The last few months have seen great upheaval and uncertainty for organizations in terms of the work ecosystem. The remote working situation led to more distractions for employees which meant that there had to be a paradigm shift in the way most verticals (including L&D) functioned.

L&D was forced to introduce innovative measures and strategies by reinventing how employees learn and develop in uncertain times. According to Training Industry research, over half of L&D professionals have retooled or repurposed learning programs in response to the pandemic. However, it is not easy to manage such increasing number of diverse learners and their development journeys.

Modern learners have a host of needs:

• • Learning content that meets their exact needs.
  • Easy to find, relevant content as they multitask.
  • Effective training to help them upskill and reskill.

To meet these varied needs, they look to L&D to deliver learning experiences that are tailored to suit them and that lets them be in charge of their personal and professional development. This is where the concept of personalized learning comes into the picture.

Why Personalization Is the Need of the Hour

Personalized learning is at the core of modern learning, and the demand for it is growing stronger than ever. Employees want to learn according to their own terms with flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere. Learning personalization involves fulfilling learners’ needs, interests and preferences by offering the right kind of content to them.

In today’s times, putting learners at the heart of the learning experience is necessary to create a shift from the old-style, top-down approach to training. Ensuring learner engagement is also a challenge, considering the ample number of distractions facing learners. One solution is to put learners in the driver’s seat and let them take control of their own learning journeys. Learners who have the chance to assert control and choose their learning experience remain more motivated. Providing them with autonomy in their learning journey also enhances their attention and engagement, with information sticking with them for longer.

Learning Path: The Power-packed Panacea

One effective way of letting learners take control of their learning journey is by introducing learning paths in their learning management system (LMS). A learning path is a simple, yet power-packed feature that you should consider incorporating into your LMS. A learning path is an assortment of courses clubbed together for learners to progress through as they master in a particular subject. It allows you to enroll multiple users in the courses at the same time saving valuable time.

Benefits of a Learning Path

• • Creates self-paced learning: Each learner is different, with unique abilities, grasping and capability to absorb the information they receive. One of the most remarkable benefits of learning paths is that they make learning self-paced. Learners get the freedom to choose what, when and where they want to learn. In fact, the control moves from the administrator to the learners with the help of learning paths.
  • Helps admins save time: Time is of the essence in this fast-paced corporate world. Learning paths help admins save time by offering a well-designed roadmap to learners to reach their desired goals. This way, learners become more self-sufficient, thus reducing the burden placed on admins.
  • Aids knowledge retention through bite-sized learning: Learning paths help in the delivery of relevant information in an organized manner. This is necessary to engage and retain learners in the training process. Since learning paths follow bite-sized learning, there is less information to be consumed at a time which reduces the load on employees. Smaller nuggets can also improve retention and make learning more understandable.
  • Encourages continuous learning: Considering the unprecedented changes in the corporate landscape, upskilling is one of the most important aspects for employees. The more interactive and relevant the lessons are, the more motivated the learners are to take them up. Learning paths help offer training pieces that are more purpose-driven which encourage employees to start the program in the first place — in turn, promoting a continuous learning environment.

How Learning Paths and AI-powered LMS Go Hand-in-Hand

In an era where learners have very clear ideas of what they want (thanks to the all-pervasive artificial intelligence), they know exactly what they want to learn too! Even as they are used to having AI recommendations in their daily life (shopping, watching content online, socializing), they want their learning experiences to work similarly. Learners no longer want to be spoon-fed — they expect superior experiences in terms of learning technology and want to be in the driver’s seat for their own learning.

An AI-backed LMS that features learning paths offers enhanced benefits to the learners in terms of a personalized learning experience. The learning process is further simplified and learners get to save valuable time by enjoying an optimum learning process. This makes the course very relevant to a particular learner, in turn increasing learner motivation and engagement. It also enables the customization of the learning experience to ensure that learners can take the modules at their own pace and in a manner they think best suits them.

At a time when there is so much clutter around learning, it is best to give learners control over their own training experience. Learners will benefit immensely if they are allowed to choose what set of topics they wish to look at to acquire knowledge step-by-step, at their own pace. Learning paths and AI-powered LMSs are the way to achieve this.