Creating a Learning 'Vision' Using a Learning Experience Platform

Chris Dunne, Digital Marketing Manager

Learning & Development in the workplace is becoming one of the most sought after applications for many global organizations. A recent national survey even demonstrated how employees today are more likely to accept a role with a company who offer a comprehensive training program, than one who doesn’t.

Since the conception of the Learning Management System (LMS) in the late 1990s, organizations have offered online compliance training with ease to their expanding (and often global) workforce.

But entering 2018, the L&D industry saw a shift occur and the LMS was soon overtaken by the Learning Experience Platform (LXP); a platform that centers on learning through experience rather than the consumption of content.

Overriding the importance of compliance training, the LXP enables organizations to address the gaps in the skills of their workforce and develop them within their roles.

Introducing Alliander N. V to Learning Pool Platform

Organizations far and wide are now implementing a Learning Experience Platform, such as Learning Pool Platform, within their organization, but they all have a different issue to resolve or objective to achieve.

For my client, Alliander N. V, Learning Pool Platform was sought to achieve what they are labelling a ‘Learning Vision’ within their business by 2030.

Alliander N. V is a utility company that originated in Nuon, Netherlands. The company handles the distribution of energy in one third of the Netherlands and counted 5.7m customer connections in 2017.

Setting up Learning Pool Platform, they began by creating a Learning Journey set to a time scale of 6 months. The journey was made up of 6 face-to-face learning activities, as well as a combination of different Learning Experiences, which included:

Reading a variety of books, blogs & articles
Discussing a specific topic during a meeting
Watching videos & listening to podcasts
Interviewing experts & shadowing colleagues

For a truly immersive and collaborative experience, learners were also asked to upload their own Learning Experiences; sharing knowledge and content with their peers from outside of the organizational environment.

Why the LXP, Not the LMS?

For Alliander, choosing between an LXP or an LMS was not a difficult decision for them to make. The LXPs take on learning experiences rather than learning content was reason enough, but they also felt the focus on Professional Development was better suited to what they wanted for their own ‘Learning Vision’.

And with all the buzz around the LXP in recent months, Alliander were keen to see what all the fuss was about. Clients can never truly know if something is worth its salt unless they give it a go for themselves!

As for Learning Pool Platform, they were excited by some of the new features associated with the platform. Social and Personalized Learning (including smart suggestions and nudges) were a must have, but the real catch was the integration with Learning Pool LRS, enabling them to measure the impact their learning would have on organizational growth.

Initial Outcomes

The Academy of Alliander are 4 months into their 6 month Learning Journey, and with 20 participants they have expressed the following takeaways from their initial experience Learning Pool Platform:

Developing ‘Focus Areas’, ‘Learning Experiences’ and ‘Learning Journeys’ offered insight into how an LXP works, and what the didactics are behind an LXP.
Having unlimited Learning Experiences (including the ability for users to add their own) to contribute to a learners’ Learning Journey was welcomed by many and encouraged them to engage more with the platform.
The addition of the Learning Analytics section is incredibly insightful for organizations wanting to know how their learners learn, what their learners learn and the business impact this investment is having.

Tips for Other Users

If you’re thinking about taking the plunge and implementing a Learning Experience Platform (you won’t be disappointed!), we’ve come up with a few tips we hope will be useful:

Onboarding really is as important as they say

Just as you can’t lead a horse to water, you can’t expect your learners to be given access to a platform they’ve never used before and instantly know what to do. In the beginning, guide them well so that they feel comfortable using the platform at their own will.

Think out of the box

The best bit about the LXP is its ability to bring together a variety of different learning methods and materials to create a rich learning experience. There’s no rush, take some time and consider what the most viable Learning Experiences you can create in the workplace can be.

Just go for it!

Experiment with the platform, find out what actually works and turn it into a Learning Journey for yourself too. After all, anything can be a Learning Experience if you want it to be!

Creating a Learning ‘Vision’ Using a Learning Experience Platform