Several years ago, we transitioned from being “training professionals” to “learning professionals.” I think this transition was a more effective representation of the role learning professionals were beginning to play as self-paced e-Learning and blended learning solutions became more widely used. Our role of actively training workers changed to the role of creating the tools and environment that gave workers the opportunity to learn. In this change, the worker took the active role in gaining knowledge and was no longer a passive recipient. As an industry, we stopped using the term “training professional” and began using the term “learning professional.” At this time, e-Learning or technology-based learning was still a small percentage of most businesses learning content portfolios.
Now, I am wondering if the term “learning professional” needs to transition but not for the same reasons.
I recently wrote an article on the role of technology in instructional design. In writing the article, I gained an increased appreciation for the extensive use of technology in developing learning solutions. Today, a leading-edge learning solution might be a complex integrated blend of instructor led classroom training, virtual instructor led training, self-paced e-Learning, online reference, collaboration and online communities. This is a much different learning solution than would have been created or even possible previously.
Two things occurred to me after writing the article.
First, this broad portfolio of technology-based learning tools continues to distance learning professionals from the traditional tasks of training and transforms them into architects of integrated, complex, technology-based, learning solutions.
Second, workers responsibility for their own performance increased dramatically and workers are no longer just seeking learning. They are seeking tools that enable them to do their jobs more effectively irrespective of the format. Workers are comfortable using these integrated, technology-based, learning solutions. Learning is just a means to an end and can be the outcome of a wide variety of events. Generally, these experienced workers know the resources they need to do their jobs and where to find these resources. They are comfortable in this self-directed learning environment.
In contrast, inexperienced workers may not be self-sufficient and require traditional learning solutions to bring them to self-sufficiency. Servicing the learning requirements of workers with different experience requires very different types of learning solutions.
In this continuum of learning solutions, is there a line we have crossed that separates learning solutions from performance support solutions? It may also be that elements of these complex learning solutions have so little instructional content; they are actually performance support solutions and occupy a table like this:
If we go one-step further, we can look at the percentage of learning solutions versus performance support solutions in relation to worker experience.
Based on the above chart, perhaps the new model of technology-based learning starts learners who are new to the organization or topic with more traditional learning solutions and increases the percentage of performance support solutions as their experience grows. This strategy provides several benefits both to organizations into learners that increase efficiency, save learning time and reduce costs.
