Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, companies have adopted different forms of virtual learning technology. The pandemic made virtual learning a necessity as many workforces were forced to disperse for health and safety reasons. While some organizations stuck with the learning technology they already had, others made investments in newer technology, such as a learning experience platform (LXP).
What is a learning experience platform?
If this is the first time you’re hearing about a learning experience platform (LXP), you aren’t alone. These virtual learning platforms are fairly new to the corporate learning technology world, but already the learning experience platform market is valued at $300 million.1 An LXP is created to promote business growth and deliver a personalized learning experience and can have a variety of functionalities, such as social learning, badging and gamification, mobile learning, learning paths, and more.
Related Reading: What exactly is an LMS?
“LXPs can also be used to recommend third-party articles, find people who are experts, and potentially index documents, videos, and other digital assets,” said industry analyst Josh Bersin. “In a sense, they are content management, knowledge management, and learning systems all in one – which is why the market is growing so quickly.”2
3 practical ideas for promoting
learner buy-in with an LXP
When companies implement a new learning technology, be it an LXP or a new LMS, or an eLearning platform that functions as both, they commonly find that getting employees to engage with the system can be a challenge. This is especially true as COVID-19 taxes employees’ emotions, maxes out their stress levels, and shortens their attention spans. Here are a few ways you can help to promote learner buy-in with an LXP, even as the COVID-19 pandemic rages:
1. Tell learners how an LXP will benefit them
If you want your employees to buy into an LXP, you must let them know how it will benefit them. For best results, tell them ahead of the LXP launch. Before you can do this, you will have to do some research to find out exactly how the LXP you are investing in benefits learners, not just the company at large. For example, most LXPs allow learners to have a greater selection of training content than a traditional online learning platform. Employees can use this to their advantage by choosing training that will prepare them for a new role that is better suited to them within the company or equip them with highly transferable evergreen skills.
Related reading: 3 Types of Learners Who Love the LXP
2. Allow users to demo the LXP before it launches
It can be a challenge for employees to get excited about and later buy into a learning platform that they didn’t try personally before it launched. Perhaps these individuals have had negative or neutral experiences with online learning platforms in the past and didn’t get much out of them. A great way to counter fear, apprehension, skepticism, and lack of enthusiasm about a new learning technology like an LXP is to allow learners to demo it before it launches. Later, you can ask for their feedback and determine if the majority of your workforce wants you to implement a specific system or prefers a different brand. This allows employees to experience firsthand how user-friendly a platform is and provide valuable feedback about the system. 
3. Invest in an LXP with the right features
Traditional online learning platforms offer features such as mobile learning and content management. These tried-and-true features will never go out of style. An LXP often has all the typical eLearning system features and then some. For example, one feature that is unique to an LXP is a personalized stream of curated content for each learner.
Related Reading: 3 Ways an LXP Simplifies Employee Training
“A learning experience platform is an intuitive training tool. It guides an employee's learning experience by making training recommendations, similar to how Netflix recommends media based on what a customer has watched in the past.”3 Features like this make LXP learning self-directed, which many employees will appreciate. Other LXP features learners will love, include a variety of the most up-to-date social learning tools on the learning tech market.
Increase learner engagement during COVID-19 with an LXP
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, expect to have a harder time engaging your employees. Remember that their minds may be taken up with fearful thoughts that relate to their health and job security. To engage them at a deeper level, choose a learning experience platform packed with features that make creating learner buy-in easy. The TOPYX LXP is an ideal choice for companies navigating COVID-19. See what you think about TOPYX by requesting an LXP demo ot TOPYX and taking a look at our Quick Start Program.
References:
1. https://joshbersin.com/2019/03/learning-experience-platform-lxp-market-grows-up-now-too-big-to-ignore/
2. https://joshbersin.com/2019/03/learning-experience-platform-lxp-market-grows-up-now-too-big-to-ignore/
3. https://www.topyx.com/lms-blog/3-benefits-of-a-learning-experience-platform-lxp-for-employee-training
