Content

Learning in the Flow of Work:
           1. New technologies that change the paradigm
           2. The end of platforms as we know them
           3. LiFW, in short

Learning in the Flow of Work is a strategy for integrating digital learning experiences and content into productivity environments.

Explanations.

1. New technologies that change the paradigm

Drawn by GAFAMs who invest heavily in IOT, in AR/VR/MR, in conversational agents…, we believe that the web is still evolving.

This investment is driven by the desire to transform the traditional browser experience, where everything is just a URL linked to a platform, and thus initiate a new paradigm of the web.

A paradigm in which we will no longer connect to platforms such as Facebook, Google or Amazon but, in a way, they will connect to us. Google Glass, or Oculus are perfect examples. Facebook even estimates that augmented reality will replace smartphones by 2030.

Another example that will speak to everyone, that of a car’s GPS. Whereas until recently it was necessary to enter its destination address letter by letter via an interface, now we do it by voice. The same goes for voice assistants (Alexa, Home). There is no more interface, no more platform.

It is in this context that Learning in the Flow of Work makes sense. It aims to solve the two main problems that threaten the existence of web platforms as we know them. On the one hand, the exponential growth in the number of SaaS applications, and on the other, the trend towards dematerialization of the web.

2. The end of platforms as we know them

Web platforms are probably doomed to disappear, or at least change radically. This is especially the case for traditional e-learning platforms that will gradually make way for Learning in the Flow of Work.

In other words, the disappearance of the platform and website experience in favor of the integration of these functionalities in our daily environment creates new consumer experiences.

Many will say, and we recognize that this is a necessary first step, that all we need to do is implement SSO (Single Sign-on Solution) and deploy a Learning Record Store (LRS) to connect our learning ecosystem. This is a good start. It makes it easier to connect to the platform on the one hand, and can store informal data on the other.

However, this does not address the underlying issue of bringing relevant information into the learner’s context, in a work situation.

We have repeatedly observed that the SSO tends to exclude all populations who do not have identifiers, who work in factories, in stores, or who are trainees or on fixed-term contracts. These are nevertheless the populations most affected by automation and the disappearance of certain trades and therefore those most in need of training.

As a result, e-learning completely misses one of its fundamental promises: to reach everyone, everywhere.

3. The advent of Learning in the Flow of Work

The concept is to have simplified access to digital learning, anywhere, anytime. It is, de facto, the best way to create a real learning culture in your company. We even prefer the term Contextual Learning, which takes the concept even further, and invite you to continue reading our article on the subject.

But back to Learning in the Flow of Work.

The simpler the access to the data, the more it is used and the more it creates a daily reflex in the learner. Continuous development without even realizing that we are learning, isn’t that the holy grail we are looking for?

Learning in the Flow of Work

All publishers are competing in ingenuity to exploit the data of users who have logged on to their platforms. Learning analytics, or other recommendation algorithms are examples of this. Platforms are getting sexier, smarter. But have they really overcome the first hurdle of getting the user to come to the platform the first time?

It is in this context that a contextual learning strategy is essential for a company. Because if the user doesn’t log on to the platform, how can we know what his or her favorite topics are? How can we analyze his journey? How can we enrich their profile? How can we give them quizzes or assessments?

For us, the biggest problem of a web platform (LXP, LMS, TMS or other) is, by definition, to be a platform. So, a question arises, is it necessary to bet on a web platform today?

Maybe in the short term, but, if you opt for a sustainable solution, certainly not.

4. LiFW, in short

For a user, one platform necessarily competes with another (especially on time allocation), even if they have distinct utilities.

Let’s take the case of a sales person who has access to a CRM, an Office suite, a webmail, an intranet, a corporate social network, LinkedIn, a HRIS, an LMS or LXP, a search engine… and who is asked to know precisely the functional scope of each of the tools.

If we think that this same sales person spends 70% of his time between his CRM and his mailbox, wouldn’t it be more judicious to integrate the information into these tools rather than using marketing techniques (learner marketing) to bring him to a digital learning platform?

In any case, this is the perspective that drives us at Bealink on a daily basis. One in which it is not the user who goes to the content, but the content that goes to the user, where he is and, above all, where he works.