Increase Trainee Motivation Levels Through Blended Learning

How do we make sure training sticks? Even the world’s most thorough and insightful training program will yield only mediocre results if its trainees aren’t motivated to learn. More trainers have begun to notice that, in a world where people are used to tuning out a constant barrage of information, generating interest in training material is just as essential as the material’s content and delivery. That is to say, the most successful learning takes place when the trainee takes an active interest in turning information into knowledge.

The CUNA HR/TD Council recently released a white paper that directly addresses this trend, titled Finding the Right Blend: Learning Solutions for Credit Unions. The white paper, authored by former editor and project manager for CUNA, Beth Stetenfeld, examines the concept of blended learning, which involves mixing training delivery methods to achieve the best credit union training possible. “Blended learning” is defined by the combining of educational formats – commonly utilizing both face-to-face classroom methods and computer-mediated activities in tandem. Its purpose is to generate motivation in trainees by assembling those formats in the optimal blend of dependable content and motivated learner.

Finding the Right Blend compiles research from multiple university programs, credit union metrics and data from more than 1,000 U.S. Department of Education studies of online education. Through that research, as well as first-hand input from credit union professionals, it discredits popular myths relate to blended learning, assesses the inherent benefits of a blended learning program and lays out an approach to finding the appropriate “mix” of educational elements in a credit union’s training system. “It’s not just a matter of throwing together all the available resources and calling it training,” the white paper quotes Jim Elsenheimer’s recent article in Chief Learning Officer. “Blended learning takes vision, discipline, and the right ingredients to make the best blend.”

A key conclusion that this white paper draws is that, in order to successfully implement a blended learning training program, a credit union must have equal buy-in from all levels involved, from managers and learners to trainers and subject matter experts. This buy-in component is discussed in detail by credit union professionals with first-hand experience. That experience also weighs in on the logistical challenges credit unions face while implementing a blended learning program, the budgeting and investment involved, and how to account for gaps in competencies and skill levels.

There is no perfect blend of training strategies that will indefinitely serve as a template for all of your credit union’s training – such perfection is the third myth that this white paper disproves. Instead, blended learning serves as a mindset through which a credit union mixes its resources effectively and helps its trainees retain more of what they learn.

To access the white paper and to learn more about CUNA HR/TD Council, visit www.cunahrtdcouncil.org.

Additional resources you may be interested in include:

Jennifer Godel

Jennifer Godel

Jennifer is SVP/CHRO at Desert Schools FCU in Phoenix, AZ, and she was the 2012-2013 HR/TD education committee chair. Web: www.desertschools.org Details