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High Tech + High Touch = 21st Century Learning

By Holly MacDonald

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel” - Socrates

Many in training and development roles have had the request: “I’ve heard that insert type of technology here is great; we need to do that.” It’s a tough position to be in. You are eager to try out new types of technology, but aren’t sure it’s a good fit. What you need is a holistic solution.

Enter 21^st century learning. This approach blends the best of what technology has to offer, but builds on the principles of adult learning which have evolved over time, since the development of the Socratic method of learning.  Think of Google as the poster child for 21^st century learning. All you need are great questions, an internet connection and a keyboard and you can ask a million different questions and find billions of answers.

Twenty-first century learning also redresses the out-dated curriculum-driven approach by putting the learner firmly in charge. It is about balancing “high touch” learning, which emphasizes the human need for connection and interaction with the “high tech” – at your fingertips, search engine optimized, self-driven learning.

Many of us are familiar with the “high touch” learning options, such as classroom training or coaching, but “high-tech” seems more complex and ever-changing. Plus, the “e” part of e-learning seems to get more attention than the “learning” side. There are so many new gadgets, gizmos and online technologies that it can seem overwhelming just to keep up, let alone determine how and when to use them. 

How can high tech help?

As little as a decade ago, technology was developed for single purpose. Google was in beta. Today’s technology no longer provides one-use tools for training, communication or support, but multiple applications.

You need to ask: what does your learner need?

“I Need Help”

Task specific help is required for oft-changing or infrequent activities. Training is not the best option for these situations but performance support is perfectly suited. Performance support used to take the form of procedure manuals, checklists, job aids and when in doubt ask a co-worker, but technology offers a broader set of options, particularly the electronic performance support system (EPSS), which is:

"an integrated electronic environment that is available to and easily accessible by each employee and is structured to provide immediate, individualized on-line access to the full range of information, software, guidance, advice and assistance, data, images, tools, and assessment and monitoring systems to permit job performance with minimal support and intervention by others." [1]

These don’t have to just be online help systems, but include wizards, decision-tree builders, FAQs, remote desktops, training databases, scripted activities and search engines among many other options to utilize the best high tech methods.

“I Need to Learn”

High tech or online training relies on electronic technology to design and/or deliver job-essential knowledge or skill training, when you need employees to incorporate it into their every day work behaviours. Online training can be broken down into two broad categories: synchronous and asynchronous. 

Just as high touch training comes in many forms, online training can also help employees learn on their own, in a group or with an expert. Webinars, self-paced courses, online scavenger hunts, simulations, e-coaching and a myriad of other online training solutions can be used.

 “I Need to Connect”

Blogs. Facebook. Second Life. LinkedIn. Twitter. Delcious. These are all considered “social networking” tools, a way to enable social connections via technology. While these aren’t necessarily always appropriate for corporate communications, there are tools that help employees access information or experts that they need to do their job, to increase their affiliation with a team or organization or perhaps even to exchange ideas and generate innovative solutions at the work site. Intranets, wikis, online communities of practice, podcasts, and blogs all allow employees to connect.

Putting it into practice

Socrates felt that the best learning came from formulating and asking great questions. Why not start with these:

•         What is the impact on organizational culture? You should complete a “high tech learning readiness” assessment as part of your exploratory phase to determine how “high tech” your employees are ready to go.

•         What might be the return on investment? Make the business case – you may have a strategy that suggests high tech is a good option, but if it costs more than the benefits it provides, don’t do it, or scale it back. Go big or go home is only an option, not an imperative.

•         How to engage other stakeholders in the organization?  IT, Operations or HR (depending on where your training organization reports), marketing, employee communications, help desk, product development, quality assurance, all have a stake in a 21^st century learning strategy – you need to engage these folks early in the thinking process to determine if there are organizational initiatives underway, resources that can be pooled, resistance to explore, etc. Don’t be a lone pioneer. 21^st century learning is an organizational initiative.

Use high tech learning to answer your questions – Google, wikis, blogs, webinars, online communities of practice (e.g. LinkedIn) and any other tool that will provide you with information. When you have answered these questions, you’ll likely have many more to ponder and explore, but that’s the beauty of 21^st century learning.

Making Socrates Proud

We have centuries of learning philosophies, plus decades of research at our disposal on: cognitive brain function, human computer interaction, social learning; coupled with unprecedented technological innovation within a fundamentally new knowledge economy. If we are able to steer our organizations to a 21^st century holistic learning approach: learner-centered, inquisitive, supported by a range of high-touch and high-tech options, we would make Socrates proud.

Holly MacDonald is a People Strategist with over 15 years in the learning and organization development field. She has a passion for helping organizations develop their talent in the most effective and efficient way, using 21^st century technology to maximize the investment. 

[1] Glory Gery, Electronic Performance Support Systems.

Reprinted from PeopleTalk Magazine, Spring 2009

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