Chapter I

What is Social Learning?

Toward a definition

We have all experienced it: classical school education favors lectures, given by a teacher with knowledge, to students who receive them passively most of the time.

This dissemination of knowledge can be roughly schematised in a one-way vertical movement, from the top (the teacher) to the bottom (the students). Beyond school, this top-down transmission model is also classically used in continuing education.

Increasingly popular, “social learning” refers to a learning method that is diametrically opposed to these traditional pedagogical habits. On the contrary, it is a question of relying on horizontal knowledge sharing and a two-way co-construction of knowledge, constantly enriched by interactions between the various members of a group of learners.

In short, social learning is learning with and thanks to others.

From Social Being to Social Learning

If We Think That The social character of the human being plays a crucial place in his development process, social learning is an obvious common sense. Throughout our lives, we talk to others, we listen to them, we observe their actions, we interact with them and we naturally integrate multiple lessons through these social relationships.

For a child, for example, learning to speak, daily actions, daily actions, essential concepts (good, bad, rules, etc.) or simple games is done By Watching and Listening to Parents and Peers, as Well as by Experimenting himself. You Can Even Set Up A Peer Review System. It's concrete and it goes without saying: no one would think of teaching their young child how to wash their hands by giving them a master class! Likewise, marble teachers do not exist but children pass on the rules of the game to each other, or even co-construct them together.

In line with this observation, social learning is an approach that values concrete, interactive, committed learning, and encourages the combination of learner and “knowing.” Thus, everyone contributes to the group by sharing their own knowledge and know-how, express their questions to find answers collectively, and conversely participates in the resolution of the problems encountered by others. These transversal interactions provide everyone with information and demonstrations that enrich the training experience.

Social, Peer, Collaborative... Different words for common meaning

Terminology “social learning” Can be literally translated into “social learning”, but several formulas co-exist whose meaning seems equivalent. In particular, we are talking about ” Peer learning ” Which means ” Peer learning ”, or even “collaborative learning” That is to say “collaborative learning”. The nuances between these different names are subtle, if not non-existent: all refer to participatory learning, based on cooperation between learners who leave the passive status of the traditional student to become actors in their training together.

We Also See Blossoming A New Vocabulary to Refer to the Elements Shared by Learners : The terms ” User generated content ” And “expert generated content” emerging to qualify training content created by user learners or experts — who we can imagine are trainers, external specialists in a particular field, or why not learners who are themselves holders of specific knowledge.

Beedeez thus encourages the creation of internal training content by company employees. In particular, the “Tips” feature allows them to disseminate their know-how by recording short demonstration videos, ideal for example for sharing their technical gestures.

At the heart of social learning: social learning theory

Among the theoretical bases that underlie social learning, the best known is the “Social Learning Theory”, or “Social Learning Theory”, developed in the years 1960-1970 by the Canadian Albert Bandura, emeritus researcher in social psychology.

This theory focuses on the fact that Learning is based on the observation of behaviors performed by others and the consideration of their consequences, in order to lead to thoughtful imitation. According to Bandura, this process saves a lot of trial and error in order to acquire the desired knowledge or know-how.

In this context, the researcher calls imitated behavior “model”, and “modeling” the whole mechanism that leads to imitation. Note thatIt's not just mimicry, but to rely on observation to build one's own behavioral modalities, going so far as to generate new skills beyond the model.

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Social learning involves 4 distinct processes:

1. lookout, which must be of high quality for the process to be successful. Observation must be active to allow the learner to select information of interest, and to extract underlying rules from the observed behavior.
2. Retention, an essential step in any pedagogy. It consists in remembering the essential points of what has been observed, thanks to mental images or via their psychological or physical repetition.
3. Reproduction, which consists in putting into practice what the learner has chosen to remember. In this stage, you need to know how to self-observe in order to correct yourself.
4. The Motivation, necessary to make the effort of learning. It is stimulated by the prospect of concrete or symbolic rewards — for example, the satisfaction associated with a sense of “self-efficacy.”
   

Albert Bandura also points out that you learn better by taking as a model someone you feel close to.. Just as children willingly imitate their parents, siblings or friends, social learning is thus all the more effective because it is based on the sharing of experiences and knowledge between peers linked by a certain proximity.

Two concrete examples:

• Share a copy of a successful student with the whole class, or ask the student to correct the board are good examples of social learning. In summary: the careful observation of the skills of the right student promotes beneficial reproduction by his classmates, motivated in particular by the prospect of a next good grade.
• A similar mechanism underlies some television ads Whose objective is to encourage people to imitate certain consumer behaviors by combining them with attractive benefits. We think of encouraging messages like “Drink this soda and your life will be more sparkling! or “Use this beauty product and the world will be at your feet!” ”. On an attentive consumer motivated by the promise, it can work!

Before: Interactionist Theory

Upstream of Albert Bandura's social learning theory, the Russian intellectual Lev Vygotsky had already emphasized the social component of learning at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Social Origin of Human Thought

Philosopher, psychologist and pedagogue, Lev Vygotsky was one of the first to acknowledge that the child is first and foremost a social being, and that the whole of his development — thought, language, higher psychic functions — is the result of a permanent interaction with his parents, teachers and other children. He affirms that learning is only accessible in the context of this communication with the adult and the collaboration with the classmates.

According to his so-called “interactionist” theory, learning initially involves collective activity, supported by an adult and by the group. It is then consolidated during an individual activity that allows it to be internalized.

A 100% social learning theory

Applied to the field of training, Lev Vygotsky's analysis consists of Favor a learning environment that maximizes the possibilities of interactions in the learner group. Discussions, collaborative work, the sharing of impressions, the sharing of experiences must occupy an essential place. This is the very definition of contemporary social learning!

After: The Theory of Situated Learning

The work of Bandura and Vygotsky is the pillars of another analysis that values social learning. : The Theory of “Situated Learning”, initiated in the early 1990s by the social anthropologist Jean Lave and his student Etienne Wenger.

Lave and Wenger reaffirm that social interaction is central to the learning process. According to them, this process occurs in all human activity and at all times, by observing the problems encountered, how the theory is applied, and the role played by the learner himself.

Context and concrete

The Lave and Wenger learning model is said to be “located” because it takes place in the very context where it will then be used, and is inseparable from it.. Within this context, they point out that Knowledge is co-constructed at the heart of a “community of practice” Where students learn from each other.

In particular, this theory was developed based on observation The Behaviors of Apprentice Communities Around a Master Craftsman. In order to become competent professionals, apprentices in fact acquire their know-how directly at the workplace, through observation, participation and collaboration.

Any other examples? Les Workshops And Workshops, or even the Roleplaying games In a real context, can enter into this framework.

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A Great Way to Learn: The 70-20-10 Model

If social learning is on the rise today, it is not only for its pleasant user-friendly aspect. Educational theories, like numerous studies, demonstrate that it is above all a particularly effective method of training.

Are you familiar with the 70-20-10 model?

The 70-20-10 model Was developed in the mid-1990s By the Center for Creative Leadership of the American University of Princeton. It is very often highlighted today for Extol the Virtues ofInformal learning, that is to say outside the academic framework.

To develop this model, researchers Michael Lombardo, Morgan McCall, and Robert Eichinger asked 200 managers to indicate what learning modalities they attributed their acquired knowledge to, and obtained the following answers:

• 70% through activity and experience, so “on the job”
• 20% through their social interactions
• 10% through academic training

The 70-20-10 model therefore highlights that 90% of knowledge is acquired informally, through experience and social interaction : a very good point for social learning! The downside of this fact is that the formal part of learning takes up only a very small part of what is learned.

The academic is quickly forgotten, the informal remains

In fact, other studies confirm that Most of the information learned in a conventional way is quickly forgotten, Unless you anchor them via a reactivation process :

• From the end of the 19th century, The Oblivion Curve by Fermann Ebbinghaus Shows that 30% of the information learned is forgotten in 24 hours if it is not repeated.

• In 1939, HF Spitzer establishes that, without a reminder, 80% of the concepts taught academically are forgotten in 2 weeks.

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Unlike academic teaching, social learning focuses on observation and the sharing of knowledge and skills (whether Hard Skills Or the Soft Skills), the application of knowledge in real conditions, interactions between learners... According to the 70-20-10 model, this highly informal nature therefore places it among the most effective training methods.

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Chapter III

Social learning trends

A growing popularity

Social learning is not in itself a new practice. Indeed, team educational simulations that have been practiced for a long time, or even the simple fact of discussing problems around the coffee machine, implement mechanisms that fall within the field of social learning. Nevertheless, Social learning, identified and practised as such in the context of vocational training, is a recent and rapidly expanding approach.

Informal is on the rise

More and more companies are interested in the potential of social learning, convinced in particular by the 70-20-10 model which establishes, as we have seen, the superiority ofInformal learning No academic education. Social learning is thus attracting a growing number of training professionals, looking for ways to Stimulate the learning dynamic in the company and cultivate the expertise of employees. By encouraging staff to learn from each other and to collaborate over the long term to co-build their skills and knowledge, this approach provides them with a new path of growth and solid support. This is also the case for Train your teams in the field with social learning.

Courses in Search of Attractiveness

Moreover, in an increasingly competitive and evolving professional world, The maintenance and development of skills in the company are levers of performance Which it can no longer save. Offering its employees truly effective and highly engaging learning experiences has thus become a necessity, and social learning solutions ideally meet this acute need. So How Really Becoming a Learning Business ?

The social aspect is becoming societal

According to a CREDOC study, the proportion of individuals who used a social network on the Internet during the year has increased over the last ten years:

• The population counted 60% of social media users in 2019 compared to 23% in 2009, an increase of 37 points.
• The proportion of users of these networks even reaches 68% among Internet users, compared to 30% in 2009.

Thus, democratization, not to say the omnipresence of online social networks, has so popularized collaborative uses that More Broadly, Social Learning is part of a real societal trend Which is increasing its growth tenfold.

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An increasingly digital development

Although social learning dates back to the advent of social networks and can still be practiced offline, The rise in power of the “social” internet has made it evolve on a mostly digital terrain.

Digital social uses benefit social learning

The technologies we use every day to communicate have naturally integrated social learning devices, which have taken advantage of these familiar uses to intuitively promote exchanges: “Cats” or instant messengers, forums Thematic discussions, Video conferences, Wikis, blogs, Intranets gold Corporate networks... So, How to communicate about your courses with social learning ?

Popular Features on Social Platforms Such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, are frequently re-appropriated by social learning because they have the advantage not only of stimulating interactions, but also of being understood by all. We can cite the very principle of “post” Who Shares or Relays Initial Information, the “Like”, the fact of how, or even the organization of exchanges in Thematic discussion threads...

A digital momentum that continues

The enrichment of the digital world, where new uses are constantly emerging, has thus benefited and continues to benefit from the implementation of social learning, whose collaborative dimension is, let us repeat, Perfectly In Tune With The Times.

TEASocial learning Can base its development on A growing variety of technological solutions, deploying engaging mechanisms that contribute to the creation of virtual communities, facilitate networking and multiply both the modalities and the opportunities for interactions between learners.

As with many other aspects of our daily lives, there is little doubt that This digitization of social learning will continue, and even accelerate.

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Reciprocal enrichment that is also transforming e-learning

In the context of social learning, learners evolve with each other, in a bidirectional exchange. It is interesting to note that this The concept of mutual influence Can be applied to the relationship that social learning maintains with digital technology.

From e-learning to digital learning

While social learning is undergoing an evolution largely marked by digital technology, the opposite also seems true: by becoming more and more essential, The social dimension of learning has led to the transformation of e-learning tools Used for vocational training.

Since e-learning does not encourage social interaction at first glance, we had to find a way to Break the Isolation of the Learner, and Make Him Active In its training process. Combined with the digital revolution, this imperative is undoubtedly one of the factors that has influenced the evolution of e-learning. At first too often limited to long videos with a quick end quiz, this distance learning has thus metamorphosed, until The Advent of Digital Learning.

New Social Tools

Digital solutions have thus emerged to adapt to the new social challenges of pedagogy., now equipped with collaborative features that promote learner involvement, as well as interactions with their tutor and peers. We Call It The Pairagogy. Digital Learning Now Has Many Digital Tools That Facilitate Social Learning, including:

• The virtual classroom, which brings together online learners, sometimes geographically distant, for a given learning period. Through this channel, the trainer can share his screen and different types of documents, chat, and video address his “virtual students”. But above all, Each participant also has the opportunity to share Happy, use your webcam and microphone to communicate with the network, ask questions or answer them very easily. This collaborative aspect is essential.
• The LMS platform, gold Learning System Management, which, as its name suggests, makes it possible to manage and monitor training activities in the company. This platform centralizes useful information for learning and allows access to it. Since social learning requires increasing the number of opportunities for interactions, the LMS is invaluable in allowing and organizing exchanges. : it makes educational resources accessible, allows content to be created using integrated authoring tools, allows content to be created using integrated authoring tools, or other spaces for exchange such as forums.

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Chapter IV

Social Learning more effective thanks to digital technology

Digital Social Learning Breaks Down the 70-20-10 Model

We remember that the 70-20-10 model divides our ways of learning into distinct areas: on the one hand 10% formal that corresponds to academic teaching; on the other hand 90% informal, which includes 70% practice and 20% learning through our social interactions.

Social learning is from the early informal, but the new digital tools dedicated to it tend to decompartmentalize ways of acquiring knowledge. So How to use social learning in your business ?

In fact, by making it possible to create and/or disseminate formal educational material, around which will be grafted Learning Communities, Digital Social Learning Solutions Incidentally Mix the Formal and the Informal. In doing so, they enrich, multiply and optimize the learning opportunities offered to learners, promoting the success of the training path:

• The quality of formal educational data provides a solid foundation for more informal exchanges between learners;
• At the same time, the social involvement of the same learners boosts their motivation and commitment to training, making them more likely to effectively integrate the formal teaching data made available to them.

The virtual classroom is a great example of this mix of genres!

The benefits of digital social learning

Federated and Involved Learners

Digital Technologies largely ensure the effectiveness of the deployment of social learning In the company. So How to Succeed in Your Social Learning Training ? Not only do LMS platforms optimize the management of various educational resources and the monitoring of learners, but The Multiplication of Participatory tools Allows You to Federate Users Like Never Before :

• collaborative applications (Klaxoon, Slack... );
• document sharing tools (Google drive, Dropbox... );
• videoconferencing solutions (Hangouts, FaceTime... );
• etc.

Digital technology also has a “disinhibition effect” particularly studied by John Suler, professor of psychology, in his book “The Psychology of Cyberspace.” This can have toxic effects in the private context of virtual social life, but in a professional context, this freedom of speech encourages everyone's participation in social networks. Some employees will be more likely to intervene at a distance from the group, from their computer or smartphone, than by being confronted with the eyes of others during a session. Face-to-face.

The development of the functionalities of Also stimulates the involvement of learners by injecting a fun aspect into the learning process. Interactions are also encouraged, for example through the use of group games or competitive challenges that participants are invited to take up. The “Battle” mode proposed by Beedeez, which allows you to measure your knowledge against that of an opponent on a given theme, is one of these modalities that promote engagement.

Unleashed Social Learning

Another significant benefit: Thanks to Digital Technology, Social Learning is Freed from the Constraints of Space and Time. Virtual communication has no physical limits, and many exchanges can take place asynchronously, without having to be in the same place or at the same time. However, unlike the old methods of e-learning, in the context of digital social learning, the learner is no longer alone behind his screen: he now uses his mobile, laptop or even his tablet, to connect where and when he wants to connect to his Online learning community.

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Mobile Learning at the Forefront of Future Solutions

Among the devices that allow access to digital social learning solutions, mobile phones are becoming more and more relevant. Always available, it makes learning accessible everywhere and all the time, and promotes spontaneous exchanges and sharing. These advantages are further accentuated by the rise of smartphones and their constant improvement.

French People More and More Equipped

The population's first digital device, the mobile phone Not only is it increasingly replacing the fixed telephone, but it is also adopting many uses that were previously reserved for the computer. A trend that concerns all age categories.

Thus, according to a survey conducted by CREDOC, in 2019:

• The rate of mobile phone equipment Reached 95% On the entire French population aged over 12, and over 98% among the 18-59 age group;
• 82% of French Use Their Mobile Phones on a Daily Basis, compared to only 47% the computer;
• 51% prefer mobile To connect to the internet, compared to only 31% the computer.

In addition, The smartphone is now establishing itself as the reference mobile phone with 77% of people equipped, an increase of 60 points compared to 2011. Among 25-39 year olds this rate reaches 95%, among 18-24 year olds it rises to 98%, while 40-59 year olds are still endowed with 80%.

A mobile learning tool

By the strength of the previous figures, mobile learning, or m-learning, is becoming an increasingly essential vocational training modality. And social learning, which is experiencing strong digitization, benefits from relying on this evolution.

Relying on Short formats and particularly intuitive uses, tea Mobile learning Combines the spontaneity of use associated with smartphones with the conciseness of microlearning — which consists in breaking down knowledge into short concepts.

Thanks to the Mobile, the Learner Consults as Soon as He Wants The knowledge available in its network, connects instinctively to the community, can instantly share its own expertise — as with the Beedeez “Tips”, which make it possible to capture knowledge and disseminate it in the form of short educational videos: product demonstration, business videos: product demonstration, business testimony, business testimony, technical gesture, safety rule... Learning becomes flexible, gradual, safety rule... Learning becomes flexible, gradual, and not very continuously, involving because it is attractive, nomadic par excellence since our smartphone experiences us everywhere. Assets That Undoubtedly Make It A Solution for the Future !

Chapter V

How to set up Social Learning for your teams in the field?

Respecting the Keys to Informal Training

As we have seen, social learning falls within the framework of informal training. Of Sales Forces To teams on construction sites, its implementation therefore requires respecting the keys that condition the success of this type of training:

• Enabling Learners' Autonomy

Social Learning Makes The Learner an Actor in His Training. Not only is his participation essential, but he himself is the one who must often spontaneously seek the solutions and information he needs within the content shared and made available by and for the group. So It's About Create an environment conducive to the autonomy of everyone, in particular through tools that facilitate Interpersonal communication As well as the research and sharing of information. However, a minimum of animation is necessary, we will get there.

• Decompartmentalize the training space

Just as social learning spreads out the training time to promote learning at the right time and relevant for the learner, He must be able to Practicing Anywhere. Its implementation must therefore include: Means of Access That Make Knowledge Available Both in the office and while traveling, in customers, within business software, etc.

• Make your goals more flexible

Insofar as social learning involves on-going training, At the Pace and According to the Needs of Each Learner, it is more difficult to apply qualitative and quantitative objectives to it. The Company Must Necessarily Be flexible, the benefits of social learning in terms of increasing the skills of employees will be no less real.

• Be concrete

We will give priority to the sharing of Practical content, improving immediate performance, useful and easily available during activity. Each learner must be able to find the Proceedings, Operating procedures, Answers to his concrete questions Thanks to the corporate social network, online help, and exchanges with expert peers. It's aboutLearning while working, sometimes without even realizing it! Beedeez's “Tips” precisely make it possible to create and broadcast videos directly in the field.

Relying on the right tools and techniques

Social learning needs tools that facilitate communication, the sharing of information, the co-construction of knowledge, by allowing learners to connect and interact.

Some traditional solutions that have existed for a long time can be exploited in this sense, such as Group courses Where everyone is invited to participate by sharing their knowledge, or the Workshop-type workshops Who are committed to working as a team.

But we noted that digital technology, above all, provides multiple supports for social learning:

• You Can Use Social Networks Such as Facebook or LinkedIn to create private groups dedicated to your teams and use them to organize the co-construction and sharing of information materials useful to all. Likewise, the corporate social network makes it possible to build collaborative groups that promote the involvement of learners, such as virtual communities or working groups on specific themes.

• Use features such as FAQ, discussion forums, and instant messaging. Everyone can contribute and find answers, ask questions to the community and easily discuss professional issues with their peers. These habits are already widely integrated, as social networks have popularized virtual interactions by systematically encouraging people to “like”, comment, share...
  
• Create your own “Wikipedia” and/or your corporate blog, and encourages the creation of content by employees. This source of information can be valuable, especially for new hires or those who are not familiar with all facets of the organization. The most experts will be well suited to ensure that the shared data is relevant and up to date.
  
• Focus on the attractiveness of microlearning. This mode of learning is based on very short training content, lasting no more than 5 to 10 minutes, dividing the learning into small sections that are easy to access and share. Teams can easily create, share and update these knowledge modules themselves: Beedeez's mobile capsules are an excellent illustration of this.
• Put Play at the Heart of Learning. Like the Serious Games Carried out in physical mode, virtual group games are perfect for boosting the motivation and involvement of learners. “Gamification” mechanisms are becoming more and more popular, use them! Ranking tables, progressive badges, can for example reward the most active in exchanges or the sharing of expertise. Competitions or challenges can also stimulate participants in their learning follow-up.

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Animating the community

Social learning thrives thanks to the autonomy and spontaneity of learners, however it is essential to guide interactions so that exchanges are not only initiated but above all fruitful.

Dedicating an actor to the system will determine its success. Whether we are talking about pedagogue, trainer, tutor, tutor, administrator or even social community manager, it is essential for:

• set up and manage the various tools chosen to facilitate exchanges;
• organize physical and/or virtual workshops to encourage interactions;
• initiate discussions, by choosing themes that can create emulation, arouse and maintain learners' interest and therefore their involvement over time;
• Animate Exchanges to Give Them Rhythm, Relaunch Them, Relaunch Them, Complete Them, Refocus Them as Needed.

This facilitation role is particularly essential when launching a social learning system., to build the community and make members want to actively join it. The central challenge is often to have questions and answers: the facilitator will therefore have to ask questions himself, share content, and challenge learners to encourage them to interact.

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Chapter VI

Social Learning, a generational practice?

Because it is innovative, increasingly digital, and is part of the trend Collaborative learning Popularized by the explosion of social networks, one might think that social learning is an approach reserved for younger generations. However, everyone can find their interest in the practice of social learning, which also promotes, in essence, intergenerational cohesion in the company.

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For Baby Boomers: A Give-and-Take System

These Collaborators Born After the Second World War Are now the oldest on the job market. Logically, the most experienced, they can naturally take on the role of “experts” in the context of a social learning approach, and Allow the most novice to benefit from their expertise Deepened over the years.

On the other hand, Themselves Will Be Able to Benefit from Their Exchanges with Colleagues from Different Generations, who often have valuable expertise complementary to their own, in particular technological or digital... A perfect intergenerational give-and-take!

Undoubtedly the last generation to still be able to consider spending an entire career in the same company, baby boomers are in principle more loyal than the youngest employees and more inclined to professional stability: is there no point in taking care of their commitment in this case? Not necessarily! It is important for the company to keep the skills of all its employees up to date., and it may be necessary to stimulate the motivation of these deans, whether they are already confident in their achievements or unwilling to train at the end of their career. Social learning therefore has serious advantages. : informal interactions incidentally facilitated involvement, depending on the methods chosen, the learner can learn over time without academic burden, and the valorization of everyone's knowledge is significant enough to encourage sharing.

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For Generation X: An Attractive Solution

Born between the mid-1960s and the end of the 1970s, members of Generation X tend to highly value work-family-leisure balance and to demonstrate a certain independence of mind. Adapted to a labour market that they have integrated in crisis, they have a good ability to adapt. Having experienced the emergence of the Internet, they are comfortable with most of its uses as well as with technological tools in general.

In the case of collaborators X, Social learning is an attractive way of learning, especially because he is Freed from the Constraints of Space-Time Inherent in traditional face-to-face training methods. The approach thus responds to their significant appetite for Professional and Personal Development, without excessively burdening their workload or impinging on their personal lives.

The Way of Learning Interactive, the dimension sometimes Fun Introduced by gamification tips, the use of Digital tools And to Uses already established by social networks Are for them as many additional sticking points.

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For Millennials: The Ideal Apprenticeship

Those who are also called “millenials” were born during the last two decades of the 20th century.. Today at the heart of businesses, they are even more connected and digital than their elders. Particularly marked by a culture of zapping and instantaneity, they like things to go quickly, and it is essential for the company to find a way to captivate them and to maintain their professional commitment.

In a constant search of information and in search of autonomy, They find in social learning the ideal answer to their learning expectations. Provided that the deployment of the process is based on tools that are accessible online, available everywhere and at any time, they will appreciate being able to learn according to their needs and at their own pace, wherever they are, thanks to the latest digital options.

Although imbued with an individualism that prioritizes their personal development, they are none the less Steeped in Collaborative Uses Because of their virtual habits and are therefore also Receptive to the Dimension of Sharing Between Peers, which they naturally adhere to.

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For Generation Z: A Requirement and an Obvious Fact

In short, Generation Z is Generation X in version 2.0! Born after the year 2000, these very young employees are still, by necessity, relatively rare in companies. But it can be expected that their arrival on the labor market will be accompanied by necessary adaptations to their ultra-mobile, ultra-interactive... and ultra-demanding profile.

Consistently to instant modes of communication, and even more generally to a way of life where speed is the most important thing in everything, Generation Z should not only take full advantage of social learning, but also push it to constant evolution.

By nature independent and autonomous, the company will have every interest in knowing how to arouse their interest in order to keep Z talent in its ranks. Relationships are precious In this context: that's good news, it is at the very heart of social learning, which is constantly nourished and nourished by it.

Deeply rooted in their various professional and personal social networks, Young Z Naturally Think Collective, and again social learning is perfectly suited. Just as it is also with their An Innate Taste for Self-Study, made obvious by the democratization of MOOCs, Wiki and multiple online tutorials. Attentionally to looking for the answers to their questions themselves, as well as to commenting on the words of others or answering their questions, they will not have No Impediment to Sharing Their Knowledge or Relying on That Disseminated by Their Peers, quite the opposite.

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Chapter VII

Is Social Learning the Future of Vocational Training?

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A practice in line with the evolution of society

We said it: we can bring the rise of social learning closer to that of online social networks. The values of sharing on which these uses are based are in fact obvious proximity, and the tools created on networks have also greatly benefited social learning.

But social networks, which have certainly become essential for many citizens, are only one of the manifestations of a much larger phenomenon: The Rise of Collaboration in Society as a Whole.

The Ouishare collective, a “think-and-do-tank” founded in 2012 and now an international network present in twenty countries, has a raison d'être that says a lot about this societal trend: “Create a peer network, a horizontal organization and Create a More Open and Collaborative Society ”. Its values are just as revealing: experimentation, openness, collaboration, autonomy, participation, awareness and attention...

From the sharing economy to the sharing of knowledge

Today, beyond new online communication habits, The practice of sharing is disrupting many sectors of the economy : renting cars between individuals or carpooling, renting apartments via Airbnb or even exchanging homes, sharing household equipment or bartering skills between neighbours... Initiatives abound, and the field of knowledge is no exception!

Learners' demand is growing for captivating and participatory training, equipped with the latest digital innovations that facilitate exchanges and the sharing of expertise between peers. So Is Social Learning Perfectly Suited to This Major Evolution in Society, and should logically continue to expand in the coming decades.

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A mixable approach

The potential of social learning is immense, and its implementations in business are probably only in their early stages. Nevertheless, The challenges of vocational training are complex, and cannot find all of their answers in this unique learning modality.

More than the ability to appropriate the precepts of digital social learning at the expense of any formal and/or face-to-face training, real innovation will undoubtedly come from the ability of training managers to Make these different pedagogical modalities coexist and the multiple digital solutions at their disposal.

An essential module in an à la carte training offer

In all probability, Tomorrow, it will not be a question of putting social learning in every way possible, but of making good use of its resources and its dedicated tools, depending on the context, the needs identified and the objectives to be achieved. Social Learning Is Becoming An essential component in creating a culture of continuous development in the company, but it is not the exclusive component.

The training must also take into account the preferences and learning abilities of each employee, in order to meet their expectations as closely as possible. The future will thus be for an offer that integrates social learning but remains multimodal, ever more personalized. and adapted to everyone in order to stimulate their commitment and optimize their skills development.

Foresight Test: What New Uses Are in the Future?

Because it lives at the pace of the digital revolution, social learning is destined to be enriched through future innovations. The tools that will be developed tomorrow will necessarily change its uses, by inventing new ways of connecting learners, and by allowing them to exchange on new modes.

The popularization of video Is already on the right track. Fully integrated into the training space, it should make it possible to streamline and develop interactions between learners by simplifying the sharing of questions and solutions. A simple click on the webcam is more intuitive and faster than writing a message or written content, and this type of use should become widespread.

The improvement and democratization of virtual reality Should also make it an essential technology for the future digital social learning. We Can Consider Virtual meetings Of communities of learners located in the four corners of the world, equipped in reality with virtual reality headsets, and whose avatars would participate in Group games Of all kinds. Immersion, already sought after today in physical role-playing games, will be strengthened until it becomes an unbeatable learning tool. Indeed, what could be more memorable than allowing the group to experience the emotions of a common adventure where they must share their knowledge in order to move forward together?

Logically, gamification techniques Should develop in parallel, with the emergence of such collaborative games based on the need to share information.

Finally, Identify and identify all individual expertise Could become an essential part of future social learning. Each collaborator has specific knowledge at their own level: identifying them in an exhaustive skills base and making them available to the community may, tomorrow, allow learners to immediately find the Expert Peers Able to answer their questions precisely.

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Supporting the evolution of professions through social learning

We are living in a time where the steady pace of technological innovations is causing the disappearance of certain jobs and accelerating the obsolescence of skills, while encouraging the emergence of new jobs. In a job market that is constantly changing, it is imperative to demonstrate great adaptability: training is becoming a crucial issue.

On the battery side, The individual is now required to learn throughout life To guarantee its employability. On the face side, It is essential for the company to have effective training systems In order to update the skills of its employees. She sometimes has to go so far as to train them in new jobs herself, the only option to cover certain new workforce needs.

Social Learning to Stay Up to Date

In any case, social learning is a particularly interesting solution. By its very nature, this mode of learning engages in the creation ofAn ecosystem that is constantly on the lookout for new knowledge, nourished by exchanges and content constantly enriched by the community, encouraging employees to train daily to keep their expertise up to date and complete it over time, in a more or less informal way.

By promoting sharing between peers, social learning makes it possible to broadcast in real time the evolutions impacting professions. Its digital tools allow each holder of micro-knowledge to capture it in order to transmit it to the community: very useful for informing employees of new product or service arguments, or training them in new technical skills in particular.

The Beedeez Tips feature Is a perfect example of this benefit. It allows any collaborator to capture their expertise in video, to enrich it with diagrams, comments or games, and then to share it, all in a few minutes! Based on the principle of YouTube tutorials that everyone knows, the community can thus very easily discover the business gesture required to use a new machine, the presentation of the latest product launched by the company, or even a new safety rule to know...

Such Democratization of Knowledge Sharing, in Direct Connection with Problems in the Field, has every chance of becoming an essential part of the strategy for companies to adapt to the increasingly rapid evolution of professional environments. So, How to create a social learning strategy In your business?

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