Social Learning – Transforming the Training Process

Developing an effective training program is one of the essentials of a fast growing organization. Efficacious training programs not only brush up the knowledge of the individuals, but also play an important part in overall growth of the organization. Since computers have entered each and every domain, these have also become an inseparable part of organization's training sessions. The advent of the online training programs, have changed the regular training process by introducing tools like graphics, social network, games, and mobiles. Online training programs are engaging, effective and interactive unlike traditional training programs.Interactive learning ensures active participation of all the members and helps in better understanding of the subject matter. E-learning programs have thus proven to be promising in today's competitive world. Organizations which have implied Learning Management Systems or LMS in their organizations save on cost and time both. These e-learning modules also help in getting rid of bulky training material and time consuming lecture sessions. Due to lack of budget many of the organizations fail to set up LMS. For them, offshoring is feasible solution, as it is cost-effective. One of the most important aspects of the online training program is that these can be customized as per the needs of the organizations. The organizations engaged in offering online training programs, develop industry specific programs for diverse industries like banking & finance, IT, life sciences, and education & training. Social learning is a popular source of e-learning as it is cost-effective and it makes the learning process simpler and easier. It is a powerful mode of learning, which is now being utilized in various sectors. It is basically the integration of e-learning module with social networks like twitter, facebook and linkedIn. Learning in the social environment also keeps the users updated about the changes in the learning module. Similar to social learning, game based learning also brings individuals together, which helps in generating a sense of competition among the trainees. This kind of learning is also called collaborative learning, where one or more individuals participate and work together towards a common goal. Social learning also helps the trainees to work in coordination with their remotely located peers. This type of learning is widely being used in induction training, product and services training, sales training and soft skills training. Moreover, organizations engaged in providing this type of learning help in designing, conceptualizing and implementing the process in an effective manner. Social learning is an effective way of incorporating learning via social media. One of the major advantages associated with this kind of learning is that the user can learn while he is logged on his favourite social networking site. Social network is a powerful media and its reach is wide, owing to which it has become a popular mode of learning among the corporate. Integrating the training process with social media makes the learning process more collaborative and interactive. Users can access the training material by logging on to different social networking sites and chose the desired module from the catalogue of models. They can also rate and share the training module among friends, if they like it.