Why Learning Paths (Curriculums) are important for your training programs?

Not every course of a Learning Management System (LMS) is distinctive. Some courses are meant to co-exist and taken as a group-one after the other to deliver a holistic experience to learners. This is where learning paths play a vital role. Learning paths act as an effective course delivery machine for an LMS. Ideal for a business that needs learners to gain mastery over a specific topic, their setup and enrollment are quick and hassle-free.

What is a Learning Path?

A learning path is a set of courses tied together to help learners progress through and master a specific subject or a program. A learning path allows multiple users to register for the course at once. This feature is useful in corporate training where the learners are in similar roles and teams and need to excel in a certain subject.

There can be several methods of learning in a learning path depending on the learning style and preference. The overall objective of the learning path is to drive needs-based, eventually leading to results-based learning.

A learning path offers the flexibility to the learner to absorb small chunks of information without being overwhelmed. It offers a way to build on what is already learned by presenting information linearly. Learning paths can tailor the training material to cater to the individual user in a sequence and structured manner. This ensures that the learning journey is consistent, innovative, and never stagnant.

Importance of Learning Paths

Learning paths are a major time-saving tool and guide learners along their journey. Here are the main benefits of learning paths:

• Brings Structure

  Learning paths make training programs more sequenced and structured. While learners can choose the path and pace of progress, admins can control the order of course assignments and their duration. You can even schedule when the learner can access each portion of his learning path and in what order he must complete them. Following a structure for a learning program puts the learner in the forefront and allows him to gain knowledge in small parts.

• Enables Self-Paced Learning

  Each learner will follow a different pace for learning, absorbing, and implementing the information gathered. Without a learning path, they will be compelled to stick to a specific speed, sometimes struggling to catch up with others. Learners get to choose when what and where they wish to learn the content. Self-paced learning encourages better retention among the learners as they choose topics that they are interested in and learn them in their way.

  In the self-paced learning model, students can also choose the number and level of tests they wish to take until they gain mastery over the subject. Self-paced learning is optimal as the learner can pace his progress, assimilate faster, and evaluate his learnings better.

• Easy to Set and Achieve Goals

  Many learning programs fail because they are designed without a goal in mind. Learning paths eliminate this shortcoming by bringing more meaning to the learning process through well-defined goals.

  The training modules become driven by a purpose and employees feel a sense of achievement and understand the purpose of taking up the course in the first place. With clear roadmaps and milestones, learners will be motivated to finish the course and realize how far they are from their goals

• Accelerate L&D Goals

  The learning and development (L&D) process of any company aims to upskill its employees and align the skills acquired with organizational growth. Learning paths can help organizations align the training to address the most critical organizational needs. Employees can learn from various modules, implement their knowledge from each, and collectively contribute to the final goal.

• Saves Admin Time

  Time is an invaluable resource for an administrator or an employee. By utilizing learning paths, several learners can enroll in a program at once, saving considerable admin time. The clear-cut roadmap of the course will make the learners self-reliant and reduce the burden on administrators. Each learner will have his personalized journey without requiring interference from the supervisor.

• Obtain Continuous Feedback

  Any training will be successful only through constant, constructive feedback about the performance of the learners. Learning path offers techniques for performing several assessments and methods to implement the skills in real-time situations. Valuable feedback will aid both the organization and its employees to analyze if the programs are adding value from a business perspective

  Immediate feedback helps the admins to understand the engagement of the learner with each module and make any changes in the program if necessary.

• Learning becomes a continuous process

  With increased awareness about upskilling and its benefits, employees today are open to learning new technology. Learning paths can make the course material relevant and interactive. Companies can constantly update their training material or add more modules depending upon the enthusiasm of the employees towards professional development.

• Promotes better retention of information

  Since learning paths deliver the training content in small bites in an organized manner, learners find it easier to assimilate and retain the knowledge. This feature is crucial to keep the employees engaged as training can never end in one go. Learning paths help information to be delivered via multiple channels in innovative ways making it useful for the organization.

• Facilitates a positive learning environment

  Employees are more likely to stick with a company that invests in upskilling. With learning paths, organizations can constantly nurture a learning environment that has upskilling as its primary objective.

  Skill gaps can be identified and resolved to give a boost to organizational productivity. Right from onboarding, employees can follow the clearly defined path of learning to attain excellence with ease.

• Gives Freedom and Flexibility to Learners

  Autonomous learning has proven to escalate employee performance as the students learn and master the skills at their own pace and terms. When employees know that they are in charge of their learning journey, they will tend to perform better. Independent learning journeys combined with skill assessment can close skill gaps and make the employees adept at handling challenges at their jobs.

Final thoughts

A learning path creates autonomous and customizable learning experiences. They are valuable to a company in creating a positive learning culture and enhancing knowledge retention. Well-trained employees contribute to business productivity.

Discover how Gyrus’ feature-rich Learning Management Systems can help you effortlessly create and deliver learning paths to best serve your organization and its employees.