While training, knowledge communication, and more broadly, skill development have entered the age of digital transformation, we have yet to see the full extent of the disruptions it promises. Just as the web has upended traditional paradigms and turned the world into a vast conversation, what will soon become of “digital learning”?
Learning by doing, by experimenting, is a more fruitful and motivating practice than methods that separate learning from practice. Learning-by-doing is becoming increasingly popular in prestigious universities and corporate management training programmes. The aim is to make learning increasingly practical. Today’s digital training is part of this shift towards learners speaking up, taking initiative, and even taking control.
Slow fuse
The digital revolution in training began 15 years ago, but for a long time it remained a slow-burning revolution.
During its first decade, it produced e-learning, which will be remembered for being to learning what Formica was to kitchen tables: a utilitarian, practical, inexpensive solution that no one wanted to sit at, but which fulfilled the function assigned to it in the specifications. E-learning was not lacking in much, except for the essentials: emotion, talent, motivation, the pleasure of feeling that you are there for a reason and finding meaning in it.
To its credit, e-learning has in turn been the flagship product of LMS platforms, another affirmation of utilitarianism, this time on the infrastrucutre side. These platforms have become ubiquitous, like the mechanical clock in the 14th century, and with them came the rush to measure: measuring learning, knowledge transmitted, knowledge acquired… LMSs have put training on a graph, efficiently disseminating quantities of modules of all kinds, even if, since then, they have mainly measured disaffection.
Three desires and start-ups
In itself, this comes as no surprise. The failure of “Web 1.0” swept away by the crisis of 2001, was that of a top-down, one-way web, with content producers on one side and consumers on the other, i.e., the television model applied to the Internet. The regeneration came from a paradigm shift, embodied in particular by social networks such as Friendster in 2002, MySpace in 2003, and of course Facebook in 2004. These new services built their success and drew their growth energy from a threefold desire expressed by their users: to participate (create and pusblish), to intercat (be connected), and to express themselves (be unique).
At the same time, the nascent digital training industry was reviving the odl, vertical, top-down model. It lasted 15 years. Many creative paths were certainly explored, one of the most fruitful being serious games with their immersion, simulations, and motivating and practical features. But for the most part, while the entire web was buzzing with excitement, digital training within companies was going digital… without any real revolution.
And then the fuse was lit, with the turning point coming around 2014. That’s when the digital training sector really took off. This is evident not only in the proliferation of startups, venture capital investments, and the emergence of a sector known as “EdTech” or more participatory platforms, but also in new forms of content that put learners at the center and demonstrate their empowerment.
Learning by doing, learning by making…
Participating, communicating, expressing oneself: these are three drivers that will transform digital learning. Of course, augmented reality will also contribute to this, as will virtual reality, or their combination in mixed reality, and many other future new technologies. But these will be means of representing the experience and should not be confused with it.
The learning experience will be, first and foremost, and increasingly, about “doing”, i.e., participating and creating. Digital tools are not meant to be top-down, focused on memorization, but rather to engage learners’ imagination, trial and error, and achievement. Video games refer to gameplay based on the player’s freedom of initiative and invention as “sandboxes”. Minecraft, acquired by Microsoft in 2014, is one example, which is also used in education. But the advent of “sandbox learning environments” will revolutionize digital training and enable it to support learners to previously unattainable levels of skill. We have never been so close to reality. Design and technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, make it possible to provide simulation and experimentation spaces in which to immerse oneself and interact with a high degree of freedom and realism, and this also applies to soft skills, such as negotiation and leadership.
… Learning by sharing
When we talk about “doing”, imagining and proposing your own solutions, we also mean sharing your experience and opening a dialogue with an expert or tutor who can evaluate your approach, ask questions, and offer advice, thereby solidifying the learning process. It is about creating connections, which learners value highly in order to give meaning to their actions, questions, and progress. This is also the second dimension that is currently lacking in digital training, where learners are too often faced with a closed and entirely scripted system that acts as a simple content distributor and ends with a knowledge test. The digital learning of the future will increase content throughout their experience and share these results with a personal coach.
Finally, even if this may be a less significant dimension in training than in traditional networks, we should not overlook the motivation for outreach, reputation, and even influence that drives social sharing enthusiasts. Because training means competence, and competence means credibility, employability for some, and power for others. Demonstating your skills through shared, unique, and valuable content means participating in the collaborative creation of that same knowledge in others, but it is also a career asset and, therefore, a source of motivation.
Learning by doing, learning by making, learning by sharing: this is the complete paradigm shift expected of training that is finally 2.0. Because it is more effective, more motivating, and more scalable, it is to this that we must prepare our tools, design methods, and strategies for supporting learners.
Key points:
- Digital technology adds two fundamental dimensions to “learning by doing”: learning by making, i.e. actually “doing” and producing your own content, and learning by sharing, i.e. exchanging ideas with your tutor or peers.
- The future of blended learning lies in personalized remote coaching, the only approach that combines ongoing exchange, guided skill building, and the ability to scale up.
- The future of digital training lies in “sandbox” learning environments. Welcome to the next 10 years!
