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Dave Ulrich once said: “The most important thing Human Resources can give an employer is a company that wins in the marketplace.” Learning and Development strategies can help with that!
Learning and Development is a systematic process used to enhance an employee’s skills, knowledge, and competency. This process can result in better performance in the workplace. Here are some of the terms that you need to be familiar with.
a. LEARNING: acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes
b. DEVELOPMENT: deepening of knowledge in line with one’s goals
c. EDUCATION: formal manner of broadening one’s knowledge
d. TRAINING: teaching immediately applicable knowledge, skills, and attitudes for a specific position
4 PHASES OF LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES
These four phrases are according to the pedagogical analysis by van Gelder and colleagues (1970).
1. Training Needs Analysis
2. Specifying the Learning Objectives
3. Designing of Training Content and Method
4. Monitoring and Evaluation
PHASE 1
Analysis of the current situation and prior knowledge to identify training needs is the first step. You don’t want the employees to learn for the sake of learning! That is a waste of money and resources. Instead, you want them to acquire new knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are relevant for their future functions.
PHASE 2
Learning objectives serve as the starting point for the design of the training’s content and method. It will serve as your guide as you assess your training goals.
Start by identifying specific objectives. Then, outline the conditions required for efficient behavior. Lastly, set specific and measurable training goals.
PHASE 3
The third phase includes the identification of learning methods, teaching materials, and learning activities. It is often done by an external trainer or a training provider. Aside from these, techniques and settings are determined.
It is important to know that training can either be trainer-centered or trainee-centered. Trainer-centered methods include seminars, presentations, lectures, keynotes, and lessons. In contrast, trainee-centered methods are more interactive. This includes case studies, role-playing, self-directed lessons, on-the-job training, simulation, games, and so on. Effective training includes a healthy a mix of methods.
PHASE 4
The last phase pertains to the evaluation of the learning objectives and learning effectiveness. A particularly useful model for evaluating learning effectiveness is Bloom’s taxonomy, which we will tap later.
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
This model is used to evaluate learning effectiveness. It captures several levels of information processing. The assumption here is that to analyze information, an individual needs to be able to remember it, understand it, and apply it.
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Remember that an effective training should result to a change in behavior! It is important for supervisors and HR personnel to religiously evaluate not just the training execution, but also the employee’s performance. The profits and other pleasant effects on your business will follow.
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