Spaced Learning:
One of the Many Silver Linings of this Pandemic
It has been a year since the world as we knew it imploded. Seemingly overnight we moved most of our personal and professional lives online. During the past 12 months we have conducted business virtually, worked remotely, launched digital classrooms, and even socialized from our laptops. We are Zoom-ed out and tired of staring at our screens.
Yet even with virtual fatigue settling in, a new normal is emerging—one that has introduced many silver linings and brought some necessary changes. Those of us in adult learning are witnessing firsthand the positive effects of this shift. We are saving resources, reclaiming time, and cutting costs by finally moving our in-person training programs online. Employees who have craved development but were unable to commit to multi-day, face-to-face meetings are taking advantage of new asynchronous opportunities. And as self-direction continues to take the learning and development industry by storm, self-paced programs are empowering people to learn when, where, and how it makes sense for them.
Learning possibilities for our new normal
The pandemic as a disruption has helped all of us to be more open to change and more creative. Although not a new concept, spaced learning is one approach that can bring fresh value to employees given our current environment. This instructional methodology designs short and intensely focused time periods of highly condensed content, alternated with breaks. Activities such as outside reading, independent work, or a group project are included in these breaks to reinforce information learned. Reflection and sharing are important components of this learning process, too: When students return to their next in-person or virtual classroom session, they describe what they have learned from their activities and reflection.
Spaced learning is effective at creating sustainable knowledge, skills, and behaviors because it teaches repetitive ideas over increasingly longer periods of time. Content is delivered in short “chunks” and builds upon itself from session to session. According to a review of spacing repetition by the University of Otago in New Zealand: “Overall, less intense daily training where learning is distributed over a larger number of days enhances learning and retention compared to more intense daily training.”
How to deliver spaced eLearning
While originally designed for the classroom, spaced learning can be converted to eLearning through synchronous or asynchronous delivery (or a blend of the two).
Synchronous. This approach provides a facilitator the most control by ensuring participants are consuming content at the preferred cadence. Deliver content through scheduled virtual sessions that are strategically spaced in time and duration.
Self-paced. This approach provides on-demand access of content in various mediums, such as podcasts, videos, asynchronous courses, or pre-recorded webcasts. Push the content to participants via email announcements or within an LMS platform.
How to maximize learning during the spaces
Below are some practical examples for how participants can make the most of the intentional activities and reflection built within your spaced learning program.
Reading. There is something powerful about sitting with a good book and reflecting on it while learning new skills. Reading can take place in between periods of instruction, to give participants’ brains a break from the content—and eyes a break from their screens—while stimulating their minds in different ways.
Research. Ask participants to conduct new research around a topic of interest to them or one that is relevant to the instruction at hand. This gives learners some autonomy over additional knowledge gained.
Conversation. Discussing new learnings with peers, a supervisor, or even family and friends can bring greater clarity to evolving ideas. Such dialogue uncovers multiple perspectives that add unique insights.
Writing. Journaling one’s thoughts is another way to reflect on new information and apply one’s personal context for sustainable behavior change.
With the work-life balance juggling act we are faced with today, spacing out learning can help employees better balance their learning and development, too. We at Cynuria Consulting have seen the power of spaced learning in practice. To learn more about incorporating this training method within your learning and development portfolio, contact us today.