In the past, education has traditionally followed a set formula; expose all learners to the same material and content, no matter their background or learning needs, and the most capable will succeed. Those that struggled were simply expected to try harder than everyone else.
Today, however, learning is becoming more fluid. Education programmes are being adapted to help people with different needs and, while this is still largely within a mandated learning sphere, it’s making wider education more accessible.
But what about when it goes a step further and we see truly personalised learning? What are the benefits when we ditch the ‘one size fits all’ approach?
If you’ve not heard of it before, personalised learning is all about curating content that is both engaging and useful for each individual learner, reacting to their needs and interests and helping them to harness deeper, more enriching learning experiences.
And while this can be time-consuming for trainers teaching face-to-face, online learning (link to homepage) has made this a much more realistic learning option – for everyone.
Thanks to significant developments in technology, algorithms can now use smart learning to understand a user’s educational interests and needs, offering up the most relevant content based on skills they select as an area of interest, topics they search for, and their own study patterns. Essentially, the more content a learner consumes, the more personalised the platform becomes.
So, what are the real-life benefits and gains?
Increased engagement
Undoubtedly, one of the key benefits of personalised learning platforms is the increase in engagement from users. In fact, 77% of L&D professionals claim personalised learning is vital for learner engagement, so it’s one of the best things you can implement to keep your people studying for longer.
What does that really look like? Well, it’s basically when users are actually interested in the content and the subject they’re studying; they stay engaged for longer and the information they consume is more likely to take root.
Time saving
Another important benefit of this approach is cutting back on wasted time. If, for example, certain members of staff are already trained in a particular area, personalised learning means they can skip the things they know and concentrate on learning new skills – rather than repeating old ones.
With everyone studying at different levels, this can also really help to highlight those who have particular skills that you didn’t already know about, while also allowing you to identify and fill skills gaps where needed.
Better motivation
There’s nothing worse than studying something you have no interest in but with personalised learning, users get the opportunity to become the directors of their own learning paths.
This can help boost motivation in the team, allowing them to try new things and take on skills they never thought possible. This will see them not only become more invested in their studies, but also take more time to concentrate on and absorb the content and ultimately perform better once training is completed, adding further value to their role and the business.
Improved confidence
For people who really struggle with traditional learning techniques or mandated learning pathways, personalised learning can help to increase confidence by offering other ways of learning the same skills.
So, whether a user learns better through reading, video, or another type of media, it’s all about giving them the choice to consume content that best reflects their learning needs. Essentially, it’s putting the fun back into learning.
Stronger results
If learners are more engaged, motivated and confident in their learning journey, there’s no doubt the end result is going to pay off. From enhancing the skills your team already has, to helping them discover new paths that keep your company at the forefront of your industry, personalised learning is a business game-changer.
