For several years, foreign specialists in the field of training and development (L&D) have emphasized the need to rethink and structure internal training. Instead of endlessly creating new courses, we should move to the role of learning curators. At the end of 2022, this topic has become relevant again. Let's consider what experts mean and how to adapt to this new reality. The focus should be on the quality and effectiveness of learning, not the quantity of content created. The shift to curation will allow for more targeted use of resources and the creation of learning programs that truly meet the needs of employees and the company as a whole.
What is learning curation and why is it important?
For those unfamiliar with the term curation in the context of learning, Jennifer Juo, Content Marketing Team Lead at Udemy for Business, offers the following definition: Curation is the art of selecting and organizing information that is relevant to the current context and tasks. Simply put, curation is about providing employees with the right learning resources at the right time, using materials that are already available. This process helps optimize learning, making it more targeted and effective. Curation plays a vital role in corporate learning, allowing organizations to tailor content to the specific needs and requirements of their employees.
The shift in the role of L&D from learning developers to curators is driven by several key factors. In her article for TrainingZone, learning consultant Sheridan Webb emphasizes that changing employee learning needs and the desire for personalized learning require a new approach. L&D is now becoming less focused on content creation and more focused on selecting and organizing resources that support the learning process. This shift allows for better meeting learner needs and increasing the effectiveness of educational programs.
- Training, including corporate training, has become hybrid, which means it requires abandoning past approaches.
- There is too much content—it is difficult to create anything truly new (simply put, any new courses essentially replicate similar ones in an effort to make them even better, more complete, and more effective).
- Changes are happening too quickly, and training cannot always keep up, but it must be available "here and now," that is, at the right time and in the right volumes.
According to the expert, current trends are leading to a transformation in the role of L&D and corporate training in general. A prerequisite for successful training is the abandonment of creating lengthy programs and the need to become an expert in each topic that needs to be mastered. In a rapidly changing market, it is important to adapt approaches to training, focusing on short-term and targeted modules that meet the current requirements of business and employees.
Modern education requires teachers to be one step ahead of their students. This implies the need to "let go" of the pursuit of perfection and focus on what "good enough" may be entirely acceptable. Sheridan Webb emphasizes the importance of this approach, which allows teachers to adapt to student needs and use their resources effectively. Accepting the realities of the educational process and flexibility in approaches will help create a more productive learning environment. Curation should not be seen as simply structuring content. David James, Director of Corporate Learning at 360Learning and former head of L&D at The Walt Disney Company, emphasizes the importance of careful analysis and use of data. This is necessary to meet the real needs of a specific company and achieve proactive results. To approach curation consciously, it is necessary to consider the characteristics of the target audience, current industry trends, and strategic business goals. Thus, curation becomes not only a content organization tool, but also an important element of a company's strategic development.
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Renting courses for corporate training: is it worth it?
Corporate training is becoming increasingly relevant for companies seeking to improve employee skills and performance. One option for organizing such training is course rental. But is this service worth investing in?
The advantages of renting courses for corporate training are obvious. Firstly, it allows you to reduce the costs of developing your own programs and materials. Secondly, companies gain access to proven and high-quality courses, which can significantly speed up the learning process. In addition, renting courses provides the opportunity to flexibly tailor training to the specific needs of your business, choosing the most relevant topics and formats.
However, it is worth considering some disadvantages. Renting courses may not always meet your company's unique requirements. It's important to carefully select providers to avoid low-quality materials and instructors. It's also important to consider that renting courses may limit your ability to further develop and customize your training program.
When deciding whether to rent courses for corporate training, it's important to weigh the pros and cons, assess your team's needs, and determine how renting courses meets your goals and expectations. Ultimately, making the right choice can reap significant benefits for your company.
How to Curate Content: 10 Tips
Sheridan Webb offers ten effective practices to help learning and development (L&D) departments move from a traditional approach to creating training materials to a more modern curation approach. These practices contribute to improved learning quality, increased employee engagement, and streamlined processes. By applying these methods, organizations will be able to more effectively manage knowledge and resources, ultimately leading to improved learning outcomes and employee career development.
- Switch to networking. There's no need to be a "know-it-all" anymore—it's much better to assemble a pool of internal experts from within the company who will be trusted significantly more than you.
- Forget about perfectionism. It's better to provide useful information on time, even if it doesn't completely meet a request, than to prepare a perfect, but now useless course that was needed the day before yesterday (otherwise, you'll never keep up with current needs).
- Accept some chaos. Of course, everyone wants to turn their course catalog into a perfectly user-friendly service and fit everything into a single LMS. In reality, not every course or other educational material has its own suitable category, not everything fits into a single format—and that's okay. The main thing is that the final product brings value to employees.
- Freely share your developments. Don't cling to your know-how—you want the course you create to help those who really need it, not just sit on a shelf collecting dust.
- Be alert. Constantly seek out interesting solutions and develop your insight. Ideally, you should create a catalog of ideas so you can quickly use what you need, combining the approach you've found with existing material.
- Be curious. It's useful to seek inspiration not only in the specifics of a particular company, but also "on the side."
- Keep your business in mind. The better you understand the needs of the company and its employees, the easier it will be to predict what will be useful at any given moment. This may well motivate people to learn outside of work.
- Highlight the most interesting things. The more content in the company catalog, the more difficult it is to navigate it, so it's worth giving employees hints on where to find the material they need.
- Simplify access to training. A long chain of approvals with management is unlikely to encourage anyone to learn. Ideally, you should make sure that employees can choose the training themselves, and that access to it is open and does not require any extra actions.
- Implement peer-to-peer training. Mentoring and creating a community are one of the surest ways to give people what they need at the right time.
Study additional materials:
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