Personalized learning is the process of adapting training to the learners’ particular needs. With this, people can learn anything, anytime, and wherever they want. They can learn through gamification, augmented reality, and by observing concepts displayed on projectors.
Aspects of individualized learning are already in use in companies worldwide. Competency-based learning, for instance, helps organizations define long-term goals where time is not a problem.
Flexible learning options and learner profile data that indicate how, when, and what they want to learn may help us know our learners better while also assisting them in getting to know themselves better. Learning management systems like Docebo allows us to understand learners’ needs better and carve out personalized learning methods that suit individual users.Visit their website to learn more about the personalization features that this learning management software has to offer.
Personalized learning is the most effective strategy to keep learners interested. It has numerous advantages for both learners and corporations. Nonetheless, many of us still have misconceptions about personalized learning. Before we discuss the said misconceptions, let’s quickly get a brief overview of personalized learning.
What Is Personalized Learning?
Personalized learning is a learning strategy that customizes the learning path to each learner’s unique talents, abilities, and needs.
Every learner is given a learning plan that is based on what they know and how they understand. It comprises various learning approaches that learners prefer. With the help of this concept, learners can consume the online material at their own speed.
This form of learning increases employees’ learning capabilities. Moreover, so many approaches are available to help them focus on learning, such as gamification, quizzes, and more. Despite the numerous benefits of this concept, there are still misconceptions about it.
Misconceptions About Personalized Learning
Personalized learning has become popular lately, but the fame has also led to the growth of some misconceptions about what it looks like and how it works. The following are some common misconceptions about personalized learning, each with clarifying details to address them.
1. It Is Only Appropriate For Individual Tasks
Many people are concerned that learners will not engage in or profit from group projects or conversations if they utilize a personalized approach to learning.
While this gives each employee more freedom to discover a learning approach that works best for them, it does not have to lead to workplace conflicts. They would never work on a project and participate in group activities if this were the case.
Making arrangements for learning is all that is necessary. By including additional tasks and discussion topics in their training programs, instructors can help learners stay on track and collaborate. As a result, independent work will never be done because all employees will learn the same content through the best medium.
2. It Consumes A Lot Of Time
Most instructors wrongly assume that personalized learning necessitates developing a customized curriculum for each learner. On the other hand, the learner only requires to be directed; the rest will be taken care of, and their learning will be organized to meet their specific needs.
The transformation from a more conventional to a more personalized learning environment in the office can take time, but it is usually a one-time investment.
When you finish, you will have saved time over more traditional training methods.
3. It Is Only Possible With The Help Of Advanced Technology
It’s a prevalent misconception that personalized learning always necessitates using state-of-the-art technology. Indeed, more flexibility can be achieved through technology, but it is not essential. It is not a requirement for individualized learning.
To clarify, when learners are learning sales concepts, for instance, they do not need technology as a medium to understand them. For a deeper understanding of this situation, learners must investigate different media and resources available on the market.
As a result, associating personalized learning just with technology-based training is inappropriate. Such powerful technology is unnecessary; computers can only do so much for tailored learning. Personalized learning includes everything beneficial to a learner’s complete development.
4. Learners Grow At Their Own Speed In Personalized Learning
This is an exaggeration. Since individualized learning is commonly associated with technology, particularly digital learning, many people wrongly believe that it comprises learners learning at their own pace and in their own time. On the other hand, personalized learning entails more than just learners choosing their own pace.
In a competency-based approach with personalized learning, learners show their mastery of a particular subject but are also strongly involved in creating objectives connected to those skills. Learners choose their materials and experiment with different learning approaches in inflexible learning spaces.
5. Personalized Learning Is Individualized Instruction
Numerous personalized learning devices are available to provide learners with self-paced learning experiences. While tailored learning can contribute to a personalized learning environment, it is insufficient to engage the learners in deeper learning experiences.
Because learning is a social activity, they should be given opportunities to speak and collaborate with their colleagues. They must also be involved in personalizing their learning.
6. Courses Must Be Interesting To Be Personalized
We tend to presume that a tailored curriculum entails individualization because we believe it must correspond with our learners’ pre-existing interests. However, this is not sustainable or beneficial for learners.
Instead, it is our role as instructors to engage learners in content and concepts that are outside of their interests and to introduce them to new ideas to achieve their learning goals. Refusing to do so would be a disservice to the learners.
7. Personalization Needs An Individualized Course
If personalization and individualization meant the same thing, they wouldn’t be two separate words. Simply looking at the base of the words can help you realize the difference. Personalization is based on the word “person,” whereas individualization is based on the word “divide,” which means separate.
Individualization separates learners by providing them with their courses. This contradicts personal learning because it unintentionally excludes other individuals from learners’ learning experiences.
The truth is that personalized learning experiences do not have to be personalized; they must be personally meaningful and relevant to all learners in the session.
Conclusion
Many organizations are increasingly emphasizing personalized learning approaches for the development of their employees because they can enhance and improve their learning. It is the most effective method for keeping learners engaged in learning.
Learning outcomes are greatly influenced by personalized learning. When new concepts are related to a person’s previous experience, understanding improves, and learning becomes more efficient. Creating individualized learning in an organizational setting necessitates technological solutions that are both cost-effective and scalable.