A learning professional is a thought leader, progress-minded and curious. As a result, they can help people adjust to a changing environment and identify a proper response.
The COVID-19 crisis transformed the world, requiring a different approach and highlighting the importance of health, safety and flexibility. After in-person contacts became potentially dangerous, it was essential to find a way to maintain a sense of normalcy in our everyday lives.
Educational institutions and businesses had to become more agile and create a safer environment for their students and employees. The latter, in many cases, transitioned to hybrid work, hoping to reduce the spread of infections and prepare their workplaces for the post-pandemic realm.
Employee development and student education also had to continue without disruption. Hybrid learning was a natural byproduct. And though hybrid learning is not a novelty, many companies and organizations may still be reluctant to adopt it.
Some executives have limited information about hybrid learning, and others wonder how people can be taught in-person and remotely simultaneously. There is also concern that remote learners might struggle to focus or follow the classes due to voices in the room dominating the conversation and engagement.
Because of these concerns, it’s necessary to explain the benefits of hybrid learning and to ensure equitable access to the learning experience. Here’s how you can help your potential business partners better understand this learning approach.
Clarify the advantages of hybrid learning
The pandemic accelerated the transition to hybrid learning by pushing educational institutions, businesses and L&D professionals to provide a safe environment for participants. If this crisis hit the world 20 years ago, students worldwide would likely have needed to use hundreds of classes and opportunities to learn, and employees might have found it impossible to advance their careers without professional growth programs.
Thanks to the hybrid learning model, some learners can now participate in person while others participate online. Facilitators and teachers conduct classes for virtual and physically present participants at the same time. People can join classes from their homes, despite being ill or living in a different city.
Hybrid learning also made lockdowns more bearable by helping people adopt knowledge and cultivate new skills without interruption. And, at some point, it won’t be optional for organizations to provide this type of learning programming. Every business, company and educational institution that strives for excellence and a flexible environment for its learners will take the hybrid learning path. It’s why learning professionals will grow the list of their business partners, and it’s essential to break down the advantages of this learning for them.
Here’s why the hybrid model is the future of learning.
Top 6 hybrid learning benefits
This model has numerous advantages for learning professionals, partners and learners. Here are the principal benefits of hybrid learning:
- It allows learning professionals to develop a well-rounded program suitable for businesses and individuals regardless of their location. The hybrid model is accessible and provides the same or better efficiency as traditional methods. It stops no one who is physically absent from joining. Everyone can leverage the option that best works for them and participate either from home or in person.
- It supports different learning styles. Hybrid learning offers more flexibility, enabling learning developers and educators to accommodate the coursework to different learning styles. For example, kinesthetic learners prefer physical experiences and like trying things first-hand. On the other hand, visual learners learn through observation and seeing things. This creates an array of possibilities for hybrid learning because it supports various methods, including hands-on experiences, flow charts and handouts.
- It’s more effective than when learners attend a single group webinar and log off immediately after. Learners can unlock more profound learning with the hybrid model because it doesn’t rely on a single webinar or physical presence. As a result, they can revisit old lessons, access material they might have missed and learn at their own pace.
- It offers increased engagement. Students achieve better results and improve performance when their classes are engaging. Hybrid learning enables multiple teaching techniques, such as interactive virtual games, quizzes, live videos and practical lessons.
- It improves safety. The hybrid model creates a safer environment for students and learning developers. With this approach, educators and learners who are ill can stay at home and still be present or access the learning material once they feel better.
- It offers a variety of resources with more accessibility. Many companies that strive to offer online and face-to-face training must organize two different classes. But hybrid learning closes the gap between the two learning styles, ensuring that one course can accommodate both approaches. It also streamlines the process of creating the learning material and offers more resources.
The difference between hybrid learning and blended learning
When presenting the hybrid learning model to business partners and learners, it’s also significant to explain how it differs from blended learning.
The main difference between hybrid learning and blended learning is that, in the latter, teachers and facilitators use a combination of virtual learning activities and in-person classes. Hence, all participants complete some assignments online and others face-to-face. They all participate in the learning experience the same way, making it easier to roll out than hybrid learning.
However, facilitators and teachers might find it challenging to encourage learners to complete work before the next component starts. Moreover, they often must recap the lessons to speed up the process and ensure no one is left behind.
On the other hand, hybrid learning is more heterogeneous, with one group of learners joining the classes online and another joining in-person. Because of that, it can be hard to reconcile their different needs and prioritize both groups equally.
If teachers don’t find a way to provide the same attention to face-to-face and virtual participants, one side might feel neglected or have a less engaging experience. Therefore, the priority in a hybrid environment is to teach both parties efficiently and foster their focus and active participation.
5 tips to help clients embrace hybrid learning
Here are the top five suggestions on making potential business partners consider using hybrid learning in their companies and organizations.
1. Audit their needs.
The first step towards helping clients adjust to the brave new world of hybrid learning is to discuss what options work best for them. Ensure that business leaders and HR specialists understand what programs you offer and how they function.
Your clients should know what to expect and how they can benefit from your offering. Therefore, you should prepare your pitch and program structure before setting a meeting.
Research your partner, their business, and whether they have experience with L&D programs. That gives you an understanding of what elements to highlight and how to present your services.
Target their needs and identify how you can help them solve their problems and improve. Present your program as simple as possible and explain how hybrid learning helps their company and learners.
2. Provide personalization.
It’s a good idea to offer customization and allow partners to determine how to bridge the gap between online and in-person learners. Offer suggestions on methods and tools that provide an efficient and engaging learning experience for both parties.
Guide partners through the process and listen to their needs to create the best training. Give clear examples and help them find relevant resources tailored to their industries.
That way, you also allow your business partners to participate in program development and leverage its benefits. If they can contribute to how workers or students will use hybrid learning, they’ll have more control over the process and feel more comfortable about using this model.
3. Consider business skill gaps.
Before presenting your offering, sit down with your partners and analyze skill gaps in their companies to understand how they can use the advantages of hybrid learning to help employees. They should also consider the preferred learning style of their workers and who learn better independently.
Ensure that HR departments and talent developers can use the program and efficiently help employees adopt new skills, regardless of the setting. Together, you can audit their teams, identify the missing skills, and understand how the program can target industry-related abilities and the Future of Work.
4. Offer training to maximize a program’s efficiency.
Prepare your business partners for hybrid learning integration by offering a comprehensive simulation of the program. Leverage technology to show them how it functions and adjust it to their business needs.
You can also teach L&D developers and talent managers how to use the program and help employees adopt new skills and knowledge.
The best way to achieve that is to provide brief training and show them how to transfer knowledge using hybrid learning.
5. Help partners measure hybrid learning effectiveness.
Finally, help your partners track and measure the program’s effectiveness. For instance, you can identify relevant KPIs together and create employee and student surveys to gauge their satisfaction and engagement.
Have a follow-up meeting after a few weeks. The insights you get from your partners will help you improve material and classes and offer the best solution to your future buyers.
Discover the efficacy of learning and engagement techniques for remote participants and use their feedback to improve the participation of face-to-face and virtual learners in the experience.
Although hybrid learning inherently follows hybrid workplaces, many companies and organizations still prefer to take the seemingly safer route of traditional methods. They require encouragement and clarifications to take the final step towards adopting this flexible model.
Make that transition seamless by including your partners in hybrid learning program development and helping them adjust. Be there for them and help them track and measure effectiveness as that also enables you to improve and provide a more personalized offering.
