There is a lot of chatter about personalized learning with regards to workplace learning and development. So let us understand exactly what entails a personalized learning experience.

What is Personalized Learning?

Personalized learning is an approach that uses data and technology to tailor training based on an individual's knowledge, experience and strengths and personalize the experience for each individual learner. The goal is to adapt learning to meet each employee’s needs, interests and preferred learning style. 

Personalized learning boils down to three basic principles:

1) Learners and their needs are at the center of the learning process, and learning is individualized accordingly.

2) Learning takes place through an active process where learners have the agency to interact with content and make decisions about their own learning.

3) Learners are empowered to evaluate the effectiveness of their learning strategies and adapt accordingly.

The core idea is that every employee learns differently. The goal is to help each employee learn at their own pace, so they can upskill effectively. 

So how do you know that the learning experience provided at your organization is personalized learning? 

4 Main Characteristics of Personalized Learning

1. Personalized Learning is Flexible and Adaptable

It's a learner-centered approach that provides a range of learning strategies and options for each employee. Organizations must be able to offer individualized plans that reflect the interests, needs and strengths of every employee. It’s not about what the organization wants to mandate as training but instead about what each employee actually needs to learn. Also, it’s important for organizations to understand that while there may be multiple employees sharing similar job profiles, every employee’s skill set is different and will require training that’s adapted to each individual.

2. Personalized Learning is Data-driven.

Organizations should collect and use data to understand how every employee learns best and make decisions about how to upskill them. Data can also be used to create individualized learning paths for each employee. ICOG’s learning experience platform provides various dashboards that offer valuable data insights into the learning journeys of all employees. 

3. Personalized Learning is Collaborative in Nature and Culture.

As all employees are working towards the shared goals of an organization, it is key that the organizational culture is collaborative in nature. Employees can share their learning journeys and find mentors in one another. ICOG allows learners to reach out to coaches and mentors within the organization via the platform itself, thereby actively promoting collaboration in the learning experience.

4. Personalized learning is Ongoing

In today’s world of constant change, organizations must be able to adapt quickly to meet employee’s needs as well as provide avenues for upskilling and reskilling to ensure a future career path for them at your organization. Personalized learning focuses on ensuring that every employee has ongoing access to a wide range of high-quality, relevant and up-to-date content, so your employees are continually engaged in learning and upskilling themselves.

ICOG’s learning experience platform ensures that your employees will be provided with personalized learning that is flexible, data-driven, collaborative and ongoing. Contact us for a demo experience.