How to make Enhanced Action Based Learning successful?

Alicja King | 25.10.2022

In my previous article (which you can read here) I detailed what Enforced Action Based Learning is, the positives, pitfalls and the promotion we have for those who want to use this highly-effective learning strategy.

But I want to make sure that those who are interested get the best guidance on how to achieve a successful EABL. So here’s what you must consider to get started:

Avoid pitfalls

Avoiding pitfalls associated with eLearning of all kinds is needed to ensure your Enhanced Action Based Learning strategy is successful. Discover the pitfalls associated with EABL and how to avoid them, with myskillcamp.

Communicate the risks of missing out

People are far more likely to pay attention and complete a task if the risk of error is high or feedback is poor. It’s important that L&D both incentivise the completion of micro-actions and communicate the risks of skipping them.

Incentives: This can be positive feedback after each micro-action is completed, to take this effort into account during reviews, monetary or other physical incentives when a certain number of micro-actions are complete. Myskillcamp also uses gamification as an incentive to complete each challenge.
Another incentive is reminding learners that (much like with Challenge Based Learning) the benefit to them is in doing the challenge rather than the result they get at the end. It’s not about judging their efforts, it’s about them trying out what they’ve learned in an ‘on the job’ scenario.
Risks: L&D and management must communicate that by completing the micro-actions, employees are turning short-term knowledge into lifetime skills, and upskilling can lead to advancements in careers. Not doing this can lead to stagnation and wasted time doing the course in the first place!

Gather proof

Unlike Challenge Based Learning, learners need to prove that they’re completing the micro-actions, not just to show that they’re doing the work, but so you can see the results and get their feedback (which helps make the courses better over time).

Although you can use essays, reports, spreadsheets, there will be a large amount of manual analysis of data involved which can take a lot of time.

With myskillcamp, this process can be done automatically via the platform with the analysis being done by machine learning.

Overall, ensure that supplying the proof to the L&D team is very simple and quick so you don’t miss out on any analytics.

Reflection as a group

Looking at the 70/20/10 model, learning time is divided up as follows: 10% of learning takes place during content-based learning, 20% is built up through exchanges with colleagues and others.

Therefore, the process of reflecting on what employees have learned as part of a group is a large part of making learning successful and retained. Similarly, results from a study on Action Based Learning found that group learning improved team efficacy by 34% and grew the initiative to problem solve by 33%.

Be aware of the learning pyramid

In the past, passive forms of learning was the only choice, or at least, the only form of learning considered. But we’ve seen that being passive isn’t conducive to retaining knowledge (and more importantly, upskilling).

This pyramid shows that Enhanced Action Based Learning is much more effective and can build upon the more passive content you may already have. The best thing to do is review your current content, update, optimise and build it into Adaptive Learning paths for your employees to benefit from.

Need help with content? If so, check out myskillcamp’s content marketplace; with over 300,000 courses, in 18 languages, from well-known content providers.

Adaptive Learning Paths

Adaptive Learning is the practice of using AI, machine learning algorithms and human methods to deliver customised training methods and resources to learners based on their needs, interests and learning history.

Not only is this important as personalisation increases user engagement by 76%, reduces course failure by 49% and increases return on learning by 46%, but it makes up the backbone of all successful Enhanced Action Based Learning Strategies.

Looking at the 70/20/10 model again, To ensure you have this distribution, (as well as high levels of personalisation) an adaptive learning path with multimedia is ideal.
The overarching characteristic of Enhanced Action Based Learning is the inclusion of ongoing micro-activities that learners complete throughout their course(s) to turn ‘knowledge’ into ‘skills’. To do this, micro-actions need to mirror the courses they follow and become progressively more difficult. A learning path naturally follows a climbing difficulty level so it’s ideal for deploying an Enhanced Action-Based Learning strategy.

With myskillcamp you can build Adaptive Learning journeys, discover them here.

Retention Capabilities

A large portion of Enhanced Action Based Learning is the ‘enhancement’. It’s simply not enough to set micro-actions and hope your learners will do them after each course!

With myskillcamp and Domoscio, for example, our retention capabilities shows if a learner has retained knowledge and also helps them apply that knowledge at work to turn knowledge into skills.

Applying this knowledge is the most important part of the learning process, (looking at the 70/20/10 model for the final time) it makes up the vast majority of what makes learning successful.

This is done easily by setting up micro-actions after course completion in the learning environment.
Each learner has a set amount of time to complete their micro-action and will be reminded on their learning platform and receive short ‘nudge’ messages on their smartphone when they have the app.
Gamification is also deployed in the form of a challenging ‘Learning reinforcement level’ bar.
Learners will also be encouraged to give feedback on their micro-actions which is priceless data for course creators and managers to monitor learner progress.

With myskillcamp you set up Retention Capabilities and Micro-actions as part of a special promotion. Find out about it here.