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13 November 2024

Optimal Learning Experience

Discover the perfect formula that allows you to immerse yourself in a task to the point of forgetting the world around you…

3 Ingredients in an Optimal Learning Experience

Imagine someone completely immersed in a learning task. At the beginning, there is some hesitation, some trial and some error, but slowly, the outside world melts away and their knowledge naturally aligns itself to resolve, create and complete the challenge. The individual is completely absorbed. This state of harmony is what Mihály Csíkszentmihályi calls flow. In learning terms, it is the optimal learning experience.

Magic Formula

Often described by musicians and athletes, this state of complete harmony is full of valuable insights for designing and calibrating truly engaging training programs. By unpacking the elements of flow, Csíkszentmihályi advances that the zone of optimal learning is at the exact point where an individual’s skill can meet a given challenge. Too easy, they get bored, too hard they get discouraged. Stating the obvious? Perhaps, but in digging into the subtleties of how this is achieved, several leverage points can help intensify the relevance and clarity of the learning experience.

1: Connect with your Audience

Imagine a trainer preparing a session for new managers. Instead of beginning the training with basic concepts, a question is asked: “Can you think of a person who truly inspired you”? To create an optimal learning experience, one of the first things to set the stage is to connect to the audience by leveraging their previous knowledge as a foundation. No matter the subject or the complexity of the material, connecting with the individual following the training feeds a sense of security and belonging that is essential to building confidence.

2: Calibrate your Challenges

The second crucial element in feeding motivation: create realistic challenges. So much easier said than done. Let’s take a child faced with the challenge of building a castle. Simply giving the instruction and emptying the box on the floor is likely to be overwhelming. However, if the first task is a door, then a tower and then maybe the roof, the child will likely gain confidence with each success. The same goes for your audience. Start by understanding the real-life application, or in this case the result, and then structure instruction and exercises in smaller steps leading to the ultimate goal. Each step should be a project of its own, thus creating constant engagement and a sense of progress.

3: Give Feedback

Interestingly, a significant portion of Csíkszentmihályi book focuses on feedback—almost to the point of wondering if the feedback is more crucial than the content itself. He gives a fascinating example of WWII prisoners who, to stay intellectually and emotionally stimulated, would recall poems, and stanza by stanza, would teach each other the texts. Here the mechanism of feedback is quite subtle and so very humane: by hearing themselves say the words they could validate their knowledge. Then, the active listening of the other prisoner would reinforce the feeling of competence and connection. Each new stanza would feel like progress even under conditions of isolation, malnutrition, violence and the total absence of freedom.

Adaptive Difficulty

Today, far from that time, the notion of optimal learning (or challenge) is at the heart of the video game industry. This notion has no doubt directly or indirectly influenced the development of AI-generated “adaptive difficulty”. For example, in the games Resident Evil 4 and Mario Kart, the level of difficulty will adapt itself to the skill level of the various users. As a result, user skill, precise calibration and feedback happen in milliseconds. This is yet another example of how AI can also be an ally in learning.

Just like the new manager feeling like their knowledge matters, the child building a castle step by step and the prisoner hanging onto intellectual stimulation to survive, the experience of “flow”, and harmony in learning, is so very potent. Becoming aware of the dynamics that underpin this state can guide us toward creating sharper, more captivating learning experiences. By putting together the three main ingredients – connect with your audience, calibrate challenges and give timely feedback – you have the formula for learning experiences infused with what we can call HI “human intelligence”.

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Optimal Learning Experience

Gradually, the outside world fades away, ideas fall into place, and the person, fully absorbed, effortlessly solves the challenge; this state is called "flow."
View this blog post

27 May 2024

Neurodiversity: 5 reasons to celebrate difference

Neurodiversity and neurodivergence are two closely related but distinct concepts in psychology and neuroscience. Essentially, neurodivergence refers to the cognitive functions of neurodivergent people that are atypical in their processing of information compared to the dominant social or cultural norm. Neurodiversity, on the other hand, recognizes and celebrates these varieties of cognitive styles.

Neurodiversity: 5 reasons to celebrate difference

People with autism, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or Tourette’s syndrome are among the neurodivergent individuals who need to be considered when developing online training so that they can benefit from it just as everyone else.

Because their cognitive style is different, instructional design teams must understand their particular needs in order to offer an optimal, motivating, and effective learning experience.

Inclusion

Online training courses that apply WCAG 2.0 accessibility standards (see post on accessibility) are generally adapted for neurodivergent people: streamlined styles, clarity of instructions, ability to adjust sound volume, consistency in presentation and instructions, etc.

Why would a company choose to comply with these standards? What’s in it for them?

Simple!

It’s about ensuring that all members of the organization feel included and considered within the company. This particular consideration is reflected in work motivation, a sense of belonging and the productivity of people at work, among other things.

Creativity

Due to their unique life experiences, neurodivergent individuals often develop more divergent and innovative thinking, allowing them to perceive multiple options simultaneously. They might also possess a particular passion and expertise in a specific area or have a heightened ability to recognize trends and patterns that others might overlook.

Ensuring that neurodivergent individuals have access to online training tailored to their needs benefits a company by fostering and supporting their creativity, innovative spirit, and unique perspectives.

Work culture

A company that considers the needs of all its team members is generally a great place to grow professionally. Employees who feel accepted and celebrated in all their differences are more eager and productive in their respective roles.

This creates a positive work climate where people experience a sense of security and openness.

Return on Investment

Training employees, from the moment they onboard, and on an ongoing basis thereafter, is universally recognized as good practice.

The development of online training courses accessible to all certainly requires a slightly greater investment. However, the benefits in terms of productivity, employee stability within a company, and the possibility of leveraging increased creativity are well worth the greater investment.

Brand image

Seeing people with neurodivergences as corporate assets makes them excellent ambassadors for the company they work for.

And let’s not forget that this attitude usually also applied to the company’s customer base.

Together, these two poles go a long way towards enhancing a company’s brand image, which usually has an impact on market share.

In closing, it is important to highlight some initiatives undertaken in the past within companies that have left a positive mark for the inclusion of neurodivergent people.

The Autism at Work program at SAP (a multinational software company); the initiative to hire autistic or neurodivergent people at Microsoft; the EY Neurodiverse Center of Excellence at Ernst&Young.

Makes you want to celebrate, doesn’t it?

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Optimal Learning Experience

Gradually, the outside world fades away, ideas fall into place, and the person, fully absorbed, effortlessly solves the challenge; this state is called "flow."
View this blog post

28 March 2024

Instructional Designer? What Is It?

Most of the time, people don’t know what an instructional designer is or does. The short answer is that they design training courses for a variety of companies. Usually, this answer is enough, but perhaps it would be useful to explain in greater detail. So, in case you too are wondering, here it is…

Instructional Designer? What Is It?

Where andragogy, company training needs and technology meet.

Instructional design and andragogy have many areas of expertise and action in common, not least of which is the optimization of adult learning.

Let’s say you need to train your staff on how best to deliver outstanding customer service in your establishment. Many reasons have led you to decide e-learning was the preferred method of training delivery.

Identifying training needs

The specific role of an instructional designer is to accompany you throughout this project.

He or she will ask you many questions about what your company does, its values, and what concrete results are expected at the end of the training.

He or she will also work with you to capture the learners’ driving characteristics: who they are, what they know, what they’re lacking, what they think, what motivates them, whether they have accessibility needs, and so on.

The instructional designer completes the preliminary analysis with an in-depth understanding of the learning context of the learners: how much time they have to complete the training, what devices they use to access it, what resources are available, etc.?

Targeting learning outcomes

The instructional designer then ensures that the objectives are clear, solidly built, observable and measurable.

It must be clear what people will be able to do at the end of the training.

As the work context is not that of a school, the learning outcomes differ from those used in the school system. The focus is on actions and behaviors, although attitudinal objectives can also be used.

For example, in the case of your company, one of the objective would be: employees adapt their interactions to customer type depending on the circumstances.

Choosing the approach and activities

Depending on the project’s scope and budget, the instructional designer will suggest a pedagogical approach that integrates the visual line (provided by fellow UX/UI designers!) and supports the learning experience.

In your case, a photo or video approach to show how it’s done would be most appropriate. Interactive integration, discovery, and situational activities round out the learning experience.

Determining assessment needs

The instructional designer will work with you to determine whether you need to validate skills or knowledge of the techniques acquired at the end of the course, how the assessment should be carried out and what it should cover.

These assessments can take place online, in the form of interactive quizzes or situational activities. They can also be administered in person, by a supervisor who will assess whether a customer’s service experience with the trainee meets your company’s standards.

An optimal learning experience

Whatever options you choose, the instructional designer always has the trainee’s learning experience in mind.

Is it intuitive? Is it effective? Is it clear? Is it engaging and motivating?

Finally, online training is designed to meet the specific needs of all learners, highlighting their individual strengths and challenges. It is therefore essential to place them at the centre of the instructional design to help them perfect their knowledge and skills so they increase their productivity at work.

So, for the next online training course you want to develop, it will be the instructional designer’s pleasure and duty to bring you the best of his or her expertise!

More articles

More to discover!

Optimal Learning Experience

Gradually, the outside world fades away, ideas fall into place, and the person, fully absorbed, effortlessly solves the challenge; this state is called "flow."
View this blog post