From the moment we’re born, human beings are constantly learning. Throughout our lives, we encounter various learning formats that can make the process easier or more difficult. The key is to combine the tools we have at our disposal to increase knowledge retention without losing student motivation.
Before the 1990s, business training was associated with combinations of texts and face-to-face examinations. However, the emergence of e-learning has offered a new option to encourage remote learning online. But is this the solution that HR professionals require to help employees achieve the results the organization needs?
In Search of the Solution
With the rise of e-learning, many companies began to transition their training to the online realm. Unfortunately, the results remained the same: Training was still perceived as boring by employees as it was limited to course material in text, image, and video format. Being 100 percent digital was not enough.
Conversely, training that’s effective stands out for being able to keep employees engaged and motivated throughout the course, as well as providing practical content that’s applicable to their lives. It should also keep up with the trends and provide innovative formats in-line with technological advances.
Ultimately, neither employees nor managers were getting the training results they wanted with the digital formats being implemented over the course of 2020.
Gamelearn’s Contradictions of Corporate Training 2021 report delves into the root cause of this problem, comparing perspectives between more than 1,500 HR and L&D professionals and employees. Fifty-two percent of professionals believe that simulations of real-life situations would improve their online courses’ efficiency and attractiveness to employees. Gamification also stands out for almost 40 percent of HR professionals when it comes to engaging students in their training.
When employees were asked which format they prefer for their training, the results are in-line with the modern technologies and techniques being implemented today. Forty-five percent of employees claimed to want to learn skills by playing video games and 39 percent asked for more elements of gamification within their course material. Both are highly related, as gamification elements are one of the core pillars when it comes to creating a video game.
If both HR professionals and employees agree on the kind of training formats and techniques they want, why aren’t employees receiving the training they expect?
Game-Based Learning: The Solution Everyone Needs
Technology advances at the same time as employees’ preferences and needs. That’s why the teams responsible for talent development must stay attentive and keep up with the trends. The most observant have already realized that methodologies such as game-based learning meet not only their training and business objectives but also their employees’ expectations.
Game-based learning is based on three main points:
● Gamification and storytelling that’s attractive to professionals and appeals to their sense of competition
● Top-quality and useful content that teaches all the skills employees need to thrive in their jobs, and their daily lives
● Real-life simulations with personalized feedback which allow learners to practice useful skills in realistic but safe environments
All these factors work together to boost students’ engagement and motivation, increasing retention, and ensure they learn practical and valuable skills.
Now that you know what employees expect, will you choose the training that satisfies everyone’s needs?