Who C.A.R.E.S.!? How Learning Got Its Bad Rap & What We Can Do About It

In this informative webinar, Treion Muller, Chief Strategy Architect at ELB Learning, shares his expertise on how to teach "mutant learners" (more on those later). He explains how learning has changed and how we can navigate it all for the best results. 

His 3 objectives for the webinar are to:

1. Re-evaluate what we think we know about our learners.
2. Rethink the “space between” where our learners are and where they need to be.
3. Redesign our learning experiences with the CARES Learning Effectiveness Framework in mind.

Let’s start with the first objective.

Re-evaluate what we think we know about our learners

The learning world has adapted to include a host of online tools and new methods. The new reality of learning is vastly different than it used to be.

The New Learning Reality

• The community is the new expert
• Your mobile device is your new BFF
• There is more info than you need or can handle
• Video has emerged as the new golden child
• Millennials and younger generations influence the world
• Keeping up will be impossible

As learners in this new reality, we’ve mutated. Being a mutant learner means you are constantly making time to learn using technology, you want learning to be concise and to the point, you want the learning experience to look and feel good, and want to choose your own path of learning.

As the trainers in this new reality, we need to know how to best work with our mutant learners. How do we get them from point A (where they are) to point B (where they need to be)?

How do we navigate the space between A and B?

Rethink the “space between” where our learners are and where they need to be.

As of 2022, Muller says there are 10 dimensions of learning, and training courses are made using a blend of them. With these dimensions, there’s not just one correct way. Any of the million combinations can be effective. It all began with in-person instruction and has since expanded to also include live-online instruction, asynchronous online, blended solutions, video-based learning, microlearning, gamification, adaptive intelligence, and artificial intelligence. With this expansion, learning has become personalized to the learner making it more effective and accessible than ever before.

Redesign our learning experiences with the CARES Learning Effectiveness Framework in mind.

C ontent

A pplication & Accountability

R eflection, Routines, & Reinforcement:

E valuation

S ocialization & Sharing

No one CARES about your training because it isn’t concise, to the point, well designed, in the format that the learner wants it, and it doesn’t meet the learner where they are. Learners have a lot on their plate; a lot of other things they could be and probably would rather be doing. Training must be designed with this in mind: Reaching a results and reality equilibrium. There has got to be a balance between your objective of getting the learner to point B and the learner’s reality. The CARES model is a framework to build within. It helps to keep the training in equilibrium with the learner’s reality.

Content:

   Do you have the subject matter?

Application & Accountability: 

   Is there a plan of application and a checkpoint for accountability?

Reflection, Routines, & Reinforcement: 

   Is there time built into the course for learners to reflect?

   Are there opportunities for learners to create routines with the skills they’re learning?

   Are there triggers set up to reinforce skills over time?

Evaluation:

   How do you evaluate the efficiency of your learning experiences?

Socialization & Sharing:

   How can learners share their successes and struggles?

   How can mentors share their advice?

Not every component of the CARES model needs to be used. Make sure you aren’t forcing a way for any of the components. Do your best to naturally incorporate as many as you can.

Some things to remember:

• The learning reality has changed and so have your learners.
• There are many ways to effectively get your learners from point A to point B.
• Use the CARES Learning Effectiveness Framework to balance your objectives and the learners’ reality. 

To learn more, watch Treion Muller’s webinar Who CARES? How Learning Got Its Bad Rap and What We Can Do About It.