The Benefits of Using the 70/20/10 Learning Model in E-Learning

The 70/20/10 learning model has been around since the 1980s. In brief, it describes how people learn:

• 70 percent of knowledge comes from experiential learning
• 20 percent of knowledge comes from social interactions
• 10 percent of knowledge comes from formal training

The part of the 70/20/10 model that we are most interested in with this blog is the 70 percent of knowledge that comes from experiential learning. In business, this traditionally meant on-the-job training, as that was often the only way for employees to learn through experience.

E-learning has turned that on its head, however, as the 70/20/10 model can now be adapted, making it more flexible and efficient for your business.

How E-Learning Facilitates the 70/20/10 Learning Model

E-learning is a form of formal training, but it can also be used for the 70 percent portion of the 70/20/10 learning model, i.e., where knowledge comes from experiential learning. This is because there are a number of features you can include in your e-learning courses that will create an experiential training experience for learners.

Scenarios are a good example. Scenarios are a feature you can include in e-learning courses that present learners with real-life situations in a simulated environment. The learner then has to make decisions, take actions, and generally navigate through the simulation. Scenarios can be as complex or straightforward as you want, and they can be used for everything from training on a new piece of machinery or software application to how to deal with difficult customer service or management situations.

In other words, with e-learning, you can create experiential learning experiences that are not on-the-job.

The Power of E-learning

There are a number of advantages to the above as well as other factors that make e-learning an effective tool for providing experiential training in your organisation:

• Safe but realistic simulations – the scenarios mentioned above not only provide real-life simulations for learners, but they also do so in a safe and secure environment. This means safe and secure for the employee, their colleagues, and the company. After all, you can’t have an employee learning by experience and making a mistake that causes real damage. In an e-learning scenario, however, the employee can make that same mistake without having any impact on business operations.
• Training relevant to their job – you can also structure the content in your e-learning training library so that learners have access to courses that are relevant to their job. This is a much easier process than other forms of training, as you can create customised learning experiences based on job role, location, etc.
• Training becomes less formal and time-consuming – formal in-person training does have its place, but it is costly and time-consuming, while the formal approach can sometimes hamper the learning experience rather than enhancing it. With e-learning, on the other hand, learners can complete training courses on their own devices. In other words, they can engage with experiential learning experiences without the formalities of in-person training and without the need to allocate time they probably don’t have to spare.
• Empowering learners – you can also structure your e-learning courses to empower learners, giving them more control over the speed of their progress and the content they see. Again, this enhances experiential learning as it mimics what happens in real life, i.e., employees will only seek out on-the-job experiential learning experiences for skills or knowledge they need to improve. You can create a similar situation with e-learning.

 5 Benefits of Applying the 70/20/10 Learning Model in Your E-Learning Courses

To summarise the above, using the 70/20/10 learning model in your e-learning courses involves adding experiential learning experiences. What are the benefits of doing so? Here are five of the most important.

Increased Engagement in Training

Creating any sort of training, including e-learning courses, is an investment for your business. Therefore, it is important that employees engage with the training. One of the big benefits of experiential learning is the level of engagement you can achieve. This applies whether that experiential learning experience is on the job or in an e-learning course.

Enhances Skills

The whole point of the 70/20/10 learning model is to provide a greater understanding of how we acquire knowledge and skills. So, by adding experiential learning experiences to your e-learning courses, you will improve the levels of knowledge and skill that exist in your organisation. Given the importance of upskilling in the modern business environment, this benefit should not be underestimated.

Develops a Naturally Blended Learning Experience

With e-learning, you can blend the experiential learning part of the 70/20/10 learning model with the formal learning element. In fact, you can even include social features in your e-learning courses to add in the social part of the model too. By doing so, you will create a more blended learning experience for learners that will help them retain the information they are being presented with.

More Efficient Method of Training

Your training strategy will become more efficient by using the 70/20/10 learning model and adding experiential learning experiences to your e-learning courses. In practice, this means optimising the time it takes for members of your team to acquire the knowledge and skills that your business needs.

Maximises Training ROI

By increasing engagement in the training that you create, making that training effective by ensuring it successfully upskills your employees, and doing this in as short a time as possible, you will maximise the return on investment you get from your training initiatives.

Creating Experiences to Learn

The possibilities available with e-learning and creating experiential learning experiences are only limited by the imagination. This is before we even take into account new and emerging technologies that are starting to have an impact on e-learning, such as mixed reality, augmented reality, and AI. As a result, the experiential learning experiences that will be available to employees in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are only going to get better.