LMS, Learning Management System

Cater to Your Employees’ Learning Styles with an LMS

by Jeffrey Roth

Humans have the innate desire to learn. Not only that, but we also have the brainpower to acquire new skills at a rapid pace. Depending upon personal preferences and abilities, people have traditionally been referred to as kinesthetic learners, visual learners and auditory learners. Which type of learner are you?

<img alt=" Learning Styles LMS keyboard "src=" https://topyx.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Learning-Styles-LMS.jpg "/>

Are you familiar with the three traditional learning styles (visual, kinesthetic and auditory)? If not, here’s a quick primer: visual learners comprehend concepts best by seeing them taught. As a result, they are notorious note-takers. Kinesthetic learners are people who must physically touch and interact with the theories being explained to them. Auditory learners learn best by hearing information.

For years, these three types of learning styles have been accepted as the trifecta of information retention. While people have their preferences, teaching a topic in a way that utilizes all of these elements can help learners grasp new concepts readily.

What is your preferred learning style? More importantly, what are your employees’ preferred styles of learning? Theoretically, if corporate training does not cater specifically to each of these three learning styles, many employees will not retain the information necessary for workplace success. 

eLearning Meets the Needs of All Learners

Trying to personalize training material to meet the needs of the three traditional styles of learning is daunting. However, eLearning, also referred to as online learning, makes this easy. How? By enabling individuals of any learning style to effectively retain information. An eLearning platform doesn’t accomplish this magically, but via four simple elements. The four elements of eLearning include…

  • Social learning
  • Independent learning
  • Informal learning
  • Formal learning

When looking at the breakdown of each eLearning element and pairing it with LMS tools, it becomes clear that an eLearning platform is the most effective way to combine these four elements and meet the needs of all types of learners.

Social learning can be both informal and formal

Informal social learning involves teams working together to accomplish specific goals. Conversely, formal social learning is exemplified in online group discussions that are moderated and guided by an instructor. The web-based conferencing and realtime chat features that are built into the majority of social learning management systems make it easy for structured and unstructured groups to come together in various learning environments. 

Independent learning also has informal and formal opportunities

Did you know that over 70 percent of our knowledge is attained informally? This statistic indicates that most of what we learn evolves out of life experiences. The Strategic HCM blog states that “reading, listening, watching, sharing, and connecting” are all part of informal learning. On the other hand, formal learning is also important. The good thing about formal learning is its tendency to motivate individuals to pursue additional, non-mandatory avenues of study. A social learning management system makes it possible for individuals to learn both formally and informally.

It’s amazing to observe the ways in which traditional learning styles are evolving with the development and usage of technology in the workplace. The learning management system that TOPYX offers learners tools that enable social, formal, informal, and independent learning and appeal to visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. TOPYX is an award-winning eLearning platform that hosts thousands of satisfied users. Best of all, this robust, flat-rate LMS does not charge any per-user fees.

A high-quality social learning management system can put both a company and its workforce on the fast track to success. Is your company equipped with the tools needed to cooperate with the eLearning revolution?