Paper-based learning was on the ropes before smartphones and tablets arrived but now it’s down for the count. If you’re still using notebooks and binders for your staff education, you are falling further behind your competition every day. Allow us to come out swinging in favor of digital learning.
Cost savings
Paper training is simply a waste of time and materials. Instead printing new revisions of paperwork, create the content and automatically sync with your company’s digital devices. This then saves your managers’ time from needing to receive and replace the paper documents.
Mobile
When you have a paper-based learning approach, employees’ learning happens far removed from where their job actually is. Mobile devices put digital learning in their hands so they associate the lessons with the work environment.
Better retention
More and more Learning Management Systems (LMS) are making use of video to teach and train because the brain is better at processing visual information than text. This makes sense as the written word is a fairy recent technology in the line of history. Watching videos is a much more efficient way of learning, with microlearning videos (short content 30 seconds to 3 minutes in length) able to augment lessons while on the retail floor or kitchen line.
Instant feedback within the LMS
If you put an employee in a back room for their training, their questions may go unanswered, or they may forget to ask altogether. Many Learning Management Systems have messaging features built in so that learners don’t need to disengage from the lesson to ask questions or provide feedback. Managers can then incorporate those questions and answers in future lessons, creating a more complete training module for the learners that follow.
Instant scoring & analytics
It can be important to rate employee comprehension and knowledge through tests and quizzes, but paper forms need to be collated and graded by hand (few organizations have the funds or room for bubble sheet scanners). Online learning methods allow for the immediate display of results to both managers and staff, eliminating employee anxiety around waiting for the test score.
Dashboards/At-A-Glance stats
The advantage of tracking results data on the computer is the availability of dashboards for visualizing learning statistics. You can generate visual reports based on location, job function, title, and many other criteria. This feature benefits managers and executives who need information quickly without having to sift through sheets of test result data.
The move to digital learning doesn’t have to be costly or time-consuming. Start small with online tools and implement the initial program for one location or region. As you realize the monetary, operational, and efficiency benefits, you can expand the plan for the rest of your organization. You’ll be knocked out by the results.
