Blended Learning:
A Method to Maximize Training
and Development Results
Universal Lubricants, a leader in the oil distribution and collection
industries, has a corporate office in Wichita, Kan.; 27 locations in 12 states; and one James Curry. As the Department of Transportation administrator, it’s his job to make sure employees are trained well enough to stand up to the regulatory scrutiny that the growing lubricant manufacturing and marketing company receives. By utilizing a blended learning approach – through DVD training, online courses, and face-to-face follow-up instruction – he’s found that there’s no better way to deliver information.
Options and advantages
It’s not hard to see why Curry (and many other training and development professionals) has come to that conclusion. Blended learning gives organizations numerous options related to how, when, and where training and development programs are conducted. Combining online or computer-based courses with face-to-face instruction, coaching, or mentoring brings variety to training sessions, saves on travel time and expenses, and offers course delivery flexibility. Both employees and supervisors benefit from blended learning, as it contains interactive components that make training relevant.
The electronic component of learning makes the logistics of training significantly easier. The approach keeps Curry from constantly scuttling from one location to another. It gives Universal’s employees the
opportunity to train at their own pace, on their own time, and at a location that’s convenient to them.
Blended learning is a cost-saving solution as well, as it dramatically cuts down on spending for travel (including fuel, meals and hotels). Bridgestone Americas, Inc., estimates that it saved more than $100,000 in travel expenses in 2010 by using a blended learning model that includes e-learning, virtual connections, and classroom training to deliver Six Sigma Black Belt training.1
The flexibility and cost savings offered by the e-learning component of blended learning makes it especially attractive during stressful economic times. The Society for Human Resource Management’s 2011 SHRM Workplace Forecast noted that many companies found e-learning to be an optimal solution for delivering training when the global economy sputtered and productivity demands on fewer workers increased. Fifty-two percent of survey respondents said they were expanding the use of e-learning, and 25 percent said they planned to do so.2 The American Society of Training and
Development’s 2009 State of the Industry Report also noted the increased use of e-learning. In 2009, 36.5 percent of learning hours were available through technology, and 27.7 of all formal learning hours were online.
Blended learning gives organizations
numerous options related to how, when, and where training and development programs are conducted.
1 Katherine Bontrager,
“Getting an Education: The State of Lean Six Sigma Training in 2011,” iSixSigma magazine, March/April 2011.
While blended learning is often the optimal solution to an organization’s training and development needs, it does require an additional layer of decision-making. There is not only one ingredient in the blended learning recipe. Rather, it offers an array of choices and virtually limitless combin-ations. While this allows a company to tailor its training and development program to suit its unique situation, it also requires careful consideration of the options available. Creating a successful blended learning program involves mixing appropriate content with the optimal delivery method and embedding the desired outcome within the organization.
Creating combinations
Blended learning typically merges information delivered with the help of technology – such as an e-learning program, mobile app, or DVD course – with a face-to-face component. This allows a company to personalize its training approach through any number of combinations, including:
• An online course reinforced by facilitator-led instruction
• A DVD safety course supported by hands-on training sessions led by managers
• Compliance training presented through online learning, followed by group discussions directed by a team leader
• An online sales training course followed by role-playing exercises facilitated by managers
• Online group training supported by individualized coaching sessions
• On-the-job training enhanced by coaching from a safety manager, who uses supplemental information from an app on a tablet computer
• A webinar viewed by a large group of employees personalized by managers who conduct small-group sessions that apply the information to specific work situations
Companies put blended learning into practice in a variety of ways. At Universal Lubricants, initial training is provided through DVDs at its corporate training center. Online courses offer refresher training, and employees receive follow-up instruction in areas where they need help. Location managers administer online training at the company’s other sites. Logistics often require technology to play a major role in blended learning. Jiffy Lube, which educates its 21,000 employees in 2,000 U.S. franchises through Jiffy Lube University, conducts 95 percent of its training online. Employees and managers have access to 60 courses and can earn 10 certifications, including customer service, management, technical procedures, and service standards. After the course is taken and a test is completed, managers follow up with on-the-job coaching.3
Singapore’s United Overseas Bank also heavily uses technology to enhance the learning process. It chose to build a virtual learning campus called i-Learn to make its best-practice information, case studies, courses, and other material available to employees who are spread out across 500 offices in 19 countries. The campus, which supports the company’s objectives of improving service quality, shortening cycle time, and reducing overall costs, allows employees to build on the company’s knowledge base. Its design reduces learning cycle time and makes information and advice easily accessible.4
At Learning@Cisco, which does product training and career certifications for Cisco Systems, technology not only allows access to courses from any location, it makes learning interactive. Collaborative social networking tools are part of the learning process, allowing people around the world to connect. Its virtual classroom takes advantage of video and integrated
2 Society for Human
Resource Management, “SHRM Workplace Forecast,” February 2011, p. 28.
3 Jennifer Salopek,
“Keeping Learning Well-Oiled,” T&D, October 2011, p. 32.
52% of survey respondents said they were expanding the use of e-learning, and 25% said they planned to do so.
content, and productivity gains have been realized through its learning technology and social learning approach.5
Farmers Insurance, which is tasked with delivering training to 26,000 employees, 36,000 independent agents, and 14,000 exclusive agents, uses both a virtual environment and face-to-face delivery for training and development. With 6,800 online offerings and 1,491 instructor-led courses, it offers classes both online and at two University of Farmers campuses. The way training is conducted for a particular course depends on the information to be delivered and the audience receiving the information. When knowledge transfer is the objective, an online or distance virtual environment is used, notes Annette Thompson, senior vice president and chief learning officer at Farmers.6 Customer interaction or sales skills are
typically taught by an instructor in the classroom or through an advanced simulation online. If the training is meant to alter a habit or attitude, face-to-face is the best option.7 For information that needs to be delivered at a
certain point in time, smartphones, iPads, and video are used. The organization’s training programs can include new-hire programs, career development skills, and leadership development, and Farmers has found that its learning programs have resulted in improvement in employee engagement and retention.
Start from the top
As these examples from worldwide businesses attest, blended learning can take on many forms. However, as with all training and development programs, it must have a solid foundation in order to be successful. When determining how to use blended learning in an organization, it may be tempting to begin by looking at technology. The primary job of a training and development program, however, is to address organizational needs. As Patrice Collins, vice president of product development for ESI International, notes, “It’s important to stay focused on the learning outcomes that address a business problem or goal. While technology can be your best friend in blended learning, it is the enabler, not the driver of the solution.”8
To determine where the focus should be, assess an organization’s learning needs and then align them with corporate objectives. A blended learning program should support the company’s overall strategy and help the organization meet its goals. An executive champion for training can link training to corporate goals and communicate its importance to both employees and other executives.
Set specific goals and desired outcomes for the learning program, and take the makeup of the audience into account when determining the best way to deliver information and meet these goals. A blended learning program should engage learners and encourage them to put their new knowledge to work. While workers require training that is relevant to their individual job requirements, adult learners have a number of characteristics in common:
• They are more motivated when the course content is relevant to their immediate interests and concerns.
• They want more than facts, and would rather receive information presented through problem-solving situations.
• They learn better when the course moves at a reasonable pace and they’re active rather than passive participants in the learning process.
• They prefer immediate feedback and should be continuously informed of their progress.
• They want to use what they’ve learned soon after they’ve learned it.9
Course content should engage adult learners and pertain to the work they do. For example, employees and supervisors both may need training relating to the same topic, but may require differing levels of information.
4 Paul Harris, “Learning
You Can Bank On,” T&D, October 2011, p. 40.
5 Jeanne Beliveau-Dunn,
“Creating Community at Cisco,” Chief Learning Officer, Dec. 7, 2011.
6 Annette Thompson,
quoted in Deanna Hartley, “Farmers: Lowering the Deductible on Learning,” Chief Learning Officer, Dec. 19, 2011.
7 Deanna Hartley,
“Farmers: Lowering the Deductible on Learning,” Chief Learning Officer, Dec. 19, 2011.
8 Patrice T. Collins, “An
Insider’s View to Meeting the Challenges of Blended Learning Solutions,” T&D, December 2011, p. 56.
Take the makeup of the audience into account when determining the best way to deliver information and meet goals.
While employees need to learn communication techniques that will bring their points across to a group, supervisors also need to know how to facilitate discussion and encourage communication within a team.
Delve into details
After you determine broad goals and outcomes for a blended learning program, carefully consider the details of the delivery method. Younger employees may learn better when some of their courses are technology based, but employee computer skills may vary. While many options exist for learning through technology, some information is best delivered face-to-face. The type of training to be delivered will play a large role in
determining which delivery method will work best. Classroom-based learning with an instructor, formal on-the-job training, and coaching and mentoring are preferred to e-learning in some situations because they allow the instructor and student to interact. 10 “Self-paced e-learning and informal
online learning may represent cost savings and convenience, but they do not meet all needs,” Ronnie Reese notes in Chief Learning Officer magazine. 11
He points to a 2011 survey by Human Capital Media Advisory Group that shows that 41 percent of respondents used classroom-based, instructor-led training as their primary method of instruction. Classroom training often is used for business skill training, leadership development, onboarding, core competencies, and technical skill training.
While classroom learning still has its place, logistics often dictate that e-learning is the most practical method for delivering information to learners. A corporation with employees in numerous locations benefits from the elimination of travel time and expenses. And for some applications, technology-based training is preferred. For compliance training, the Human Capital Media Advisory Group survey showed that self-paced e-learning was the delivery method of choice for 60 percent of organizations.12
When technology will be used to get information to learners, interactive online programs, DVDs, video on demand, and webinars are all flexible and convenient training options. To determine which one will resonate with an audience, consider accessibility and familiarity with technology. In addition, gain support from the IT department. The e-learning or technical component must be compatible with an organization’s system, and involving IT early in the process can ensure any technical issues are resolved before the program is set to be implemented.
Making it work
Once the program is ready to be implemented, spread information relating to training throughout the organization. Broadly communicate the reasons for conducting training and the expected outcomes to employees and supervisors well before the training begins. Also, liberally share the details of training delivery, including the delivery method, time, and place. This awareness will help participants understand the need for training and will engage them in the learning process.
Before employees begin their courses, managers should be trained and ready to coach and guide employees, and influence them to make the most of their training opportunity. As partners in the learning process, they can help employees apply what they have learned to their jobs and the business strategies. After training, employees also can reinforce what they’ve learned by sharing ideas and information through social networking and online collaboration. 13 Metrics such as number of participants, reactions, and skills
gained can be used to measure the outcome of the training.
The flexibility and cost savings offered by blended learning make it an attractive training and development option. Careful consideration of corporate goals, desired learning outcomes, and the makeup of the audience help will determine which combination of e-learning, technology-based, and face-to-face options will best deliver information and generate the desired learning outcomes. At Universal Lubricants, Curry finds that the
9 Prospera, “Adult
learning,” J. J. Keller & Associates.
10-12 Ronnie Reese, “Back
to Class,” Chief Learning Officer, Dec. 19, 2011.
The flexibility and cost savings offered by blended learning make it an attractive training and
interactive courses in the blended learning program keep learners’ interest and give everyone at the company – from plant and office workers to truck drivers – the training they need. “Our company is successful and growing, opening up new locations,” he says. “With our expanding capacity, being able to train employees at their own pace and time through online courses is crucial to operations.”
About J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc., offers a host of human resources and corporate training for companies of all sizes. Training is available in a variety of formats, including DVD, Pay Per View, Online, Training on Demand, and CD-ROM.
J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc., was established in 1953 and has become the nation’s leader in risk and regulatory management solutions. The company employs nearly 1,200 associates and serves over 300,000 customers including more than 90 percent of the Fortune® 500. J. J. Keller’s diverse product line includes publications, training programs, computer software, consulting, online services, and outsourced services. For additional information about the human resources product line, visit the J. J. Keller website at www.jjkeller.com.
Laws, regulations, and best practices change. The observations and
comments drawn today may not apply to laws, regulations, or best practices as they may be in the future. J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. cannot and does not assume responsibility for omissions, errors, or ambiguity contained in this response. Individuals needing legal or other professional advice should seek the assistance of a licensed professional in that field.
13 Randy Emelo, “The
Future of Learning,” Chief Learning Officer, Dec. 7, 2011.
