Chapter I

Blended Learning: definition of blended learning

Find trainers, arrange office hours and training hours... For a company, face-to-face training is often very restrictive from an organizational point of view.

Its “classroom” format, with little dynamism, leaves passive learners in their training and promotes the loss of concentration. After a face-to-face session, the training is over: there is no follow-up afterwards. It therefore does not offer rehearsal sessions that are essential for the retention of knowledge. However, Hermann Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve tells us that after two weeks, 80% of the knowledge acquired is forgotten...

In addition to face-to-face, we have the Digital Learning that allows employees to be trained remotely. Learners become active, actors in their training. Indeed, they are the ones who decide the pace of learning! However, who says “virtual classroom” says professional training without direct exchange with the trainer. This can upset learners who want a physical exchange to ask questions, or simply put their knowledge into practice in a more natural way. For some, training and exchanging with a trainer who has his own personality, especially when he is a teacher, is also an excellent way of anchoring memories.

That's where theblended learning : a hybrid learning approach that combines traditional classroom training (face-to-face) with digital training (distance and face-to-face). This mode of learning responds to needs to save time, which often remains the main problem for businesses. By digitizing part of learning while maintaining the human aspect through physical exchanges, learners have a more engaging approach to their training and wasting less time unnecessarily in person.

Chapter II

Why adopt a Blended Learning approach?

Are you wondering what are the advantages of blended training ? Here are 5 points that will probably give you a new perspective on the design of your professional training courses:

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Flexible training

A blended learning approach provides ultimate flexibility in presenting content.. Complex topics may be presented in class, while other topics may be available online. With an online component, you will also increase the flexibility as well as the convenience of how and when your employees participate in training.

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Effective training

D. Randy Garrison and Heather Kanuka are young academics who studied blended learning in the early 2000s. Their research leads to the conclusion that”blended learning has the proven potential to improve both the effectiveness and efficiency of meaningful learning experiences”.

With a well-planned blended learning strategy, you can provide training efficient and fast to a wide audience. And with digital assets such as videos or other recordings and e-books, the potential for reuse is huge. You can easily help more people get up to speed after the first few rounds of training.

Personalized training

Any training that is not well implemented can create an impersonal and unmotivating learning experience. But the good news is that a A well-designed blended solution can ensure a seamless transition from classroom to computer or vice versa. You can design your course to continue the topics of discussion and to personalize the content according to the specific work or interests of the learners. Thanks to reporting tools Like the feature “statistics” by Beedeez, the trainer has direct access to the evolution of his learners. By watching everyone's progress, It can therefore adjust the topics covered in the training room and offer more appropriate content.. The trainer can also make additional resources available to employees who need them! On the learner side, the training is therefore much more flexible. He can access his training materials at any time and remember the concepts studied more easily, because he Go at your own pace outside of face-to-face sessions.

Training with a wider scope and in an economical format

Almost always, the creating a blended learning strategy reduces classroom instruction time. By digitizing the expertise of talented trainers or subject matter experts, you can reach more people with high-quality content at a fraction of the cost. That frees up competent trainers to offer more courses, or create more training content, or work on other things.

One good mix of offline and online interventions could save time and money. Consider travel costs. Think about the costs of renting a venue or maintaining meeting rooms in the office. The digital aspect offers resources that will always be available for everyone and all the time! The initial cost is therefore higher than traditional training, but once your resources are created, they can be used endlessly and only require rare updates depending on the subject. In many situations, people like to have access to their learning materials via their smartphone while traveling or traveling, on a desktop computer and preparing for the next day, in the evening on the couch via their tablet. So, the handling of the concepts seen during the training is faster than for traditional training.

Training adapted to any type of apprenticeship

Effective blended learning is a solution that can help you meet all learning styles through a variety of supports and techniques. Indeed, Blended Learning can be applied to any type of professional training, but also to apprenticeships within school curricula!

Blended Learning therefore proves to us that even with the arrival of Digital Learning, face-to-face training has not said its last word. Digital technology reinforces, complements and even supports face-to-face training which offers the support and pedagogy of the trainer, which is important in the learning process of many learners. This is why face-to-face training and distance learning must come together and not clash.

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Chapter III

Blended Learning: Business Use Cases

Blended Learning use cases in retail

Salespeople represent their brand on a daily basis. Sales efficiency and turnover are based on their know-how. Taking care of salespeople is essential to obtain good performances and it is by training them effectively that the results improve. Students, part-time, seasonal or long-term, salespeople have very different profiles and yet, they all need the same training ! Retail is a sector where salespeople will rarely stay in the same company for the very long term. Often not very committed to their work, it will be necessary to use a certain strategy to excite them and give them the motivation to work for their brand.

According to Dentsu Aegis, 40% of French people said they could do without buying in stores if the web services were equivalent. The competitive advantage of salespeople is to make the in-store sales experience essential and useful for each customer. Customers must easily perceive the difference between a direct sale and a sale on an e-commerce platform!

Without a fixed position and always on the move, retail sales forces are difficult to train. Their availability is fluctuating and the training processes chosen are often inadequate. What if Blended Learning became a real asset to quickly and effectively train sales forces? To guide you, here are a few steps that could help you see more clearly:

By opting for an approach Blended Learning in the training of sales forces, all you need to do is apply a simple, fast and effective strategy.

To begin with, the digitalization of theoretical knowledge is essential. This step will save you a significant amount of time. Learners will avoid wasting their time traveling or taking a long time in physics training for knowledge that can be acquired anywhere, anytime. But for that, you will need to gamify this content in order to motivate learners to follow their training seriously. Set up short games to check the good understanding of the concepts studied and reward them for doing so! Make them earn points, change their avatar or offer them real rewards... There are many solutions available to you to excite and motivate learners. This part will also allow you to validate their skills by observing their progress via your digital solution. For everything that will be professional gestures and know-how, train them directly in the field! Let business experts show them the way in order to best guide them on best practices. Even in physical training, set up a follow-up of learners to be able to offer them personalized content if they feel the need to be supported or helped. Always listen to them. Once the training is over, analyze their feedback and progress to be able to adapt as best as possible and thus, to develop training in the most effective way. Now, your training is in place, your sales forces are more motivated than ever, as autonomous as they are effective, and you have saved a considerable amount of time!

The launch of a Blended Learning course allows push the employer brand and create a consistent customer experience across the country. All while creating the desire to learn through fun and engaging training content. An employee who takes pleasure in his training will be all the more motivated, which will allow him to quickly put his knowledge into practice!

Onboarding employees with Blended Learning

Today, the The issue of recruiting and retaining employees has become a major challenge for many companies. Indeed, it is more and more difficult to attract and retain employees over the long term if they are not sufficiently supported. In France, Onboarding is responsible for the resignation of nearly 1 out of 3 managers during a trial period. 90% of employees think that the process needs to be improved. If missed, it costs between €30,000 and €60,000 per employee

With this observation, it seems obvious that it is essential to offer your employees an environment where they can evolve and develop fully.

Companies that offer integration programs with good follow-up retain around 91% of their employees. Conversely, only 30% of employees will choose to stay in a company that has given them a poor onboarding experience. In addition, successful integration allows employees to acquire skills much more quickly only those who do not receive good support upon arrival.

Successful onboarding is a win-win situation. But it's the quality that counts. So what are the goals that make it possible to achieve it?

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To help you set up a really effective blended learning onboarding strategy, you can rely on these 5 recommendations:

1. Even before arrival of your new recruit, provide him with all the documents he will need to better understand the workings of the company. You can send them this information by giving them access to your Digital Learning solution, for example.
2. An employee's first day will be decisive for their future in the company, then you will have to take care of him as much as possible. Welcome him warmly, introduce him to the premises and his new colleagues. Organize a small surprise party or group activity for him. There are many solutions available to you to make him feel at ease!
3. Give them something to be proud of their business! By taking care of your new collaborators and by presenting them with teams of collaborators who advance hand in hand, you will develop a strong sense of belonging in them. An employee who enjoys the environment in which they work will be happier and more productive.
4. Stay tuned to the needs of your employees. Make them grow and evolve constantly. Respond to their requests and take care of them by paying attention to their feedback. You can offer them the support of a dedicated mentor to help them feel at ease and find their bearings.
5. Take the time to receive feedback from your employees. Their feedback can help the business adapt and evolve more quickly in order to be more efficient and enjoyable. It will also be very useful for you to monitor the results and developments of your new hires. This will make it easier for you to know if your actions are effective or not and how to act accordingly.

A good onboarding will also be able to address both new recruits and employees already established in the company. The objective of successful integration is twofold. On the one hand, you will have to empathize with employees. It will therefore be essential to ask yourself the right questions (“who are they?” , “where are they going?” , “what are their expectations?” , “what are the procedures they should follow?” , etc.). On the other hand, we will have to keep in mind that Above all, onboarding must be effective! Good support should give employees the feeling of having made the right choice, a feeling of connection and belonging. They will also want to be competent and have something to be proud of. For that, onboarding should be experienced as a trip or an experience that sets clear expectations, allows personalization, and allows for a two-way conversation.

The good news? Efficiency and empathy can work hand in hand and fully satisfy the needs of employees and the company. All you have to do is study and implement the perfect and tailor-made strategy for your business!

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Chapter IV

How to effectively deploy a Blended Learning solution within your company?

How do you go about setting up a Blended Learning solution? Categorize, analyze, test, design... Proceed step by step in order to have sufficient perspective to deploy a concrete solution!

Here are 8 steps required to design a training course in Blended Learning :

1. What should my learners achieve?

What does the learner need to know or do after this specific training? This step allows you to decide exactly what topics you will cover in your training.

2. How should I assess the various topics?

It will be essential for you to assess the knowledge and/or skills newly acquired by your learners before you can conclude that your training has worked. Some digital solutions such as that of Beedeez offer functionalities to assess and analyze the evolution of learners' skills.

3. What structure should I apply?

Rethink your learning goals, topics, and assessment : is there a certain structure that you can apply to your training in order to make it easier and more enjoyable for learners?

4. What learning activities are best suited?

The next step is to design which learning activity you want to use by subject or learning objective.

5. Test your plan

The foundation for your course is ready. You did most of the thinking, It is now time to put it into practice with a few employees in order to ensure the effectiveness of the new training structure.

6. Design the content

After refining your plan based on feedback from collaborators in the previous step, It's time to start designing and developing your content. Build the learning activities designed and developed in your learning system, create a scenario for your face-to-face session.

7. Test your content

Everything needs to be fine-tuned based on user feedback. So take the time to test again, this time with your new content.

8. Let's go!

You have learning objectives, a structure, learning activities (remote and face-to-face), researched and created the right content. Your training is now ready to be deployed within your structure!

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Chapter V

The 8Cs: best practices for your Blended Learning training

To help you adopt a Blended Learning approach in your professional training, you can rely on the 8C process (extract from the report”Phygital Learning Concept: From Big to Smart Data” by Poonsri Vate-U-Lan and Donna Quigley). It can become a valuable tool to guide you and give you the best practices to put in place.

Connection

Learners' mobile devices are an integral part of their lives, whether professional or private. Take the opportunity to offer your learners the opportunity to (re) discover their work environment via their own tool! So, through QR codes, augmented reality or any other technology making them available, they have access to a connected experience in which they will engage much more than in traditional training.

Captivate

You have to use a few strategies in order to charm and captivate learners. A gamified training program makes it possible to best capture their attention. By getting badges or awards, the learner increases their motivation. Performing quizzes to earn points and level up is a real challenge for your employees!

background

You have to know how to put yourself back into context. By using all the objects made available in the training room during the classroom, you stimulate learning. So do not hesitate to put into practice what learners study by providing them with the appropriate tools.

Contents

The various contents offered to learners during the training are of paramount importance. Everything must be thought out so that learning becomes attractive. Pleasant visuals, serious games, videos, sound... All in one Microlearning format and your employees will be even more delighted to learn! Offering interactive training is the key to successful learning.

Collaboration

Collaborative learning encourages learners to be active and involved in their training. Communicating and sharing their experiences with each other and with their trainers is a real lever for making positive progress in their training journey.

Communication

Communication and sharing between learners is an aspect that should not be overlooked. Social Learning is very fulfilling for each of them. The experience-sharing approach to learning is a real asset. So, training is also built around a Peer Learning approach that makes it possible to value each element. Car any learner can contribute to the building through his own background, his knowledge and his know-how.

Coherence

It remains important to find the perfect harmony between digital training and face-to-face training to allow themselves to evolve healthily in the same environment. Digital tools must be consistent with the trainer's approach and the pedagogy adopted.

skill

Nothing is easier to acquire skills than Social Learning. Through exchange and sharing, we have the best opportunity to deepen our knowledge and skills. in a fun and interactive way, taking advantage of everyone's skills.

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Chapter VI

The 5 best times to start blended learning

Finding the right time to start implementing Blended Learning training is not always easy. You have to know take a step back from your current needs and analyze the relevance of your application for your learners.

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Here are some cases that can trigger a need for mixed training:

Lots of content to share and little time

Do you have new content to share and not much time left? Make an oral assessment with your collaborators and send them the documents via digital tools! Sometimes some training programs require more time because they involve a deeper understanding of the subject. By adopting Blended Learning training, you can significantly reduce training time. All you have to do is find the balance between the information to be delivered in physics and the information that can be delivered via a digital tool.

Need to simplify coordination between different business stakeholders and learners

Setting a time that works for the trainer and the participants is never easy., especially if they come from different locations or from different areas of the organization. In addition, you may need to take care of premises and accommodation issues. To save time and money, it is best to opt for mixed solutions, limiting face-to-face interactions as much as possible.

Addressing employees located in different locations

Do you need to train your employees and they are located in different places? Setting up traditional training remains complicated in this case because the scope of face-to-face training programs alone remains limited. When you adopt a blended learning strategy, you can include more employees - especially those who work in remote locations or those who are teleworking. By setting up face-to-face training more occasionally than for traditional training, you can rely more on the digital aspect. Your employees will always feel included and encouraged by the opportunities for continuous learning. You will also be able to set up a synchronous training strategy, which involves conducting live sessions via webinars or videoconferences for example.

Train your employees frequently

In some sectors, such as retail or the field of call centers, the employee turnover rate is high. A significant number of new employees join the organization every month. Training them only in the classroom, only to find that they leave the organization only a few months later is far from being profitable.

In such situations, It is preferable to adopt digital face-to-face training. Blended learning is still the most cost-effective in this case. Digital learning resources are created once and can be used by employees over and over again. while having assimilated the professional gestures in person.

Boost the personal development of all your teams, even those in the field

When considering investing in employees for long-term benefits, the best strategy is to take care of them, by offering them career development opportunities for example. Thus, you can assign a set of courses that employees can take in order to be qualified to move up the rank after each level passed.. It is therefore up to the employee to take the course.

All you need is to develop an online curriculum and career progression plan in order to inform employees about their career paths. This is hardly possible with the traditional classroom format, but quite possible with the mixed format. In this way, learning will be perceived as a fun experience by employees who have taken part in the game!

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Chapter VII

How do you choose the right Blended Learning platform?

While the main criticism of blended learning is that it requires advanced technology to work, we recommend that you start simply. Think about your program requirements and go from there. To get you started, here's a list of questions that might help you find the right platform.

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Objective

What is The main objective of the platform? Will you use it as a collaborative platform, a database of training topics, or both?

Level of collaboration

Do you want the platform Take charge of collaboration between employees ?

Context of use

Do you want a platform that you can use both in and out of a classroom ? Do you want to use it only during in-person sessions?

Number of participants

How many people will they participate in the apprenticeship program? Will it be used in small or large groups?

Length of the training program

What will be the duration of your training program? Are we talking in terms of weeks, months, or years?

Number of programs

Will you execute several training programs at once ? Are there plans instead to repeat the same program after the previous one is over?

Yes, you will have understood it, for your Blended Learning training to be effective, you will absolutely need communicate regularly with learners in order to receive their feedback and to adapt certain aspects if the need arises. In addition, as communication remains an important aspect, do not hesitate to plan group activities as part of the training. Keep in mind that learners need to be active in their learning. In accordance with the 70-20-10 model, set up modules that will allow them to participate as much as possible, whether in person or remotely. Finally, make sure you choose the tools and technologies you will need to set up your new course.

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Chapter VIII

What materials should you use for effective Blended Learning training?

There are numerous solutions to successfully complete blended training. The ideal remains to find a balance between several of them in order to vary your content and your way of transmitting knowledge. Whether your resources are digital or physical, think above all about how your learners will be able to train and learn as easily as possible. Each resource will have a specific purpose and particularity and must above all serve learners in order to offer them the most effective training possible.

Here is an example of solutions that you can combine with each other:

Digital documents and resources

Feel free to add documents in all their forms! Whether it's PDF documents, Power Points, audiobooks, infographics... Take the freedom to vary the different supports.

Audio/video resources

Use resources audio and video such as podcasts, videos available on various platforms, voice messages, etc.

Gamified activities

Stimulate learners by implementing gamified activities such as board games, role-playing games, serious games, story learning, quizzes, virtual reality, etc.

Storyline activities

Be inventive and offer scripted activities such as simulations, interactive evaluations, etc.

Digital learning

Deploy a Digital Learning strategy with tools such as Mobile Learning, MOOCs, an LMS, etc.

The objective of blended training will be to make learning more digestible and motivating for learners. Find original and engaging activities and materials to make your employees feel involved in their learning. A well-thought-out Blended Learning course will make them forget the preconceived idea that vocational training is sometimes painful.

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Chapter IX

What are the different Blended Learning models?

Now that you know the different ways to help your employees learn and train effectively, here is a list of different models which you can rely on:

Tutored face-to-face

It is the model that is is the closest to traditional training because it focuses on the face-to-face aspect. Once the training is over, digital tools and educational resources simply come complete the sessions carried out with the trainer. Thus, each learner is free to use their bonus resources to deepen the desired topics or simply to help them overcome their difficulties.

The flipped classroom

In this training model, digital technology will be dedicated to pure training and face-to-face training will be reserved for the application of knowledge. Learners will therefore be trained using digital tools made available to them before they come to the training room. Once there, the trainer will be available to answer all their questions and will lead workshops, discussions and case studies to apply the concepts studied.

The rotation model

The principle of the rotation model is simple. It consists of dividing a group of learners into various small units. The training combines face-to-face and distance learning via 3 stages: through a trainer in the training room, through group work and supplemented by e-learning modules. The rotation model is designed to be extremely flexible. Thanks to this method, learners with different types of learning can derive maximum benefits.

Tutored distance learning

Very similar to the rotation model, Tutored distance learning is in direct opposition to face-to-face training. Focused on training via digital tools, the principle of tutored distance learning is offer its learners various training tools and resources that they will use remotely. This model does not generally require face-to-face training. By combining both synchronous training (via social learning sessions, webinars and others) and asynchronous training (via exchanges on forums, emails, knowledge capsules, etc.), learners have great freedom.

These 4 most frequent blended learning models were identified by Michael B. Horn From the Clayton Christensen Institute. They were all designed with the aim of giving more flexibility and opportunities for learners in order to allow them to evolve in a world where training is constantly evolving.

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Chapter X

Blended Learning Trends

The phygital

Appeared in 2013 via retail, the term”Phygital“comes from the contraction of the terms “physical” and “digital”. In reference to a marketing strategy, phygital draws its inspiration from physical points of sale that have integrated digital means to make themselves more accessible.

It is common today to have tablets, smartphones or other devices available to customers in retail spaces. Moreover, these tools are also widely used by employees themselves. It saves businesses time and money. So why not take inspiration from this method for rich and consistent learning? It is on this reflection that phygital learning was born in the world of training.

Thanks to phygital, your employees can be trained in person and have all the content they need available on their favorite device. Their digital tools give the possibility of accessing daily reminders to fight against Oblivion curve and acquire new skills or knowledge solidly and sustainably. It is a very effective method to strengthen the performance of your employees in a simple and gentle way!

Phygital learning has many advantages, especially for the processes ofOnboarding. Long before they arrive in a company, onboarding can be implemented via digital solutions that allow future employees to feel more comfortable. Thus, as soon as they arrive, they take up their post with confidence.

By following their face-to-face training, their digital tools serve as a support for them and they can consult them at any time!

In the field of retail, for example, phygital offers many advantages. This allows you to have access to custom product sheets And explanatory contents on business aspects directly at your fingertips. This process offers real time savings and allows employees to be less hesitant.

Seamless learning

Still too little known today, the However, Seamless Learning is a very effective method of vocational training.. Literally, it's translated as “seamless training”... But what's more?

Seamless Learning offers unified and consistent learning. It combines all types of training, digitally or in person, regardless of the device or the tool, combining the formal and the informal and all this without interruption of learning! In other words, you can start training in the classroom, continue it on your smartphone while going to a meeting, finish it directly in the field or discuss it with a remote working group. Quite simply!

This vision of learning has only recently been taken into account, especially thanks to the emergence of mobile learning. However, Seamless Learning should be the norm in today's training courses. The idea of a completely fluid training course with a real common thread between physical and digital remains the most effective way to learn.

Mobile learning

Mobile Learning, also known as m-learning or mobile learning, is a vocational training concept. The strength of Mobile Learning is that it is more intuitive and offers shorter formats. Thanks to this, e-learning is becoming almost obsolete and giving way to a less time-consuming training platform.

This tool is at the service of learners to enable them to fight against the gradual forgetting of the knowledge studied during a training course. Mobile Learning allows continuous access to knowledge thanks to its adaptability to any mobile device: smartphones, tablets and laptops. This nomadic learning concept therefore offers the possibility of learning and revising where you want and when you want! Mobile learning has been changing education systems since its emergence and is gradually being democratized in many sectors.

Social Learning

Social Learning is a way of learning that consists in making learners interact with each other. so that they can share their knowledge and know-how. This method of collaborative work is, in principle, accompanied by digital tools to facilitate exchange between peers.

Also called Peer Learning, the Social Learning aims to push the limits of classical learning by allowing the learner to be also an actor in his training. No more “teacher/student” reasoning where everyone has their role to play and respect.

The principle of Peer Learning is to let learners go from being passive to being active. in order to make them evolve in a cooperative environment where they are all equal. Thus, everyone is free to add their own stone to the building. Collaborative learning also means sharing doubts with your team in order to find answers collectively. The evaluation of learning is done through the comments that each training actor can provide.

From a pedagogical point of view, motivation increases when learners have a good time, allowing them to be more involved in their learning. Adopting Social Learning training is an excellent way to strengthen relationships between teams and encourage learners' curiosity..

Adaptive Learning

Major current trend in terms of vocational training, The principle of Adaptive Learning, as its name suggests, is to adapt to learners ! This teaching method consists in offering personalized training according to the profile of the learners. With the advent of Machine Learning and artificial intelligence, Digital technology has adapted to its users. Machines are now able to learn from their users and offer them data that corresponds to them.

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Chapter XI

Is the future of Blended Learning human?

The current pedagogy is moving up a gear with the advent of technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI). Today's children are growing up and evolving in an increasingly digital world and the way we learn is gradually changing. This digitalization of training has allowed the professional and school environment to discover new ways of learning.

In addition, to respond to the problems associated with the COVID-19 crisis, teleworking has gradually taken root in all kinds of companies to become almost the norm. With the democratization of a distance communication approach, we can ask ourselves whether tomorrow's training may not be synchronous and asynchronous at the same time. In fact, The virtual is gradually replacing the face-to-face. However, synchronous training allows exchange in real time and therefore maintains the human aspect that is so important in the Blended Learning approach.

If tomorrow's training no longer requires physical sessions to make room for information available via forums, videos and other media (asynchronous) and live activities such as webinars or videoconferences (synchronous), Will Blended Learning still be relevant? In this case, the onboarding question would also become obsolete insofar as the employees of tomorrow will not be physically present in the company or very little.

It will therefore be up to the trainers to assert themselves and to find the right balance between all the solutions available to them so that tomorrow's training remains a pleasant and beneficial moment for learners.

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