Make them relevant, engaging and usable
According to the Harvard Business Review, curated learning journeys are educational activities and experiences in a variety of modalities, including courses, videos, articles, and podcasts. They are designed to help students bridge their skill gaps and improve at work. Curated learning journeys are the foundation of personalized learning. This means they can be tailored to individual students’ needs and interests, helping them build the skills they need to succeed in employment. Learning Experience Systems (LXPs) and Learning Management Systems (LMS) offer several features for L&D teams to create and manage learning journeys.
What are the benefits of curatorial learning journeys?
Coursed learning pathways offer students several advantages, including clarity, flexibility and agency for their lifelong learning.
Brightness
The benefit of curated learning paths is that they provide individuals with a clear learning path. Unlike traditional education, which can often be confusing and overwhelming, they offer individuals a clear roadmap to acquire the skills and knowledge they need. This means that curatorial journeys will need to include a description of what the learner will encounter on their learning journey, how long each asset in the journey will take to complete and what their return on investment (ROTI) will be.
Flexibility
Another advantage of curated learning paths is that they are flexible. Unlike traditional education, which is often rigid and inflexible, curated learning pathways are designed to be flexible and adaptable to individual needs and schedules. This means that individuals can acquire the skills they need in their own time, at their own pace and in the way they prefer. Coursed learning pathways offer flexibility as they save time as resources are already screened and selected. Students don’t have to spend hours searching for resources that are relevant to their learning goals.
Agency
Learning Pathways provide students with freedom and ownership of their learning journeys and can help them cultivate their lifelong learning. McKinsey’s research shows that students and organizations that approach learning as a mindset rather than a one-off learning of a skill tend to learn better and faster, which in turn helps in dealing with change. Research by psychologist Robert Keegan has revealed that students want to hide their weaker areas of knowledge and as a result hesitate to ask for help. Educational pathways offer them the agency to deal with this tendency and learn on their own, with material tailored to them. Now they don’t have to ask for help because it is easily available at their fingertips.
Structuring curatorial learning paths
Learning And Development organizations can curate learning paths with content they would like students to complete and also offer the option of open paths. These allow the system algorithm to curate content from various sources available online. These can include articles, TED Talks, videos, tools and infographics that relate to a specific topic of interest to the student. When structuring curatorial learning journeys, it is essential to consider the following 5 tactics to ensure the journeys are engaging, relevant, measurable, accessible and actionable.
5 tactics in curatorial educational journeys
Engaging
Curated teaching content must be engaging and inspiring for students. This means content should be sharp, inviting and exciting, as opposed to dense, dated and daunting.
Relevant
The content of the curatorial training program should be relevant, up-to-date and of high quality. This means that the content should be based on the latest research and industry best practices and should be designed to meet the needs of the individual. Curated Learning Paths provide high-quality resources that have been vetted and approved by industry experts. This ensures that students receive accurate and up-to-date information that is relevant to their educational goals.
Measurable
The learning objectives of the trips should be clear and measurable. This means that individuals should know what you expect them to learn, how long it will take them to complete each learning experience, and how to track their progress.
Accessible
Curated learning paths must be easily accessible on all devices, especially smartphones, so that students can benefit from learning wherever, whenever, and in whatever modality they choose. Because they are available online, they make learning easier and more accessible to students who may not have the opportunity to attend face-to-face training. This can be especially useful for students who live in remote areas or who have limited access to traditional learning resources.
Action
Learning assets curated within a learning journey should be meaningful and actionable. This means that students can engage in learning experiences that offer them opportunities to practice their knowledge and skills and clearly connect the dots about how they will apply those skills in their work. Students can choose the resources most relevant to their learning goals and progress through the journey at their own pace. This ensures that the learner is not overwhelmed by irrelevant information and can focus on the areas where they need the most support, learning skills and putting them into practice.
Conclusion
In this era of accelerating and constant change, students are exposed to information overload and digital distractions that prevent them from learning effectively and efficiently. Coursed learning pathways offer students clarity about what they need to know and why, flexibility in when, where and how to learn, and the ability to own their learning journey. As an L&D leader, you can address this student challenge by successfully curating learning journeys. In these, you will need to include learning resources that you have carefully selected and organized to help students achieve specific learning goals and close the skills gap. These learning resources can consist of online micro-learning, articles, videos, podcasts, and more to provide students with a clear roadmap for their learning journey. Key tactics to consider when curating journeys include ensuring that journeys are engaging, relevant, measurable, accessible and actionable. Curated Learning Paths are a powerful learning tool that offers students personalized, tailored content across multiple modalities to help them bridge skills gaps, improve problem-solving at work, and grow personally and professionally.
