Embracing Asynchronous Learning — How to Create and Sustain a Flexible Remote Learning Program

Asynchronous learning allows learners to access training at their own pace and design their own learning schedules—and has become increasingly critical for the remote workforce. Learners and facilitators do not need to be in the same physical classroom to complete a training; they don’t even need to log in to the same online learning environment at the same time. This learner-centric approach allows companies to deliver and scale training for 10 or 10,000+ learners, while giving users the flexibility to learn wherever, whenever. 

For asynchronous learning to succeed, companies must adopt a Learning Management System (LMS), where facilitators can upload and monitor learning programs, all from one central command center. To help you build a better flexible learning environment, we’re reviewing asynchronous learning best practices and the features to look for in a Learning Management System.

Deliver learning content and resources

To execute ongoing training, most companies utilize an LMS, which houses, delivers, and tracks the assets associated with an onboarding or continuous learning initiative. For facilitators, a major advantage of Learning Management Systems is that content can be scaled for large audiences and continually repurposed over time. For learners, a perk of working within an LMS is its flexibility—it empowers learners to work at their own pace and according to their individual learning style. 

A Learning Management System also offers creative liberty for facilitators—without the constraints of a brick-and-mortar classroom or scheduling concerns, they can be imaginative with their trainings. Most LMS organize content into a guide or learning path, which provides structure and timing suggestions for trainees. In addition to archived guides, learners can tap into libraries for self-serve content, which may include role-based training resources and third-party content.

Test knowledge and award certifications

As a way of adding interactive elements and incentivizing participants, tests and challenges are a recommended feature within an LMS. Usually placed as the last step of a learning guide, a test or challenge helps learners put new knowledge into practice. As a check-in, tests and challenges allow facilitators to review how effectively the training guide performed in delivering content to trainees. Results may indicate whether trainees should receive certifications, or if they may need more content to further their education.

A comprehensive LMS will have plenty of options for tests and challenges. Facilitators may opt to build tests that emulate traditional evaluations, with fill-in-the-blank prompts, matching games, and long- and short-form questions. Others looking to generate the same camaraderie that they’d see in a live classroom setting might incorporate social challenges, which allow learners to compete and review each other’s work. Another way to incorporate interactive challenges is to ask learners to record themselves sharing answers to questions.

Integrate learning into your existing workflows

Features like recorded challenges are made possible by integrations, which seamlessly connect outside software—anything from a CRM or CMS tool to an HR system—within an LMS. Integrations are perhaps the most important feature of a user-friendly LMS tool. These plug-ins emphasize the context of learning, showing participants exactly how they will perform learned tasks in their day-to-day work. Integrations also beget learner engagement by alerting them to notifications about their assignments in the tools they frequently visit during the workday (like Slack and Chrome).

From the facilitator’s perspective, integrations make it easier to build and transfer content within the systems utilized by a team. Integrations are also useful for facilitators who rely on content providers to power learnings and certifications. Still, one of the main benefits for facilitators are the reporting options that integrations can provide in an LMS.

Track and analyze live progress reports

At the end of the day, training is all about delivering results, so it is crucial that your organization’s LMS is equipped to provide clear insights on training outcomes. Basic LMS reports should indicate assessment results, completion rates, and feedback from learners. By integrating an LMS with a tool like Salesforce, facilitators can easily compare data from a learning guide to actual performance data—all without creating any extra steps related to importing or exporting data. 

A facilitator’s experience using an LMS is just as important as a learner’s experience. A great LMS tool can ease many of the headaches that facilitators may encounter in a classroom setting. For instance, LMS tools boast a dashboard, giving the facilitator live information on participants’ progress and assignment scores. Facilitators may also benefit from the expertise of others in an organization by granting them permissions to edit and review learning guides within an LMS tool. 

To learn more about how WorkRamp can help you deliver and scale asynchronous training, contact our team for a demo.