The Modern Learner WK4 #InSyncHub @blendedlrnhub

@hubcurator: This infographic from Matrix Learning provides great insight into what L&D departments can do about getting modern learners engaged into the learning process and make the most out of the learning experience. My favorite section here is on personalizing learning: "All employees learn in different ways and come with such different packages of prior knowledge, that it's practically impossible to create a training course that "fits all sizes". Personalized learning paths allow you to set a targeted learning track for each employee depending on his/her level of understanding and prior acquired skills."

@hubcurator: This article is spot-on: "The availability and accessibility of quality learning content has increased dramatically since the invention of the Internet. Organizations are now expected to create and deploy meaningful content to their learners, while still simultaneously measuring its impact. Of all the different training methods organizations are using to align to the modern learner which ones are most effective and can be best measured?"

@hubcurator: This eBook from Axonify takes a light, humorous approach to exploring modern training methods for corporate eLearning that can replace ineffective methods. With tips on how to transition to modern blended learning to meet the needs of our modern learners, this eBook will get you thinking about new ways to engage, and measure the engagement of our learners.

@hubcurator: This blog post from Will Richardson is beautiful. The way that Will weaves the word "beauty" into the modern learning landscape is artful, creative, and brilliant. As he puts it: "We use that word to describe things that we find inspiring or awesome in some way. Something that makes us want to stop and linger. Something that we hope to experience again." How can we make our blended learning beautiful so that our learners will want to stop and linger? Read on to experience Will's beautiful perspective.

@hubcurator: The introduction to this article says it all: "In a world of smartphones, apps, gamers, and that dreaded term “Millennials”, how can Learning and Development keep up? With the average learner now having an attention span of eight seconds, the challenge is to find effective ways to be able to engage the audience. So, how can digital learning help solve this problem and engage modern learners?" Most noteworthy here is the concept that we don't need to be mobile "ready" -- our learners are already mobile! We need to be mobile "now"!

@hubcurator: As we talk more about workflow and workplace learning, we need to look at how our employees (our modern learners) are engaging at work. If we're continuously embedding learning into the workflow, we need to be sure that our workforce (our modern learners) are engaged across the board. The five tips listed here can inspire the way you design blended learning to fit into this workflow and keep our modern learners involved and engaged.

@hubcurator: As we wrap up this month in the Hub, I thought it would be good to take a moment and review these survey results which show widespread misconceptions and unfounded confidence about learning. Maybe if we have a better understanding of HOW our modern learners are learning, we can work around the challenges of distraction and being overwhelmed. Focused on education, these survey results have so much to offer us as blended learning designers, developers, facilitators, and producers. Take a few minutes to work through this quiz to see if you can discern fact from fiction.

@hubcurator: This infographic from Elucidat shares data on when, where, and how modern learners are engaging with learning materials. Take some time to explore this visual representation of related research data that informs learner preferences and engagement with learning.

@hubcurator: This whitepaper from Skillsoft brings books back into the learning landscape by revealing research results showing that 85% of IT learners and 74% of business learners use books for skill development. So, is meeting the needs of modern learners easier than we think? According to this whitepaper: "Data clearly illustrates today’s modern learner craves relevance and substance. Integrating digital books with video-based eLearning courses creates a balance between depth and relevance that the corporate learning function has seemingly struggled with for years. Looking at e-books in a new context allows us to better understand—and meet the demands of—the modern learner."

@hubcurator: I have included this article here to provide insight on how and why our modern learners can seem distracted and overwhelmed. How do we balance the good things technology brings, with these distractions? Read on to hear what a behavior expert says is the answer.

@hubcurator: This is a list of curated resources from Allen Communication related to employee engagement within various industries. A fantastic collection of resources, you may want to bookmark this site for future installments as well. My favorite on the list here is What Not To Ask In Your Employee Engagement Survey? I've included the entire list because it is such a wealth of knowledge that we can tap into to better understand ways to engage the modern learner.

@hubcurator: Although focused on the impact artificial intelligence and virtual reality will have on education, there are some powerful insights here that can inform the future of modern blended learning. Read through these five things that an AI/VR school system can do just as easily as a traditional teacher, and think of how that will impact the work you do, serving our modern learners.