Let’s face it. The future is now.
Sure, we may not have flying cars with time machines – yet – and fashion isn’t – yet – limited to flashy silver spacesuits but trust us, the future is upon us.
And it doesn’t stop at transportation and style. Your training should meet learners where they are – in the aforementioned future, too.
How, you ask?
Content modernization.
By incorporating online courses into training regimens to make eLearning more dynamic, engaging and comprehensive, web-based instructional resources can cater to modern learners who have become accustomed to consuming content on digital devices, so adjusting to these shifts in demands more closely aligns with learner expectations.
So here, we’ll break down what, exactly, content modernization is and how it works, rounding up some of our most exhaustive and comprehensive blog posts.
“Content modernization delivers content how learners want to consume it; mobility delivers the content where learners want to consume it. Intelligence provides organizations the collection and analysis of instructional data, and performance support provides real-time, point-of-need instructional access and help.”
Here are five modern content delivery methods boasting exciting, new and virtually unlimited possibilities that meet learners exactly where they want it – at their fingertips, in the future.
“Gamification increases engagement because it taps into motivators like recognition, rewards and a sense of competition to keep employees engaged.
“Even something as simple as adding badges to your course to recognize student accomplishments as a reward for achieving particular competencies can encourage continued engagement. In fact, almost 80% of learners say that they would be more productive if their university, institution, or work were more game-like.
“But if we’re being completely honest with ourselves, [gamification] is really just a very clever use of psychology.”
Read more on content modernization leveraging gamification here.
“The global workforce already gets information outside of work in little chunks and snippets as we watch videos, access Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, shop retailers, and check our emails several times a day. Everything comes into our brains very quickly and in small chunks.
“If this is how people consume content outside of work, then we need to reach learners in a way that is most comfortable and natural for them – with short snippets of information, available through apps and mobile devices, that are ready and accessible when the user is ready and available.
“And one of the most critical attributes of video is its use of both auditory and visual cues. Visual cues provide a primary source of information, while the audio cues expound upon the information.
“In fact, according to a report by Software Advice, more than 50% of respondents indicated that they would use their company’s learning tools more if the courses were shorter as longer courses were not only more challenging to digest and retain, but that taking them got in the way of their daily work.”
Read more on content modernization leveraging video here.
“[Social media] has completely reshaped how we establish, define and maintain our interpersonal relationships and connect with the world.
“Anchored by the concepts of sharing and community, we happily and readily share status updates, photos, and videos about nearly every nuanced area of our lives, often in 140 characters or less.
“In fact, as millennials join the workforce, social media has the potential to impact and further shape training as this generation has grown up using technology and social media applications at home and at school, in their free time and during training time, for business and for pleasure.”
Read more on content modernization leveraging social media here.
“VR is a fully immersive computer-generated simulation or recreation of a real-life environment or situation experienced through headsets and earphones. It makes the user feel like they are experiencing the simulated reality in real life by stimulating and manipulating their vision and hearing.
“And in the context of eLearning, VR can immerse learners into a new perspective, using 360° video, exclusively computer-generated synthetic content, or a hybrid of both.”
Read more on content modernization leveraging virtual reality here.
“3D modeling and animation content delivery have transformed numerous fields, including filmmaking, computer games, architecture and product design, with the underlying fundamentals of high-quality 3D production originating in traditional design and animation methodologies.
“But all of their fantastical – almost otherworldly – capabilities notwithstanding, 3D modeling and animation also have much more practical applications. In fact, they can both be valuable eLearning tools that foster an emotional connection and get online learners excited about the eLearning process.”
Read more on content modernization leveraging 3D modeling here.
‘Sure,’ you think.
‘All of these content modernization delivery methods sound great and all – but what does it look like when you take it from abstract idea to actionable application?’
We’re so glad you asked!
Consider when we created the first-of-its-kind virtual reality training for firefighters.
“To create the most life-like training course videos, Vector Solutions partnered with the Pasco County Fire Rescue for a 360 Virtual Reality (VR) video shoot using the latest drone technology to film actual fire-firefighter training in real-life simulations. The video can then be used to create firefighter safety training courses to help thousands of firefighters prepare for the high-stakes environments they face on the job.
“Focusing on 360-degree VR ‘smoke reading’ training, the video was created with expert help from consults and field insights from subject matter experts, Fire Service Instructors, and EMT-Ps. Its learners will be immersed in a virtual reality training environment where they will receive instruction on how to read smoke and make decisions about how to attack – or not attack – a fire based on what the smoke tells them.”
Content modernization is the future of effective training programs, so as technology transforms the delivery methods with which businesses train employees, it boasts the potential to improve learning, engagement, retention and outcomes, all with eyes to the future.
