When discussing the "future of learning," there are many advocates
and descriptors, but far too few concrete definitions. To one
expert, the future of learning is a kind of "workplace community;"
for another, it's a new application of "social media" to an
existing business process; still others call it "Learning 2.0" or
"social learning." Despite this apparent name game, nearly every
learning industry analyst and thought leader agrees that
integrating social learning into formal learning strategies
represents a major change in the way organizations have typically
trained and developed talent. What people have yet to agree on is
how to get "there" from "here" or what a blended social/formal
learning model might look like.
Perhaps a good place to start is determining what a social learning
model will not look like. A social learning model will
not replace, eliminate, or displace traditional formal learning.
Companies will still need to create, deliver, manage, and report on
certification and compliance initiatives. Virtual classrooms will
still be an appropriate model for certain kinds of content
delivery; classroom and WBT courses will still be valid training
vehicles for other forms of content. Instructional designers will
still determine appropriate gaming and simulation models for
certain kinds of content, and mentorship for others.
These various delivery approaches exist because they are
appropriate solutions for a number of well-known training
scenarios, yet there are also many ways in which they can be
improved. Introducing gaming or simulation principles to these
models is one way to do so. "Socializing" these learning
approaches is another method.
One strategy in moving toward a social learning model, therefore,
may be to socialize the formal learning that happens through
courseware, curriculum, certifications, and so forth. Training
groups can "socialize" their formal learning models in two ways:
embedding social media inside formal content and wrapping social
media around formal content.
Embedded Model
The Embedded Model involves introducing social media inside formal
learning content, such as WBT courses or virtual classroom. In
moving from instructor-led training to WBT, organizations have
saved significant amounts of money from reduced travel costs,
opportunity costs, and training facility costs. We also have made
it possible for learners to access course content at a time of
need, which has improved performance. While these benefits are
well documented and provide undeniable organizational value, there
are two major downsides to the WBT mode: 1) as compared to
instructor-led training, WBT removes all of the social networking
and the fun of interacting with colleagues, and 2) WBT dramatically
reduces the social learning benefits that come from diversity of
perspective, sharing of real world experience, reflection, debrief,
and the general ebb and flow of live training.
Embedding social media within WBT courses provides the opportunity
to reintroduce these social exchanges without sacrificing the cost
savings or WBT's time-of-need "replay" capability. Imagine a WBT
course with embedded comment areas that enable learners to share
their reactions to particular course concepts or their perspectives
and ideas around new best practices and procedures. Imagine a
course in which learners could write embedded blog posts to share
their own best practices, techniques, or insights directly inside
the course for other learners to see. Imagine a course in which
learners could participate in live discussions or rate ideas and
see the ratings of others. Imagine a course that is "updated"
through new blog posts via an RSS feed into specific pages in the
course. These social and dynamic interactions are a large part of
what's missing in traditional WBT approaches, but they can be
easily incorporated through Web 2.0 technologies.
These same ideas also can be applied to virtual classroom
technology. While most virtual classroom solutions are already
fairly "social" through features such as public and private chat,
video conferencing, desktop sharing and the like, these features
could be further extended through deeper social networking
capabilities. Visualize a solution that not only allows you to
chat with other participants, but also enables you to view their
social profile and "friend" them. Imagine a solution that also
lets you add your own links and related information, which then
become part of the final archive. These approaches might further
extend the existing social aspects of virtual classroom tools and
drive even more impressive ROI.
Wrapped Model
Another way to "socialize" formal learning approaches is to wrap
social media around existing learning resources. Think of this as
the "Amazon" model, where social media and social networking are
wrapped around a piece of more formal content: in this case,
learning objects instead of books. Learners have always discussed
and commented on the courses and classes they are taking. And
learners are usually quick to tell other learners what they think
of a given class. If learners are attending an instructor-led
event, they may try to network with other learners before, during,
and after the event. Learners also expect updates about changes to
a course or training class. Today, most of these interactions
happen through ad hoc, unstructured, unsearchable exchanges between
individual learners.
Imagine what might happen if we formalized these exchanges through
social media. If learners want to discuss formal learning events
or curriculum, let's provide them with discussion forums and
comment capabilities. If they want to network with other
participants, let's provide social networking features and let
learners see their virtual "classmates" even when taking WBT or
asynchronous learning. If they want to share their opinion on a
certification class, let's provide a rating capability so that
their opinions are shared with their fellow learners.
By providing a common infrastructure for these exchanges, this
content becomes searchable and can be included in reports and
analytics that provide more insight into the meta-discourse around
formal content. Additionally, learners with real expertise and
unique perspectives have a chance to be heard and recognized. This
in turn may lead to new forms of talent identification and
expertise location. Enabling user-generated content in this way
may also reduce turnover by providing a voice for individual
employees and validating that they are heard and recognized for
their contributions.
Community Model
There are clearly real benefits in socializing formal learning
models, but what about providing social media and social networking
capabilities in the absence of formal learning? This is yet
another model. Think of this as a Community Model, in which social
media and networking provide their own value independent of formal
learning content. Many of us now reference blogs, wikis,
discussion forums, and social networks for information in our
personal lives, but far fewer of us have these same options in the
workplace. Yet, according to research by both Jay Cross and the
U.S. Department of Labor, the vast majority of learning in
organizations happens socially or informally. Today, none of these
exchanges is tracked, monitored, or influenced by organizations in
any way.
Given this, it seems natural to provide an infrastructure to
support these exchanges. No matter how effective a training
department might be, it will never have the scale of an
organization whose entire employee base actively contributes ideas,
expertise, and knowledge through vibrant social learning and
workplace communities. A workplace community captures the sorts of
exchanges that happen outside of formal training and provides
mechanisms to moderate, monitor, and report on these interactions,
providing invaluable insight into the real issues faced by
employees. Formalizing the informal communication within an
organization can make employees more efficient and productive,
reduce support costs, improve sales, increase retention, and
provide better mechanisms for talent identification. While this
approach requires more organizational buy-in than either the
embedded or wrapped (think Amazon) models, it also provides the
greatest impact and ROI.
Many learning professionals are struggling with how to approach
social learning, but the models are not really that complicated.
In the Embedded Model, we're simply reintroducing the social
elements that used to be part of a typical instructor-led class -
reflection, debrief, sharing of opinions and perspectives, and the
discussion of best practices. In the Wrapped Model, we're
providing a social platform for the interactions that already
happen around formal courseware. And in the Community Model, we're
providing a broader platform to capture social exchanges and social
learning across any topic, not just those addressed in formal
learning.
These three social learning models are not mutually exclusive; in
fact, they are quite complementary, which means organizations can
begin implementing social learning wherever they are most
comfortable. These models also nicely complement organizations'
existing investments and models by extending and broadening the
scope of current formal learning initiatives - and, in the process,
they elevate the training function from the realm of the tactical
to the strategic.
Someday, we may standardize on the name for these social
learning/Learning 2.0/workplace learning initiatives. In the
meantime, we have an occupational obligation (and more than enough
information) to begin implementing them. Through an Embedded,
Wrapped, or Community model of social learning, we can improve
organizational efficiency, productivity, and flexibility by
establishing a true learning culture where all employees are
actively engaged in both the teaching and learning process.