The 2023 LinkedIn Learning Report “Building the agile future” mentions that “mapping learning to business goals is the No. 1 priority”. For higher education institutions and learning teams, the concept of “content mapping” is long established. Yet, still tends to cause confusion and consternation among those tasked to do this work.
We have all likely heard the maxim “if you aim at nothing you will hit it every time” and when it comes to training, we have often seen that maxim played out in different ways. We assume that because a certain training is offered people are learning, even if we are not sure that what they are learning is what they really need and so on. It is like the cartoon below:
So, how do we create learning and map it in a way that connects with our audience and moves the needle for our business and professional goals?
At Lightbox, we use a methodology for design that sees this process broken down into three parts:
Identify the Desired Results
This sounds simple enough, but it is often the most time-consuming to get to! What is the long-term change I am looking for in the learners? How can the learning facilitate a journey of discovery that will end up with increased skill, knowhow and “real world” expertise? While we cannot guarantee that outcome for each learner, we should know what that ideal outcome should be and it should be stated, clear and simply, for all to see. This is a process and often involves several stakeholders to get there - but it really sets the stage for success.
What Evidence Do We Need
Maybe you have taken an eLearning course or have gone through an in-person training with a quiz or “knowledge check” at the end. You click your way through it - maybe a guess or two along the way - and boom! You are done, you are now “trained”!
Really?
If we are serious about the real-world benefits of learning, we should equally be serious about how we know that learning has or is happening. We should evaluate what “performance” looks like in the incubator of the classroom before we expect people to step out and achieve results in the pressure situations of the real world. How we collect this evidence is really limited by our resources and to a certain extent, our imagination. Most systems default to quizzing and self reflection - but there are literally 100’s more options out there. The point is - gather evidence and help learners identify work-ons in the process of the training.
Develop the LX
So, once we know what we want to achieve and how we will measure it - time to get creative with learning experiences (LX). What activities, lessons, experiences will help achieve the desired results? This is where a skilled LXD team can help - with Instructional Design, Graphic Design , Video and Media, AI, LMS, LTIs, and more. It can be a challenge to do all this work well, which is why we recommend a partner who can take care of the heavy lifting while you concentrate on the learner and your business.
Lightbox has decades of experience in doing this work and whether you are starting from scratch and not sure what your desired result is - or have a program that has been running for years and needs a “facelift”, we can help! From in-person workshops and training, online course creation, and even psychometric testing to develop customized learning plans - we have you covered!
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