Dive Brief:
- How can we build more engagement with online learning? Online course completion is dismal, around 3 to 7% at best, according to Medium. People who normally embrace lifelong learning tend to drop off after viewing a few online modules. An unlikely answer has appeared in the form of music platform Spotify and its method of engaging listeners.
- Spotify requires users to be active in their search for new music, and online learning could leverage a similar search and preview tactic to deliver content on demand. Learners should be encouraged to discover complimentary apps and other learning materials like they would search for new albums and artists.
- The user experience should also allow for personalization, provide friendly tools for course creators and connect to learning communities. It's also debatable whether the pricing and subscription model would mirror Spotify's micropayments-based configuration.
Dive Insight:
When the first lifelong learning platforms and corporate learning platforms emerged, they had very little to do with the end-user experience. At best, they were clunky and hard to navigate. Before learners took all the lessons or even the assessment, many times they had already lost interest and didn't return.
Employees demand a lot of things from a user-friendly learning environment. They want to search for the content that they want to learn in the moment using short, targeted content feeds, much like Spotify playlists. At the same time, participants need a community of learners that encourages their participation and holds them accountable. All of these elements must come together in one cohesive platform.
Corporate learning and development teams can absolutely increase employee engagement by modeling course delivery after Spotify. Adults have ever-decreasing attention spans, and employers are already investing learning communities that focus on giving employees freedom when it comes to learning new skills. Others, like LinkedIn, have changed the content itself, making modules more accessible to those with different learning styles.
