The Ultimate Guide to Digital Learning In the Modern Workplace

People development is the core goal of the modern corporate training experience. At the end of the day, learning and development exist to benefit people across an organization. But it’s only in the last handful of years that people have truly, measurably been put at the center of the equation. At its inception, corporate training existed to make companies more efficient, promote safety, and improve work. Now, corporate training exists to make people more effective, promote growth, and improve workplace experiences. The modern learner expects this.

Digital learning is a huge driver of this change.

Corporate learning has been transformed by the invention of flexible, adaptable, accessible training technology. And it’s changed for the better. Read through our guide for everything you need to know about digital learning in the modern workplace.

What is digital learning?

Digital learning is the process of training individuals using learning technology. But it’s much more than simply taking an existing training strategy and applying digital tools. Digital learning is native to the digital world, meaning that training strategies are built from the context of digital technology, not for it. The difference looks like this: traditional learning strategies might rely on instructor-led courses, high volumes of reading materials, or worksheets. But with digitally driven training, a learning strategy might include one-on-one coaching, asynchronous courses, and video or audio content with interactive quizzes interspersed throughout. Digital learning is the new standard in corporate L&D training.

How has digital transformation changed corporate learning and development?

Digital transformation changed corporate learning and development significantly because it created new needs for learners and companies alike. For example, in 2020, many companies needed to rapidly adopt learning technology to ensure their teams were equipped to work remotely (here’s how the U.S. Government Publishing Office used ExpertusONE to achieve this). Almost overnight, companies with legacy training platforms needed new technology to train their learners and maintain connection despite changes to workforce operations.

And, at the individual level, learners’ needs have changed considerably. Not only do they need to access training at any time and in any location, but they also need training personalized to their needs. Learners have become increasingly skills-focused. They understand that companies are looking for skills and, because of this, they need to grow and improve their competencies. Also, learners don’t want to waste time. They spent far too many hours in big-room corporate training sessions that, now, they expect training to be brief, engaging, and actionable. They will engage with learning when it has a real purpose that applies to their jobs, careers, or professional goals.

Who is digital learning for?

Digital learning is for every learner, from the C-suite to entry-level employees just starting out. Digital learning platforms can be used to train employees, partners, customers, and sales teams. The best thing a company can do when looking for digital learning software is choose a platform that can train every learning audience from a single system. ExpertusONE’s integrated learning platform can do that.

What are the foundational elements of modern learning?

If you’re looking to bring your training strategy into the modern age, you need a keen understanding of the foundational elements of modern learning. These elements go far beyond longstanding L&D best practices, diving deeper into strategic training initiatives and technologies that actually deliver results.

Below, we’ve defined every modern training term you need to know.

Adaptive Learning

Adaptive learning is training that is specific to an individual’s needs. Creating an adaptive learning strategy includes personalizing learning pathways, creating targeted training recommendations, and offering multiple ways for learners to engage with training (like videos, audio, quizzes, and polls).

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is an incredible tool in learning and development. In the context of an LMS platform, artificial intelligence tailors course recommendations and personalizes the learning experience without adding any extra administrative effort.

Assessments (Self, Observation)

Assessments are a critical learning and development tool, and they help companies (and individuals) identify skills gaps. A self-assessment can be used by learners to determine where they can grow their skills. An observational assessment happens when managers observe a team member performing a task to determine their proficiency in that area.

An LMS is a training platform that offers digital self-assessment tools—at ExpertusONE, we call them the Skills Checklist / Observation Checklist—so learners and their managers can identify gaps, document them, and track progress toward filling those gaps.

Authoring Tools

A rapid LMS authoring tool can be used to add interactive elements to training courses so that learners stay engaged throughout the duration of the course. With an authoring tool, videos, polls, quizzes, audio content, and more can be added to a learning course to improve engagement.

Cloud

L&D cloud technologies enable companies to store learning data online instead of on a hardware device. Many digital learning platforms exist on the cloud.

Corporate Education

Corporate education is any training distributed by a company or organization to educate or equip employees.

Continuing Education

Continuing education is the ongoing process of learning new job-relevant skills and competencies. Continuing education happens in multiple sectors and industries and may be required by companies.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customer relationship management software (typically referred to by the acronym “CRM”) is a platform or system that manages a company’s relationships with its customers and prospects. Within the context of learning, a CRM can be integrated with an LMS to create a cohesive customer experience through training. One example of this is a Salesforce LMS app.

Customer Training

Companies can improve customer relationships, build trust, and educate their network through customer training. This type of learning typically includes courses about the company’s products or services or topics relevant to the company’s industry that may add value to the customer experience.

Coaching

Coaching is an essential part of the modern learning process, and it can happen in a digital learning context. Using virtual meeting technology, team members can meet together for coaching sessions to learn specific skills or improve existing skills. Coaching often happens in the sales training process.

Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning enables learners and peers to train together. In the digital learning space, this requires a training technology that offers synchronous courses or meetings, shared learning sessions, and even gamification.

Compliance Training

Compliance training is an essential business process that is required in many fields and industries. To maintain business operations, many companies must create, manage, and track compliance training for each team member (and across the organization as a whole). Without compliance training or a failure to properly conduct and report compliance training, businesses in certain sectors cannot operate.

Digital Transformation

Digital transformation refers to adopting new technologies to support a company’s operations. Companies integrate technologies into every facet of business to streamline processes and workflows. Digital transformation also affects customer relationships and how the company engages with stakeholders and partners. The primary goal of digital transformation is to enable the company to be more innovative.

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is a critical component of the modern work experience. The term refers to the rate at which employees are invested and engaged with the company, from culture-driven initiatives to everyday work. It’s a measure of an employee’s feelings about the company and satisfaction with their work.

Extended Enterprise Training

Extended enterprise training is any type of training for a company’s external network. This includes partners, resellers, distributors, and customers (among others). Extended enterprise training may include courses about products, services, or offerings.

Gamification

LMS gamification is a feature that encourages competition among learners in the workplace. Gamification badges, points, and leaderboards identify top learners across the organization and highlight learning success.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are any sort of technical skills that individuals need to complete their jobs. This could be technical writing, machine operations, medical certifications, or other highly specific skills that relate to a job type.

Human-Centered Design

Human-centered design is a principle that drives the development of solutions and technology. When companies use human-centered design to build platforms or systems, they focus on how people operate at work, default behaviors, and context. Human-centered design affects the user experience.

Human Capital Management

Human capital management is a process of leveraging talent, improving it, and building upon it. Human capital management is primarily associated with the HR department and can include different strategic initiatives like recruiting, hiring, benefits and compensation, training, and performance management.

Hybrid Instructor-Led Training

This form of blended learning includes both virtual and in-person training. In this type of training program, an instructor is teaching learners online and in a classroom setting simultaneously.

Interactive Learning

Interactive learning is essential for boosting engagement and ensuring knowledge capture in corporate learning and development environments. An LMS platform with an authoring tool enables interactive learning through the addition of polls, quizzes, audio, and video content throughout virtual courses. Another component of interactive learning is one-on-one coaching sessions or mentoring.

Learning in the Flow of Work

Learning in the flow of work is a training industry term that refers to the creation of a learning strategy that enables learners to train at their own pace and in a context that serves their needs. Every learner is different, and one may require written materials, while another prefers audio-based training. Learning in the flow of work can also refer to the types of training content offered. For example, training that corresponds to an employee’s workflow might include task-specific training or certifications for their role.

Learning Management System (LMS)

A learning management system (LMS) is software used for creating, distributing, tracking, measuring, and reporting on learning within an organization. An LMS software is a core tenant of e-learning and is the foremost choice for companies looking to train large audiences of learners both internally and externally.

Learning Experience Platform (LXP)

A learning experience platform (LXP) is another type of training platform that companies use to equip their teams. The primary differentiator of an LXP is that it puts more power in the hands of the learners than it does in the hands of managers. With an LXP, learners choose from a variety of courses more frequently than they are assigned courses.

Learning Pathways

A learning pathway is a training plan that identifies a learner’s steps to gain a skill or competency. This includes courses and assessments that are required to gain a certification. A learning pathway can keep team members engaged with training and motivate them to continue work toward a specific skills-related goal. Learning pathways can be created and managed through a skills platform.

Learning Record Store (LRS)

The learning record store is a repository for training data. It can collect training data from a variety of sources and store them in a centralized location. It can capture essential information as xAPI statements and standardize all training data into a single format. This enables companies to take learning data and create meaningful reports to understand the status of training within their organization.

LMS Reporting and Analytics

LMS reporting and analytics is a larger category that includes essential tools like the learning record store or other embedded technology that helps companies determine the efficacy of their learning programs. This data can help companies determine critical business information like learning, compliance, and engagement data.

Learning Technologies

Learning technologies is a catch-all term for any type of software or system that companies use to train stakeholders.

Machine Learning

Within the context of corporate learning and development, machine learning is used to predict training needs, understand learner interests, and make targeted training assignments based on data about the learner.

Mentoring

Mentoring is a part of the learning process and can effectively train team members on processes or skills. Mentoring primarily appears within the context of sales team training or sales team coaching. Mentoring can happen in digital and in-person learning contexts.

Micro-learning

Micro-learning is a training strategy that breaks down larger lessons or courses into smaller, digestible chunks of information so that the learner can engage each step of the way. This process can include the addition of knowledge checks throughout courses to break up information and assess learner understanding. Other micro-learning activities include video or audio content.

Mobile Learning

Mobile learning enables team members to train at any time and in any place that is most convenient for them. With an LMS mobile app, learners can engage with training, reference materials, or take a look at their compliance status.

Multimodal Learning

Multi-modal learning is a training strategy that includes multiple formats of learning content to create a variety of learning types. A multimodal learning strategy engages a variety of senses in the training process and can improve knowledge retention.

Onboarding

Onboarding is a part of the training process that happens at the beginning of an employee’s tenure with a company. Onboarding training primarily instructs the employee about company processes, basic information, benefits, and the brand’s products and services.

On-Demand Learning

On-demand learning is another term that refers to a learner’s ability to train whenever and wherever they want. On-demand learning is essential for modern workers because it enables self-paced learning and encourages them to take ownership of their skills development. Essential tools for on-demand learning include an LMS platform, a mobile app, AI-enabled personalization, and interactive courses.

Partner Training

Partner training is a standard practice for organizations that work with resellers, distributors, manufacturers, or a network of customers. Through partner training, they equip their extended enterprise with information and resources about the brand’s products and services, so they can sell and distribute more effectively.

Personalized Learning

Personalized learning is a process that includes making tailored course or learning pathway recommendations for individual team members. This ensures that their learning goals and requirements align with training needs (reducing wasted time spent on irrelevant training). Personalizing the learning experience is crucial for boosting learner engagement and knowledge retention.

Remote Learning

Remote learning is any type of training that happens outside of an office or classroom. This could include on-site training using a mobile app or in-the-field training that a salesperson may need to reference when visiting a prospect. Remote learning also includes training that is distributed to hybrid or remote workers.

Reskilling

Reskilling is a training initiative that prioritizes advancing existing skills to enable individuals to become more proficient in their roles. Reskilling can help companies manage talent more effectively and increase the productivity of their teams. Reskilling is a newer term that has emerged among learning professionals as they devise plans for managing the increasing skills gap across organizations.

Sales Coaching

Sales coaching is a part of the sales enablement process and it is a form of training that involves a salesperson working with a manager to practice and improve certain sales skills. Sales coaching can happen in person or online (like via an LMS platform).

Sales Training

Sales training, or sales enablement training, supports the sales team from ramp time to their time in the field. The purpose of sales training is to equip the sales team to be effective through product knowledge and strategy. Sales personnel need a keen understanding of the product’s offerings so that they can speak to the client’s needs and pain points. Sales team training also includes skills-based training around objection management and closing strategies to improve win rates.

SCORM

The Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a set of standards for learning technology that governs how the learning platform communicates with other systems.

Soft Skills

Soft skills are no less important in the modern workplace than hard skills (though they are often forgotten). Common soft skills include communication, leadership, problem-solving, conflict management, and organization. Companies can and should invest in their team’s development of soft skills alongside strategic hard skills (technical competencies, certifications, etc.) programs.

Social Learning

Social learning is a type of learning strategy in which individuals train together. It can improve learning engagement and outcomes by creating a positive training environment. One example of social learning is peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, which can include sharing feedback, tips, and strategies for workplace success.

Synchronous Learning

Synchronous learning is a type of training during which the learner and the instructor are in the same place simultaneously. This can include in-person training and virtual training.

Time to Proficiency

Time to proficiency refers to the amount of time it takes to get an employee ready for work. This calculation frequently factors in onboarding and other types of training.

Upskilling

Upskilling is a training initiative that involves providing existing team members with training to improve upon and add to their skills and knowledge. Upskilling, alongside reskilling, is another new training trend that has emerged in response to the skills gaps many companies have faced in the last few years. Upskilling training includes both hard and soft skills and is generally associated with a specific learning path or learning plan, that is designed to help fill gaps within the organization.

Workplace Learning

Workplace learning is training that occurs within the context and for the purpose of work. It includes onboarding training, upskilling, reskilling, sales enablement, compliance training, and more. Workplace learning is also an umbrella term that covers a company’s variety of training-centered initiatives.

Ready to launch a digital learning strategy for your organization? Let us guide you. Contact us today for more information.