She is a versatile learning design professional with 18 years of experience in instructional design. She is also an expert in customer consulting and training and learning solutions as well. She conducts customer education workshops at customer sites globally and presents webinars and podcasts on corporate training and learning solutions. She holds an MA in English literature. Welcome Shalini.

1:47
Thank you Alekha and a very warm welcome to all. Let's dive right in.

According to a LinkedIn Learning Report, L&D professionals globally prioritized upscaling employees, which also included cross-functional training. 64% of those polled viewed L&D as essential, not just nice to have. And that really reflects the urgency in our own companies and with customers. Ever since the pandemic, despite all the disruptions, L&D ensured training continually. And 79% of professionals polled said that the budgets had shifted to online, including the ones for virtual ILTs. These trends resonate with many organisations, and this is something that's going to continue in the near future as well. So this trend towards online learning extends even to soft skills and behavioural training today.

Traditionally, the classroom format has been most suitable for leadership training, manager training, and so on. Intuitively, we all understand that soft skills, behavioural changes, and leadership training are best addressed in the classroom setting because of the ample opportunities for practice, skill development, and discussions.

Now transitioning these aspects entirely online does pose a challenge, but we've seen success. I'd like to share just one example from one of our customers, a project which we had handled right at the onset of the pandemic.

They're a large global team of first time managers requiring training and our approach involved utilizing the flipped classroom model. Initially, we provided foundational learning to cover the conceptual aspects. Then we conducted virtual instructor-led training sessions. Participants were grouped in cohorts which remained consistent throughout the training period. This allowed for repeated practice and enriched interactions within the breakout rooms and really helped foster a very participative kind of a learning environment. The virtual sessions comprised skill building exercises and detailed discussions in which participants shared their experience and insights as employees with a perspective on leadership styles and business dealings. This initiative proved highly effective and successful in the virtual medium.

4:21
That's a good example. Now, can you tell us about how Rapid eLearning can really help you meet the demands of training in an organization? In fact, it would be useful to define Rapid eLearning.

4:34
Sure, Alekha. So what exactly is Rapid eLearning anyway? Basically it's learner-centric learning solutions, but built for speed and scale, with an element of repeatability. And as is the case with any other sound training program, these need to be based on performance-based learning objectives. Because at the end of the day, it is what you want to achieve and improve the performance in your learners in whatever skills they're being trained on. So when these three are aligned, your desired organizational results, the desired performance you want from your employees, and drilling down to the performance-based learning objectives, this is really the foundation for success.

So basically, the word rapid might seem slightly misleading to a few. It sounds like you're cutting the process short, and so on. But that is not really the case. Rapid eLearning addresses training demands very efficiently. I'd like to repeat that it's learner-centric, fast, scalable, emphasizes repeatability and performance-based learning objectives. So while ‘rapid’ may imply shortcuts, it still follows robust instruction design, except that we cut down on all the frills and bells and whistles. And of course, it leverages authoring tools for multi-device, multi-browser compatibility. And the beauty is that translations of online courses becomes really quick and manageable in very short time frames.

6:52
Thanks Shalini, that clears up one main myth about Rapid eLearning, because sometimes there is a tendency to think that it is just churning out page turners. Good to remind ourselves that Rapid eLearning is really the best way to achieve speed and scale with quality, and without compromising on anything that makes your training really effective.

7:16
Absolutely. Now I'd like to very quickly take you through what we call the four ‘R’s of rapid eLearning. So the first one is Redesign where we look at our existing ILT materials and repurpose them and redesign them for online learning.

So with this Redesign strategy of Rapid eLearning, we can very quickly transform core ILT material into various formats. These include virtual ILTs, eLearning courses, and of course all the other digital avatars, job aids for performance support, and blended learning. You can convert these materials into virtual instructor-led training materials as well. You can convert some of it to eLearning courses. You can take the critical parts of it which can serve as job aids and use them as performance support. And then of course, you can convert your ILT into blended learning.

8:19
Any best practices to keep in mind?

8:22
Well, we need to choose the formats based on the audience, the content, and the time you have for roll out. Most of us are familiar with VILTs, but it's worth noting some key differences between VILTs and webinars. Unlike webinars, VILTs prioritize performance-based learning objectives. They ensure interaction and the testing of learners. While webinars focus on knowledge sharing, VILT replicates the physical classroom, and they facilitate many interactions among participants and the facilitator.

Of course, managing technology can be slightly challenging, often requiring a dedicated host to handle technical aspects during the VILT sessions.

9:24
Can you share something about what you need to design for VILTs?

For VILTs, I would say essential materials include a ‘Getting Started’ kind of a webinar to familiarize participants and facilitators with the platform being used in case there is a new platform. This will help get rid of any concerns learners might have, and it also offers hands-on practice with using the various features of the platform. Additionally, you'll need facilitator guides and materials tailored for technology use, which include detailed instructions for activities like chats, polls, breakout rooms, annotations, and also materials for worksheets.

It's important that we consciously integrate these elements together when redesigning existing ILT materials for VILT sessions.

Now, another option for redesigning is eLearning. You can opt for eLearning curriculums where ILT materials are restructured into small, interrelated modules. Alternatively, these could also be standalone modules if the content lends itself to such an approach. These can be assembled sequentially leading to mastery of the topic. Standardization across the curriculum is a significant advantage. These courses can offer self-paced learning typically lasting between 30 to 45 minutes, covering topics very comprehensively. eLearning provides flexibility in learning formats because there are so many avatars of eLearning available. And as I mentioned earlier, along with the eLearning, we can also provide micro-aids as performance support, which are really crucial for learners to continue their learning journey.

11:36
Any tips for how to continue the learning after VILT?

11:42
Well, for performance support, a quick win would be taking the questions that are typically asked at the end of ILT sessions and converting them to FAQs which you can host on the LMS. Other formats, other job aids could be process diagrams, best practices, ‘how to’ videos, and materials like interactive PDFs, comparison charts, and infographics. All of these give learners diverse options. To continue effectiveness, keep them micro-sized and accessible on smart devices and host them on the LMS for increased reach.

12:30
So what are the key benefits of Redesign?

12:35
Well, the key benefits of Redesign are well known, but let's touch on them briefly. Redesigning offers direct communication with peers and instructors in VILT and provides anywhere, anytime access with eLearning supplementation. And moving these digital assets online reduces the time spent searching for resources or waiting for assistance, while also cutting costs associated with logistics and classroom training. And it ensures that we can integrate these solutions into the workflow and minimize the time spent away from work on training.

I'd like to share a very quick example of how we converted ILTs into VILTs.

Actually, this was more of a blended solution. We had this project where we had to develop and move the entire ILT curriculum for first time managers into the online format. We came up with a blended learning format. The VILT was in two phases, and we also had performance support.

So there were 5 eLearning courses, material for five VILT sessions, and another five VILT sessions for additional practice for the 5000 first time managers. These were all rolled out very successfully.

So this is also a good chance for us to relook our ILT materials, take a hard look at our existing materials and redesign them for greater impact.

Now coming to the second R which is the Record option. This is a great solution when time is scarce and quick training updates are needed, because in situations like this, leveraging subject matter experts efficiently really becomes crucial. Traditional eLearning development involves various touch points with the SMEs, which in turn would lead to extended timelines. However, this Record option really offers a very streamlined process. Let me very quickly walk you through how it works.

The SME creates a basic PowerPoint deck and records their voice with the narration providing the core content to support the on screen content. Then we refine this narration. To do that, we first transcribe the audio, then we refine the narration and design the PowerPoint slides. The SME reviews this designed PowerPoint slide the trimmed down narration and provides feedback once. Based on that, we finalize the narration, the on screen text, and then we get it recorded with a professional voice over or with an AI voice over, as is being increasingly done these days. And we publish this PPT as an MP4 video.

This process really significantly reduces the touch points with SMEs.

So if in traditionally eLearning design and development those touch points were as many as 9, with this Record option they come down to just 3 touch points. This in turn allows for very swift training roll out.

15:57
Can you share a few benefits from learners’ point of view?

16:02
Yes, definitely. We saw the advantages for the SMEs and for L&D professionals.

Now the advantages for learners are that this strategy really incorporate the SME’s personality into the course because they share anecdotes and valuable insights as they do their narration. This adds richness to the content. It also saves the SME’s time and ensures technical accuracy as they are directly involved in the process. Which means that the learners really get a very good first-hand experience of the core essence of whatever topic they are learning about now. Despite potential limitations in interactivity, because the format is MP4, the courses remain really engaging because of this personalized approach which captures the voice of the SME.

So these, I would say, are the benefits of the Record option because learners are likely to be more engaged, because it doesn't sound like something academic, it doesn't sound too formal. That is the SME’s touch to the entire course.

Sometimes we lose this when we rewrite the content. So the Record option really allows all of these benefits.

Now I'd like to quickly explore the Rebuild option.

This is an option that is very popular when we have lengthy courses which make great demands on learners’ attention spans. The rebuild approach addresses this by transforming existing courses into microlearning modules.

With micro learning, we break down the content into focused, bite-sized learning nuggets, each targeting a single learning objective. This ensures the right focus and the successful achievement of objectives. And with the Rebuild option, we could again go in for various formats including quizzes, videos, and interactive resources. We could really make the microlearning versatile and engaging.

By revisiting legacy courses, we can repurpose them into very easily digestible microlearning modules. And with microlearning platforms, we can roll out microlearning assessments that help learners stay on top of the forgetting curve.

These micro learning assessments can be leveraged very powerfully for refresher and recall. And I would say that spaced retrieval practice is one of the strongest advantages of going in for microlearning platforms. Because traditionally, when we think of microlearning, we've always focused on the content. But here's an opportunity to also focus on microlearning as assessments, as quizzes, as standalone questions which could be scenario-based.

19:03
Yes, absolutely. The benefits are many. Can you please sum them up for our listeners?

19:10
Well, increased learner adoption due to shorter, more manageable learning sessions. Immediate and relevant delivery also ensures effectiveness and reduces the go-to-market time.

Integration of learning into the learners’ workflow minimizes disruption. This is one of the most popular formats because it is the least disruptive. Mobile-friendly microlearning allows 24 by 7 access to learners at their point of need. And because of all these benefits, you have accelerated time to proficiency as each learning objective is met.

And from the organization's point of view, the advantages are that there is reduced development and delivery time and all the related costs. Also when it comes to updates, it's easier to update microlearning, to reuse them, to repurpose them. They really are a very flexible format. As you can see, the benefits are for both the organizations and the learners alike, it's a win, win.

20:21
Yeah, lot of benefits. Thank you for sharing them. And from what we can see from industry trends, this option is becoming increasingly popular. The market for microlearning is projected to grow significantly in the next few years. A quick question before we move on.

How do we really identify what part of our eLearning can be converted to microlearning? How do we identify that? Because most of our stakeholders have these questions whenever they come up with a requirement.

21:02
Those are good questions, really. It's important to address a certain misconception about microlearning. Simply dividing existing courses into 5 to 8 minute segments doesn't necessarily constitute microlearning. It's very essential to consider the suitability of content for the microlearning format. Some courses may require learners to digest all content in one flow, especially if there are multiple critical learning objectives. In such cases, micro learning may not be the best solution.

That said, if the content for each learning objective isn't extensive, it's very feasible to redesign it into multiple microlearning modules. You can create a curriculum from these modules if preferred, but ensure that each microlearning module covers one topic, one learning objective comprehensively, which learners can finish in one sitting. Assess your learning objectives, the content, scope and extent to really figure out whether micro learning is the way to go.

Now coming to the Republish option, this is the last R. Many of us have legacy courses developed with older versions of authoring tools. Here's a golden opportunity for us to revisit those legacy courses and Republish them to newer versions using the latest versions of authoring tools, making them mobile compatible and giving them a new lease of life. Because there is content which is timeless and they tend to be just a sidelined or sitting on the shelf just because they're outdated.

Now by using the republish option, we can update not only the content wherever it's required by making use of additional interactivities that are there with the latest authoring tools, the latest look and feel, the latest templates, but we can also refresh the branding, giving them a fresh look and feel. With newer versions of our authoring tools, there are also better assessments that are possible.

So when we are republishing our legacy courses, we can take advantage of all these latest features.

As with any other option that I spoke about, especially the one where we looked at redesigning ILT courses into various other formats, the same thing we can apply here also. When we look at these older courses, we can determine what content can be stripped out and be used as job aids or performance support. We can also use this opportunity to ensure that our courses are translation-friendly. So if we have an in-house authoring tool, courses developed using other authoring tools can also be quickly republished to it. One of the biggest advantages of having this is you achieve standardization through templates. And this can greatly help us in meeting our targets of scale and speed.

24:24
Great. We are nearing the end of this podcast. Can you share a case study for the Republish option too?

24:31
Sure. Here's a quick example on something that we've done using the Republish option. There were 1500 legacy courses that had been developed in older versions of Articulate Storyline and the requirement was to make these mobile compatible. The audience was sales and service technicians.

We of course used the latest versions of authoring tools to do this. What we did was we developed wireframes for common screens across the courses and across the devices. We updated the graphical user interface to give it a more contemporary look and feel and also updated the old interactivities.

Having the facility or the feature of online reviews made it very easy for the subject matter experts to give us the required reviews and the sign offs. We could accomplish converting these 1500 courses by using this Republish option in just 12 months.

That I think was one of our biggest projects and the one of the most successful ones. Of course, we do continue to get these kind of requirements from our customers and stakeholders.

So that was the Republish option for you.

I'd like to really sum up the four ‘R’s of Rapid eLearning in a nutshell. So with Redesign, the first R, we can transform existing ILT materials into online learning using various methods like VILT, eLearning, and provide performance support resources.

The second R, which is the Record option, allows us to very quickly create training content by having SMEs record a brief PPT presentation. And then we streamline the audio, design the slides, and publish it as an engaging MP4 video with professional narration.

And then the third R, Rebuild, where we breakdown existing courses into microlearning components for easier consumption and adoption by learners and organizations.

And the last R, Republish, we update and refresh outdated look and feel of courses by republishing them to newer versions of authoring tools, making them mobile compatible and incorporating the latest interactivities and assessments. So with that, I come to the end of this podcast and thank you so much for listening.

27:20
Thank you. Thank you so much, Shalini, for the wonderful broadcast on rapid eLearning strategies and taking us through the four ‘R’s and their benefits. I would like to thank all our listeners too.