Digital Learning
Psychology of Learning: Understanding How Employees Learn Best
Many organizations conduct training programs for employees but often, training efforts fall short– low engagement, poor participation, and limited knowledge retention. These are the usual pain points experienced by trainers, L&D leaders, and HR managers, in general.
Understanding how employees learn best will be helpful in creating more effective learning platforms. Employees may resist learning new skills or behaviors due to fears of failure, lack of incentives, or perceived barriers. Understanding these psychological factors is critical to overcoming resistance and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
Learning the wrong things, at the wrong time
Learning is most effective when timed with an immediate need. Applying knowledge in real-world scenarios strengthens commitment to learning. Psychologist Edwin Locke highlighted the importance of immediate feedback in 1968, yet this is still often missing in corporate training. Employees are usually given standardized training at times that don’t align with their job roles, hindering learning.
When training content doesn’t align with individual needs, disengagement follows. Forcing employees to attend irrelevant sessions, like “business writing” or “conflict resolution,” leads to disinterest.
Knowledge fades quickly without use
German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus’s “Forgetting Curve” shows that 75% of new information is lost within six days without application. This affects both HR professionals and instructional designers, who must ensure training aligns with psychological principles to enhance learning retention and engagement.
This is how Lerero can help
Overall, effective training relies on understanding motivation, attention, memory, and cognition. Aligning training methods with these psychological factors increases knowledge retention and skill application in real-world situations. Engagement is also crucial – participants are more motivated and involved when training resonates psychologically.
Our proprietary framework integrates a 10-stage sequence into the learning journey. We aim to provide better learning know-how by focusing on efficiency, effectiveness, and greater engagement. Our modular solution provides organizations with a learning integration system that makes learning stick and improves return on investment.
Stage 1 – Onboarding
What does it do? Easily share course-specific content and a wealth of practical tools.
Why is it important? To guide and educate your learners through the entire educational process.
How does it relate to learning psychology?
Providing comprehensive information and resources at the start of a course can help reduce cognitive load and anxiety, facilitating better initial engagement and learning. This aligns with cognitive psychology principles, particularly those of managing cognitive resources effectively.
Stage 2 – Context and Expectations
What does it do? It enables you to tailor and customize your course to your exact specifications! It also collects your learners’ expectations to foster a learner-centered approach, leading to a more personalized and practical learning experience.
Furthermore, mapping out current skills, competencies, and performance levels through our development matrix facilitates the identification of areas for improvement and skill gaps that need to be addressed.
Why is it important? To ensure maximum engagement and drive for a personalized learning experience.
How does it relate to learning psychology?
Personalizing the learning experience and gathering feedback can enhance motivation and engagement, drawing from principles of motivation and self-determination theory within educational psychology.
Stage 3 – Learning Progress Assessment
What does it do? Track and analyze your learners’ progress and knowledge using various assessments, tests, and assessment methods.
Why is it important? To measure your learners’ success.
How does it relate to learning psychology?
Monitoring progress through various assessment techniques allows for timely feedback and adaptation of teaching strategies, supporting principles of formative assessment and self-regulation.
Stage 4 – Microlearning
What does it do? Break down your content into small, easy-to-digest chunks.
Why is it important? To make it easier and more focused for your students to learn.
How does it relate to learning psychology?
Breaking down learning materials into smaller chunks facilitates better encoding and retention of information, aligning with principles of cognitive load theory and chunking.
Stage 5 – Course Delivery
What does it do? It effortlessly creates and manages self-paced, instructor-led sessions. It also easily integrates and personalizes multiple delivery modes.
Why is it important? To meet your learner’s individual needs and preferences.
How does it relate to learning psychology?
Offering diverse delivery methods caters to different learning preferences and styles, supporting principles of differentiated instruction and learner-centered approaches within educational psychology.
Stage 6 – Learning Reinforcement
What does it do? Improve knowledge retention by repeating learning intervals and actively learning.
Why is it important? To improve memory for long-term retention.
How does it relate to learning psychology?
Spacing out learning sessions and actively retrieving information enhances memory retention through principles such as spaced repetition and retrieval practice, which are well-supported by cognitive psychology research.
Stage 7 – Learning Validation
What does it do? Ensure strong validation of learning by using a variety of assessment methods.
Why is it important? To effectively assess learner understanding and skills.
How does it relate to learning psychology?
Using diverse assessment methods ensures a more comprehensive evaluation of learners’ understanding, aligning with education’s formative and summative assessment principles.
Stage 8 – Learning Application Tracking
What does it do? It effectively monitors and tracks learners as they apply their knowledge in real-life scenarios through practical tasks.
Why is it important? To assess their actual understanding and skill development.
How does it relate to learning psychology?
Assessing practical understanding and skill development through real-life scenarios promotes deeper learning and knowledge transfer, drawing from principles of situated cognition and transfer of learning.
Stage 9 – Proctored Evaluation
What does it do? This technology module ensures the integrity and fairness of the assessment process by monitoring learners during assessment.
How does it relate to learning psychology?
Ensuring assessment integrity through proctoring maintains fairness and trust in the learning process, aligning with principles of fairness and ethical behavior within educational psychology.
Stage 10 – Roadmap for Continuous Learning
What does it do? Create a comprehensive, personalized roadmap that matches each learner’s ambitions and career goals.
Why is it important? To facilitate growth and development in their chosen field.
How does it relate to learning psychology?
Providing a personalized roadmap for continuous learning fosters intrinsic motivation and lifelong learning habits, drawing from principles of motivation, goal setting, and self-regulation in education.
Lerero: An LMS platform based on the psychology of learning
With this seamless 10-step learning journey that is based on the psychology of learning, Lerero aims to support trainers, L&D managers, and HR leaders in cultivating training sessions that are more effective in equipping learners with the knowledge and skills needed to become capable problem-solvers and decision-makers in real life scenarios. This ultimately contributes to the learners’ personal and professional success, which then leads to better overall outcomes for the organization.
Interested in how you can apply this 10-step learning journey in your organization? Get in touch with us today and we’ll be happy to support you.
