Picture this: you’re facilitating a live training session for your organization, and it comes time to ask for learner input. You open the floor for contributions with the common phrase, “A penny for your thoughts?”

And you get crickets. Your previously lively cohort goes silent. Some participants look utterly confused.

What happened? Your figure of speech may have confused your global learners.

Blended learning incorporates a variety of ways to deliver learning materials and activities, and selecting delivery approaches is part of the instructional design process.

The approaches you select will depend on who the learners are, what objectives have been developed, what methods of assessing learning you have designed in alignment with those objectives, and whether or not collaboration will enhance the learning experience.

After establishing all of that, we still need to decide where, when, and how this blend of learning is going to be delivered.

Are you moving towards blended learning with your modern instructional designs? Microlearning provides a viable approach for many training content pieces and learner support resources.

On the surface, microlearning may not sound like a universally accessible option. “My topic’s too complicated to teach in five minutes!” you lament. And you’d be right – using microlearning effectively doesn’t equate to compressing a three-day, hands-on training program into one five-minute explainer video.

Carla Torgerson provided a helpful use case that will guide you towards best practice during her informative BYTE session, Embracing Microlearning in Your Ecosystem.

Modern workplace learning professionals wear many hats. Gone are the days of specialization. Our organizations expect us to design, deliver, implement, and manage entire training programs. Learners see us as facilitators, producers, learning guides, subject matter experts (SMEs), and sometimes technical support.

I’ve advocated for a modern title that encompasses all of our responsibilities – the Learning Experience Architect. We’re the hub of modern learning. To make the transition, we have to do more than assign ourselves a new label.

BYTE Session Recap

Over the past 200 years, training has been moving in the wrong direction. Our approach to training and education no longer supports how learners work. Guest BYTE speaker Martyn Lewis explored a modern solution to an old-school problem.

Read more for Martyn’s definition of our learning struggles, how to get started with blended training, and the seven keys to a successful learning and development approach.

Watch Martyn’s BYTE recording for a discussion of learning through the ages, moving away from the physical classroom, the 7C approach to blended learning and a case study. Click here for the recording.

Your blended learning course is set to go. You are certain that online and face-to-face elements are well aligned; the design engaging; and the content relevant. You're confident learners and instructors will greatly benefit from it.

So, what could possibly go wrong?

We know that any number of things can go awry. It's an expectation built into our work. Being prepared to tackle common challenges up front can make for higher quality blended learning opportunities.

There are three obstacles that I see as topping the list of blended learning challenges.

Martyn Lewis, Principal and Founder of 3GS, joins the ranks of both InSync guest bloggers and BYTE presenters. Don't miss his BYTE session, Reversing 200 Years in the Wrong Direction with Blended Training, on February 28, 2017. 

There is always at least one. One person in a training program, or worse still, that couldn’t make it to the program, that asks, “Can I get a copy of the slides?"  I am on a personal mission to never hear anyone ask for a copy of the slides again.

Why do we so often hear people ask for a copy of the slides?  Simply put, it is in the belief that the learning content of the training program exists across a sequential series of PowerPoint slides. It is the belief that if you were to “read” the slides, you could get the content, rather like reading a book.

However, in defense of those who ask that question, we have trained them to think this way. Frequently training programs are designed, or rather not designed, by using PowerPoint like a book upon which to spread out our content.  

Two years ago, I made the argument that blended learning represents a true shift in the profession. Since then, blended learning has cemented itself as so much more than a passing fad. But now that blended learning is here to stay, how do we prove its value to our organizations?

Because of its ability to create true skill building for its learners, I embrace and support blends, and suggest you effectively communicate three blended learning truths to your stakeholders to gain buy-in.

Blended learning programs can be a beautiful thing. Need to cover a global workforce? Use virtual classrooms to engage learners everywhere. Can't get employees to leave their desks? Bring learning opportunities to their desks in the form of short videos, quick reference guides, and fun simulations. Mix learning content together to create interactive training programs. 

But wait, you say, it’s not that easy. My organization has expectations. 

Your organization may expect learning to take place in person. In their opinion, if there isn't a person in front of the classroom, teaching with an apple on their desk, it's not “real” training. Sometimes the perception comes from your learners - other times it's from your leaders. Either way, it will take time to change your organization's collective mindset.

You may have noticed that I’ve been contributing quite a bit to this series, and you may have seen my name pop up more often in the InSync Community. In the next few months, you’ll be seeing even more of me within this community, as I’ve taken on the role of Curator for the InSync Blended Learning Hub, which launches on March 6. Very exciting! 

In case you haven’t heard yet, the InSync Blended Learning Hub, launching March 6, 2017, provides modern learning professionals with a collaborative makerspace. Each month, learners embark on personal professional development journeys focused on a key training topic. All learning campaigns include curated resources, exclusive content, live online learning events, and a supportive community of peers.  

As curator, my job will be to guide you through the learning campaigns that we will feature each month in the Blended Learning Hub, and to help you connect the dots as you progress along your personal learning pathway.