Earlier this month, The Programmes Team headed to ExCel’s Learning Technologies Exhibition for inspiration and insight into some of the latest organisational learning and technology. With over 200 seminars and bite-sized learning sessions to choose from across two days, we diligently made a list of potential seminars to attend.
Trying hard not to fall into the trap of having any pre-conceived ideas about emerging technologies, namely AI and Chat GPT, we approached London’s ExCel with an open mind and a thirst for learning about any new technology strategies we might be able to bring back to our content creation at TDT and help us to consider any continuous improvements we can make to the learning experiences we offer here at TDT.
There was so much to learn and so much to consider, but here are the team’s top ten tips for engaging and resonating with learners:
Tip 1: Tell a story
Use the role of storytelling and telling ‘the hero’s journey’ (first introduced by Joseph Campbell in 1949) to make things personal, relatable, and interesting.
Tip 2: Offer learning opportunities in manageable chunks
Present learning in bite-size/microlearning portions to reduce cognitive load and deliver punchy learning bursts.
Tip 3: Create more accessible learning opportunities
Offer multi-sensory learning by pairing two of the senses simultaneously to boost knowledge, avoid screen fatigue, and enable learners to access the teaching whilst travelling, commuting, exercising etc.
Tip 4: Use AI to enhance learning
Educate yourself on what a good prompt looks like. We were given some fantastic prompt examples to help us formulate the right prompt and see more successful results.
Tip 5: Make online learning more active
Get learners on their feet and use the ‘STOP. PAUSE. TRY’ approach within learning courses, instead of expecting learners to absorb all information at once and without practice solely.
Tip 6: Make learning more adaptive
Use technology and AI to respond to individual learners by understanding where their knowledge/proficiency gaps are and responding accordingly.
Tip 7: Adapt curriculum sequencing
Respond to prior knowledge and not create multiple programmes for individual learners.
Tip 8: Manage your technology stacks better
Allow learners and facilitators to access everything in one place rather than having multiple platforms or places for data sources.
Tip 9: Further develop your DEI strategy
Ensure systematic programmes are in place for behaviour change by planning with behaviour in mind, addressing any motivation and knowledge gaps.
Tip 10: Meet learners where they are
Consider the working environment of your learners. What does their working day look like? How often are they able to respond to emails? What is the most common platform they are using to access learning? Respond accordingly by producing more accessible formats to improve engagement and completion.
The exhibition was a great experience for broadening our understanding of the latest emerging technologies and showcasing the current thinking across the Learning Technology industry. With an abundance of best practices and innovation to take away from industry leaders and experts, it was a unique and exciting team professional development outing that we will be utilising when approaching learning and development opportunities for our participants at TDT.