#Digitallearning #Learningtechnologies #VRlearning #Artificialintelligence #Kirkpatrick # learningstrategy #microlearning #gamification #actionablelearning #Businessgrowth #training #HR A quick guide to create digital learning ecosystem in organisations to harness scarce resources for optimization of employee development & business growth. No one can resist an idea whose time has come. Nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come. – Victor Hugo In today’s ever evolving sphere of Learning & Development the time for Digital Learning has arrived. Learning as opposed to training is the new buzz word that is taking the world of HR by storm. As opposed to the traditional training & teaching methods which were modelled on an assembly line type of teaching are redundant in today’s knowledge economy. The world seems to have moved from Andragogy to Heautagogy putting in centre, the learner himself. With technology permeating all contours of life how could, the way people learn, be same. With each passing day the speed of evolution is increasing exponentially. Thus, the way today’s millennials learn is also undergoing metamorphosis. This avant-garde approach treats learning not as an event but as a continuum of continuous and comprehensive learning instances weaved in nodes of interconnected design of change. This approach amalgamates 4 key components Technology, Digital Content, Instruction & Feeding back into the system. This entails Digital Content and Instruction which encapsulates new age tools like Virtual & Augmented Reality, Simulators, AI based analytics for personalized need assessment leading to learning plan, Robotics and Game-Boards (physical & digital). I have tried to outline the tenets of this avant-garde learning ecosystem and how can today’s Learning Development professionals devise and design such an ecosystem.

1. Digital Learning

2. What is Digital Learning
Digital Learning is “Learning facilitated by technology that gives students some element of
control over time, place, path and/or pace.”

3. Digital learning vs traditional training
Learning is focused on learner however training is focused on trainer.
Digital Learning is controlled by individual learner.
Traditional methods of training
◦ Lecture
◦ Group Discussion
◦ Trainer led discussion
◦ Assembly line type of training

4. Digital Learning – Time
Time of convenience of learner and not trainer
Anytime Anywhere

5. Digital Learning – Place
Place of convenience of the learner
Anytime anywhere

6. Digital Learning – Path
Heutagogy rather than andragogy is the prime driver of digital learning
Interactive & Adaptive learning software
Real time data to educator for course navigation through instruction adjustment
Meets unique needs of each learner
Differentiated learning

7. Digital Learning – Pace
Learner learns at his own pace
Adaptive Learning practice

8. Digital Learning a Continuum & not an
event
Continuum to incorporate interventions at all levels
◦ Formal
◦ Social
◦ Experiential
It is not an event that happens once but creation of continuous and comprehensive path of learning.
This path will capsulate an amalgamation of the following for a common learning goal.
◦ Technology
◦ Digital Content
◦ Instruction
◦ Feeding back into the system

9. Technology
It’s the mechanism that delivers content and instruction. It should not be confused with content
or instruction.
It encapsulates the hardware and internet to used over a laptop or smart phone
Examples –
◦ Virtual reality gear
◦ Augmented reality gear
◦ Simulators – A blend of AR & VR
◦ Artificial Intelligence
◦ Robotics
◦ 3 D Printing
◦ Game boards – Physical as well as Digital

10. Digital Content
High quality academic content/curriculum rooted in the learning objectives for defined outcomes and
competencies.
Its what learners learn
Its should be engaging, interactive, adaptive, gamified or game based rather than simple literature or
lectures.
Media that delivers
◦ Text, Images & Audio
◦ Animation
◦ Streaming video
◦ Interactive Applications – (HTML_5 Applications)
◦ Virtual Reality
◦ Augmented reality
◦ Simulators that completely mimic reality completely

11. Instruction
Instruction is how it will create a learning environment.
It is to assist educators and not replace them.
Educators will be able to provide personalized guidance
◦ Preferred mode of learning
◦ Fill up personalized gaps of knowledge & skills

12. Feeding back into the system
Learning data analytics of
◦ Learning patterns
◦ Time concurrency
◦ Suggestions post module completion

13. Technology driven Social Learning
Builds organisational memory
Technology platform for social learning

14. Efficacy of Digital learning
Knowledge acquisition
Skill development
Soft skills
Behavioural
Builds organisational memory

15. Skill Development
Knowledge of the Skill
◦ Knowledge transference through E Learning, M Learning etc.
Practice of the skill
◦ Simulators
◦ Case study analysis
◦ Practice under supervision of AI enabled algorithms

16. How to create an organisational digital
learning strategy
Gaps in performance analysis
Identification of causes of gaps –
◦ Ability
◦ Intent
◦ Non training issues
Outcomes & Timelines defined
Learning design document created
Shared with Stakeholders for feedback & validation and revised design created
Learning continuum designed
◦ Technology
◦ Digital content
◦ Instruction
◦ Feeding the system back
Modes of learning identified
Learning infrastructure

17. How to create an organisational digital
learning strategy – 7 Steps
Go from “Mass instruction” to “Micro learning”. Actionable steps -
◦ Microfy existing learning
◦ Weave in short assessments
◦ Keep things fresh
Go from ‘generic” to “personal”
◦ Create career Pathways
◦ Making learning accessible
◦ Give learners agency
Go from “occasionally” to “daily”
◦ Stretch current assignments
◦ Loop in managers
◦ Nudge often

18. How to create an organisational digital
learning strategy – 7 Steps
Go from “required” to “rewarding”
◦ Curate relevant learning tracks
◦ Control quality
◦ Connect people
Go from “inconvenient” to “intuitive”
◦ Get user friendly
◦ Go Mobile
◦ Simplify administration
Go from “top down” to “ecosystemic”
◦ Empower managers
◦ Enable self directed learning
◦ Promote Sharing

19. How to create an organisational digital
learning strategy – 7 Steps
Go from “informational” to “Transformational”
◦ Inject emotion
◦ Enable point-of-need learning
◦ Be a shrepa

20. Strategy implementation
Top down approach
Supervisory Alignment Workshops
Creation of empowered “Champions of Change”
Periodic monitoring through
◦ Gamified Leader-board
◦ Using social media tenets for appreciation & rewards
◦ Live challenges
◦ All India test –
◦ Knowledge-othon (knowledge-marathon)
◦ Skill-e-thon (skill-marathon)
◦ Collaborative games based competitions
Each step of continuum
Predictive analysis using machine learning & AI

21. Evolving profile of L & D Team
Paradigm Shift from rigidity caused by logistics & homogeneity of training to focused learning.
Performance gap, data analytics to derive learning outcomes
Learning data analytics to decode each learner's personal learning patterns
Letting go of the command of learning exercise to facilitating learning
Guide on the side rather than sage on the stage

22. Digital Learning Ecosystem
How to facilitate
Multimodal learning access
Movement from Andragogy (Adult Learning) to Heutagogy (self determined learning)

23. Evaluation of Efficacy – Kirkpatrick model
of Evaluation
Kirkpatrick Level 1
Kirkpatrick Level 2
Kirkpatrick Level 3
Kirkpatrick Level 4
Ensuring measurability

24. Future of Learning
Heutagogy
Machine Learning
Deep Learning
NLP – Natural Language processing
Artificial Intelligence
Robotics
Game Based Learning
◦ Single player games
◦ Multiplayer games
Personalized & Adaptive Learning
MOOC (Massive online open courses)

25. How should Learning professionals cope
Reanalyse to redraw organisational learning strategy putting the learner in the centre
Redrawing learning design documents based on principles of Heutagogy
Reskill themselves on usage of digital/new age tools
Adapt to relinquish control

26. Sources
1. www.grovo.com – 7 strategies developing employees
2. 70:20:10 forum
3. Wikipedia