New Trends in Social Learning & Development Part 2

Today, let’s take a look at some more “truths” from the SkillSoft “The Eight Truths of Social Learning. Now white paper with a focus on how this type of learning impacts new hires.


Truth #2 – Employees are Overloaded with Information

Albert Einstein is often credited as saying: “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” However, the folks at SkillSoft argue that one of the tools that inundates us all with way too much data can actually be used to help solve the problem of information overload. They might have a point. For example, a kind of collaborative sifting happens when a group of coworkers have access to the same library of learning and development content. The process tends to highlight the resources that have the greatest real-world value since those are the ones that people repost, “like”, and comment on. When a new hire is introduced to this system during onboarding, he or she can jumpstart self-directed learning by finding out what current employees find most useful.

Truth #3 – Social Learning should be Part of a Blended Approach

Here’s another 3 legged stool analogy that relates to blended learning strategies. Employers may see better results if they use in-person instruction, e-learning, and social learning together. That’s because the sum is greater than the whole of its parts when it comes to how people absorb new information. In-person instruction allows for face to face interaction to provide a sense of connection. E-learning offers participants the leeway to move at their own pace. Social learning presents a great environment for give and take both in real-time and as a follow on to initial instruction.

New hires who enter a work culture knowing that they will have ongoing mentor support from a whole group of coworkers via a social network may feel less stress during initial training. Our Acculturation Portal can play a role in introducing new employees into the social network. It interfaces with Microsoft SharePoint and other intranet platforms to provide a seamless transition into full interactivity.