“The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.”
Henry Ford
Written by Subramanyam Reddy, CEO of KnowledgeHut
There is a revolution underway in the corporate Learning and Development (L&D) world.
With technologies changing at breakneck speed and new ways of working pushing obsolete practices out of existence, companies must prioritize employee training so that they can keep pace with the competition.
Traditional employee training is giving way to new paradigms and pedagogies — learning-centric models, virtual classrooms, and new-age learning platforms that allow employees to own their skills and drive their own learning paths.
Learning Experience Platforms (LXPs) are the newest addition to the list of training environments. LXPs, as they are called in short, are a giant step ahead of LMSes — the Learning Management Systems that were a staple in the L&D world until recently.
LXPs offer all that LMSes do and more, with the added advantage of personalization, ease of use, and increased engagement.
A Learning Experience Platform revolves completely around the learner and encourages them to learn as they work, guiding their learning toward exactly those skills that they need to enhance productivity in the context of their job roles.
How is a LXP different from the traditional LMS?
As the name implies, an LMS is focused on managing the learning process. Through formal ways of delivering learning content and tracking the progress of the learner, an LMS is a more traditional and proven system of imparting generic learning.
The LXP, however, builds upon the foundations of the LMS and lays the focus squarely on experiential learning.
Although traditionally, Learning Management Systems have been the go-to learning platforms for corporate training. They can no longer satisfy the growing needs of corporate learning that demand to be more interactive, personalized, and technologically advanced.
Enter the LXP. Touted as the learning technology of the future, a Learning Experience Platform is designed around the philosophy of ‘learning in the flow of work.’
What exactly does this mean? A simple way of understanding this concept is by co-relating it to the way that Netflix or Spotify work.
The content that is shown to you is personalized based on the kind of movies (or songs) you search for, what you have given an uptick to, and what your viewing or listening history looks like.
Intelligent algorithms work behind the Recommender Engines, curating content that is personalized to your interests.
An LXP offers up the most relevant content to you at the touch of a button, putting you in the driver’s seat and controlling your own learning journey. Do you prefer to listen to podcasts, or is hands-on skill assimilation more your style of learning?
Micro-learning modules provide short, intense snippets of targeted learning that will pique the curiosity of learners and completely capture their attention, increasing engagement multifold.
Articles, videos, tutorials, networking forums for social learning, assessments, and coding through cloud labs in the browser are also various resources that can add to the 360-degree learning experience.
Benefits of the LXP for Corporate Learning
As learning technologies keep evolving, the traditional LMS is getting replaced by the more innovative, outcome-oriented LXP.
Here is what puts the LXP head and shoulders above other modes of learning:
The possibility of learning while working
LXPs offer learn-as-you-go possibilities, with context-based microlearning, real-time social learning, and mentorship that helps learners to find solutions to problems even as they arise, gaining hands-on skills in the process.
Employees no longer need to carve out additional time for learning – which often proves to be an impediment to progress – but they can learn in the flow of work.
Information from multiple sources
A LXP opens up possibilities for enriching the information through external sources, including peer learning and third-party learning content. A good LXP can aggregate content from various sources and provide them in a collated, easy to access format to the learners.
An LMS, on the other hand, has a carefully curated repository of content that is put together by an internal administrator and updated from time to time for relevance.
AI-driven intelligent learning
Smart search and AI-driven learning use information from previous learning choices to offer customized learning and skill development options. AI also helps provide virtual learning assistants that provide timely reminders and other suggestions.
Learning paths are suggested and dynamically allotted based on user profiles including job roles, learning capacity, interests, and so on.
Micro-learning
Condensed learning units are now getting popular among learners who find it difficult to stay engaged for longer periods of time. These easy-to-grasp micro modules deliver short bursts of content that inculcate skill-based learning.
LXPs can incorporate the microlearning pedagogy that has been found to greatly benefit a work-based learning culture and is especially useful in corporate training.
Collaborative learning
Collaborative learning, where a group of students learn and work together to understand concepts has always been a popular medium of learning. This sort of learning promotes interaction between learners and leads to better retention.
LXPs can involve collaborative learning between learners and instructors and enhance the whole information exchange experience.
Social learning
We live in a world that is getting smaller each day in terms of connectivity and interactivity. Practically our whole lives are driven by social media, so why not learning? Social learning in LXP is an extension of social media where learners can put forth their thoughts and ideas and also recommendations.
They can brainstorm solutions to challenging problems with like-minded peers and mentors, share experiences and grow their knowledge together.
Custom LXPs
Organizations can make use of custom-fit LXPs to provide their employees with unique learning experiences. Learning formats such as virtual labs, blended learning, and aggregated learning resources help provide formatted and skill-based learning.
Not only will this help ensure better and more targeted training, but it also will help reduce costs in the long run.
How can organizations reap the benefits of LXPs?
Technology is changing at a frenetic pace, and the only way to stay ahead of the competition is by empowering your workforce to own their learning and gain productive work expertise.
The potential of LXPs has not yet been completely harnessed and today we stand on the brink of a learning revolution. With an expected market size of US$13.9 billion by 2024, the learning experience platform is set to be the new standard in learning and training.
Want to keep your workforce equipped with the tools they need to stay productive? Give them the competitive edge by upgrading your learning programs with tomorrow’s learning technologies, today!
Subramanyam Reddy is the CEO of KnowledgeHut, an upGrad company that is the trusted skills transformation partner to over 500 organizations across 70 countries.
Since 2011, KnowledgeHut has been helping individuals and enterprises across industries and sectors develop new capabilities and enhance growth. Â
