What are the benefits of using a blended learning approach for onboarding?

In-person interactions allow for direct engagement, hands-on activities, and immediate feedback from instructors and peers. Digital platforms provide access to a wide range of resources, including videos, readings, and interactive exercises that learners can engage with at their own pace. Real-time virtual sessions foster collaboration and discussion, enabling learners to interact directly with instructors and fellow students. Self-paced modules allow learners to access materials and complete assignments on their own schedules, catering to different learning styles and commitments. Experienced educators guide learners through complex topics, offering insights and clarifications that enhance understanding.

Various learning styles exist, and for optimal effectiveness, it's crucial to accommodate these differences. Whether someone learns best through reading, visual aids, or auditory methods, recognizing and supporting it is essential. So be sure to have flexible learning tools and environments available. Offer a variety of languages and options to present the same information using different formats and displays. Be mindful of what color schemes you select. Encourage continuous feedback and make adjustments accordingly. And when possible, offer self-paced programs.

Blended learning offers a flexible and comprehensive approach to learning that caters to the diverse needs and preferences of learners. By combining various modes of delivery, organizations can create engaging and effective onboarding programs that maximize learning outcomes. The integration of online and offline components allows for self-paced learning, collaborative activities, and access to a wealth of resources. This approach promotes active participation, knowledge retention, and skill development. By leveraging the benefits of blended learning, organizations can ensure that their onboarding programs are dynamic, interactive, and tailored to meet the specific needs of their new hires.

I love this topic because as a Customer Success leader, I'm always thinking of ways to bring my customers value by realizing that people digest information is a variety of ways. Having information be made available in text, video, audio and even in a demo format goes a long way to reducing the adoption time and time to first value. Everyone learns differently and therefore, including ways that low touch customers can benefit the same way as a high touch customer can benefit (with more frequent calls, checkins and engagement) is key to driving revenue.

People digest information in a variety of ways. Creating a knowledge base that contains a mix of articles (for reading), videos, webinars, podcasts etc provides people a way to digest information using the platform that they are most comfortable with. Offer face to face, 1-1 training for non tech savvy individuals or create a self paced learning portal for people that want to learn more at their own pace.

Blended learning offers a powerful solution for effective onboarding by catering to the diverse needs of new hires. It promotes engagement, knowledge retention, and skill transfer through its versatile mix of learning methods and formats. By accommodating different learning styles, preferences, and schedules, blended learning fosters a personalized and flexible learning experience. The integration of interactive elements and collaborative opportunities enhances motivation and creates a sense of community among new hires. With ongoing support and access to valuable resources, blended learning equips new hires with the necessary tools for success, ultimately driving their performance and development within the organization.

1. It's personalized: Blended learning enables customization based on each employee's learning needs or pace. They can review and revisit online materials as needed, ask questions during instructor-led sessions, and receive personalized feedback from mentors or coaches. 2. It's scalable: Blended learning allows organizations to scale their onboarding programs efficiently. Online modules can accommodate a large number of new employees simultaneously, while instructor-led sessions can be conducted in smaller groups or individually, ensuring personalized attention.

Learning styles has been debunked as a myth, but I do believe in learner preferences. We need to still create training in multiple forms for them to digest the information based on their personal preference. I would then take it a step further and apply spaced learning, meaning repeated exposure to small amounts of info over an extended period.

The objective of onboarding is to ensure that customers are able to realize the value of your product as quickly as possible. Having a blended learning makes this an easier feat because people learn and digest information in a variety of ways. Having just one method available for information transfer isn't always appreciated by people. A variety of methods such as text, audio, video, chats, phone calls including automation enables low touch and high touch customers to adopt your product faster.

Having a blended learning strategy during onboarding when someone is understanding your products and services for the first time is key to increased adoption and therefore, retention. During onboarding is when people are the most excited and willing to learn about your product and service. Creating a blended learning system where they can understand and get value from your product/service as quickly as possible, using the platform of their choice, will lead to higher satisfaction scores.

Implementing a blended learning program for onboarding requires a thoughtful and learner-centered approach. By conducting a thorough needs analysis, organizations can tailor the program to address specific goals, preferences, and challenges. Choosing the right blend of learning methods and formats ensures a diverse and engaging learning experience. Designing with the learner in mind, including interactive and collaborative elements, promotes active participation and knowledge retention. Ongoing evaluation and feedback allow for continuous improvement, ensuring the program remains effective and impactful.

It is important in your design to keep in mind that people learn when there is a felt need for them to have new information. As you think about your outcomes, learning goals, formats and methods keep in mind what your learners are after, what they will want to thrive in their new organization and how to create a feeling that they need to have this new information which will benefit them.

Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your blended learning program by collecting feedback from new employees and assessing their performance. Use this feedback to refine and improve the onboarding process over time.

While I've never been at the forefront implementing blended learning into onboarding, I can see how useful it can be through the points made in this article. In my own onboarding phases in my previous employers, I can see where blended learning would've contributed. I would've learned more about the company, my position and other relevant topics in addition to what I knew when I was hired.