The newest trend in L&D- Hybrid learning.
L&D is a crucial part of any organization that keeps evolving and adapting as per the changing demands. The advancement in technology always came up with different and feasible solutions to provide better learning pedagogy.
But after last year’s pandemic, L&D had drastically impacted and changed the complete scenario of the learning process. That is why we required a more advanced approach to cater to the varying learning needs of the employees. To make it work, many organizations have shifted to a new learning model that has provided a better learning environment, hybrid learning.
But the question is why it has been introduced and how it has impacted L&D.
The journey to Hybrid learning
The learning process is not new, but the method keeps on evolving with time.
Classroom learning
In the beginning, L&D was done via in-person sessions that we know as classroom training. It was one-way learning where the teachers share the knowledge, and interaction happens at the end of the session. It was considered to be a great way of sharing knowledge with the masses by experts. But it has shown a drawback when it comes to personalization and implementation of that knowledge.
Thus we required a more interactive way of learning as one-way learning did not solve our purpose for long. This gave rise to workshops where employees listen to experiences being shared by market experts and implement their learning via small activities. Most employees forget that knowledge, as there is no immediate implementation of knowledge, making it irrelevant. It is known as the famous “forgetting curve” concept, which specifies that 70 percent of the knowledge is lost within 24 hours if we do not implement it. It is one of the significant drawbacks that lead to the requirement of new learning pedagogy that helps retain the knowledge. Also, this learning process is time-consuming, as employees have to invest time off the office hours.
Virtual learning
To overcome the time-management issue, we moved to virtual learning, where several employees can access the recorded sessions any number of times, irrespective of their location. Digital education allows the employees to complete their training in bits and improves knowledge retention by re-run the recording. Virtual learning has proved to be beneficial, especially for the employees working remotely.
But lead to the issue of digital fatigue where employees cannot connect with their mates, reducing their chances to perform better due to lack of motivation. As per our estimates, 61 percent of people suffer from digital fatigue. Due to boredom, the employees even get distracted during the recording, making it less impactful.
To solve all the problems other learning methods face, hybrid learning has been introduced. It combines the best of all the teaching methods that successfully adapt to the recently changed working models.
Introduction to Hybrid Learning
As a single learning approach does not fit everyone, thus creates an opportunity to create a learning pedagogy that requires employee engagement irrespective of the circumstances. Hybrid learning combines experiences from both the classroom and virtual learning into a single program to fulfil the needs of every type of employee working within an organization.
Hybrid learning offers a targeted learning experience where the employee’s preferences are considered. It also motivates the employees to continue improving their skills and applying them for good within the organization. So employees can attend both the in-person and online training as per their requirement.
Impact of Hybrid learning on L&D
Organizations are moving to the hybrid working and learning models. If hybrid learning is implemented in the right way, you can leverage its maximum benefits. Below are some impacts of Hybrid learning on L&D.
Hybrid learning makes sure that each course or material is easily accessible to them and improves their learning capability. It does not matter where the employees, they can quickly get the material and start learning. But, they also have to connect face-to-face to come out of the boredom of learning alone.
Hybrid learning provides a better learning experience that focuses on the needs of the employees for whom these learning programs are designed. L&D has improved and made sure that they offer the proper training, and it motivates the employees to attend and learn the new skills that they can implement in their projects.
Hybrid learning improves flexibility as employees can freely switch between in-person and online learning as per their circumstances. This is why hybrid learning is gaining more popularity after the pandemic. It allows some employees to join classroom training while some can connect virtually at the same time.
Organizations are shifting to this new learning trend and allowing their employees the freedom to upskill as per their demands. For this, learning and development teams should create a learning culture independent of the current working models that will benefit the employees in the long term.
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