Lockdown and social distancing: accelerators of digital learning

by Tiphaine Duchet | May 26, 2020 | Mobile Learning

Tiphaine Duchet

Tiphaine joined the crew of Teach on Mars after 13 years in multi-modal training strategy consulting. She was trainer, educational engineer, head of an e-learning center, consultant and support for major projects, director of a digital division … she now shares with pleasure and expertise, her rich experience of digital learning.

Evaluating the quality of the modern learner experience

by Adam Charlesworth | Dec 11, 2019 | Mobile Learning

The fundamental promise of mobile learning is a clear and compelling one. If we as programme managers, as trainers and as instructional designers can put high-quality learning and development activities on the mobile devices of our learner populations, then we create a potentially endless series of learning moments throughout every individual user’s day.

People, after all, are on their smartphones all day, every day. As they travel to and from work. As they walk the dog or work out. Even – and here there is a deep-seated societal shift happening around us in real-time – on the sofa or in the kitchen in their own homes and in their free time.

So, if we can deliver a learning experience through the device that – we are told – two-thirds of British adults under the age of 35 reach for and interact with within five minutes of waking up every morning, we win the hearts, the minds and (perhaps most critically) the thumbs (!) of a learning community that is active, connected and engaged like never before.
Simple, right? Well, in theory, yes. But in practice, the Holy Grail of learners who learn like they use Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn or Strava is in fact a lot more difficult to achieve.

David Perring, Director of Research at Fosway Group, calls this absolute need to make learning mobile “being where the eyeballs are”. A beautifully evocative and graphic expression, and one that David himself is quick to qualify by stressing that the challenge is way more than just one of getting the delivery channel right. As he sees it, for an organisation that wants a credible mobile learning presence, getting content onto people’s smartphones is no more than the most basic first requirement. So much so, that it runs the risk of becoming a distraction from the real objective of creating an immersive and involving learner experience that is social, agile and based on human interaction – while all the while remaining grounded in business reality to make sure that learning can be followed up and its impact measured.

The question is not “is what we offer better than other, more traditional forms of digital or non-digital learning?” The question is rather “is what we offer better than Candy Crush?”. Because make no mistake, with 3 billion downloads and an estimated 70 000 miles of thumb- and finger-swiping across smartphone screens every single day, Candy Crush is one of the critical competitors for any mobile application.

I’ve been using the Candy Crush competitor paradigm for over two years now when expressing the Teach on Mars vision for next-generation learning in discussions with existing and potential customers. Initially counter-intuitive, and even potentially shocking, it’s an argument that inevitably ends up striking a chord. Because you don’t need to get too far down the road of the mobile-led learning journey before you realise that a “consumer-grade” mobile experience capable of holding its own alongside the other behemoth apps on just about everyone’s home-screen is not so much an ultimate goal as a non-negotiable starting point.

So far, so good. But beyond the cute marketing-speak and clever questions, how can organisations actually assess whether the mobile-led learner experience they are offering is genuinely “consumer-grade”? Whilst we’re probably not yet at the stage of having hard KPIs we can measure, I would like to suggest three criteria based on what we can see the very best mobile applications doing.

Does your LEX have “Goldilocks structure”?

We all know the fairy-tale. Daddy Bear’s porridge was too salty. Mummy Bear’s too sweet. Baby Bear’s was just right.
It’s the same with the rules, the constraints and the structures that you build into your learner experience. Too many, and learners rapidly tire and lose interest (as they have been doing for decades with traditional digital learning platforms). Strip out the prescriptions and set the learners free to self-direct as individuals and as a community, and the learning ecosystem will rapidly establish its own governance. Just ensure that you keep enough judicious structure in place to avoid the risk of losing the focus of your instructional design and the ability to measure and track learning benefits.

Do you make the technology and the content “disappear”?

The technology behind the slickest, most involving mobile experiences is really clever. So clever, that it blends away into the background.
Everything flows intuitively. Recommendations and notifications mesh smoothly with the rest of your day. Controls are exactly where you expect them to be. New features appear beneath your fingertips and upgrades barely require explanation or documentation (think about the last time you upgraded the Uber app on your phone, for example).
As for content, it’s obviously front and centre in the mobile apps we all know and love and use all the time. And permanently updated and refreshed. But the main focus of the app experience is the interactions between users that the content prompts and encourages.
Next-gen learning is not about technology. Or even about content. It’s about connections and communities. Even about culture. In other words, it’s about a human, social experience. A learning experience that is digital, certainly, but which has soul.
And if we can’t say that is true about our mobile-led learning offer, then we probably need to rethink it.

Does it enhance a physical experience?

Leading social fitness application Strava stated in 2017 that it was adding new users to its global athletes’ community at a rate of 1 million every 45 days. And that over 8 million activities were being uploaded and shared via the system every week.
Not so long ago, “social fitness” wasn’t even a thing, or certainly not beyond the elitist confines of running or cycling clubs.
 Now, anyone climbing on a bike can compare his performance not just with what he himself achieved last week or last year, but also with that of Tour de France stage-winners. Which potentially makes anyone’s struggle up the slightest incline so much more involving and rewarding. 
Even better, what started as a cycling-specific app currently supports 33 different sports. And the app’s technology is so smart it can automatically detect which sport it is you are doing in many cases (see point #2 above). So everyone is included, whatever their ability and whatever their activity. 
Of course, Strava is a particularly flagrant example, given the sporting vocation of the application. But the trend with most modern mobile experiences is away from a 100% digital interaction and towards the enhancement of more traditional, human touchpoints like meet-ups and local community events.
Similarly, next-gen learning experiences are being taken into a new dimension with the emergence of immersive “Phygital Events”, where mobile learning technology is used to guide groups of learners through semi-competitive, real-time learning adventures that place heavy emphasis on physical interaction and on the use of all five senses and community endeavour.

Interestingly, all three of these criteria transcend the strict confines of digital learning and see the learner experience being evaluated – at least partly – according to real-world yardsticks that are far-removed from traditional L&D metrics.
Which ultimately should not surprise us that much. That, after all, is exactly how our learner populations themselves will instinctively judge our learning offers in the brave new next-gen learning world.

Adam Charlesworth

Managers: welcome to the circus!

by Tiphaine Duchet | Dec 6, 2019 | Mobile Learning

Warning: this article contains thumbnail sketches, caricatures, tongue-in-cheek jokes and acrobatic moves likely to offend the sensibilities of certain audiences. You have been warned!

The role of manager

Have you noticed it too? They’ve been saying it for years, and it’s even become something of a cliché in business literature: more than ever, managers are right at the centre of the storm, and their symbolic role in our contemporary economic context says a lot about just what goes on behind the scenes.
Here’s our quick tour of the modern manager’s circus acts…

• Tightrope walker: keeping everything on track in an increasingly fragmented business environment which favours international expansion one quarter and swears by local the next; knocked from pillar to post by ever-more complex consumption habits with strongly marked but sometimes opposing trends. To sum up, managers walk a taut line between hard discount to maintain growth, and fair trade to prepare for the future and hopefully save the planet…
• Contortionist: project-driven organisation, inside a matrix org chart, with agile methods, lean management: models come and go, complement each other, overlap with each new round of reorganisation. As cornerstones of the work structure, managers are often required to do a crazy straddle between yesterday’s change-resistant processes, those of tomorrow with high expectations of innovation, and those that have to be complied with today in order to do the right thing…
• Clown: let’s not be afraid to say it. Practical jokes and tricks in their pockets at all times to amuse the crowds are a minimum requirement to remobilise the troops in these chaotic environments, chin up alongside colleagues who are jumping through flaming hoops… inevitably followed by a sad Pierrot mask on certain “without” days when the reality of topsy-turvy organisations gets them down and conflicting orders are just too much to take.
• Juggler: emptying inboxes, working through emails, snatching breaks where they can, running from one conference call to the next, tapping on Twitter, liking on LinkedIn and trying at least from time to time to share an interesting article, and at best to write a brilliant success story while their smartphone screen comes down with chickenpox and a plethora of red notification spots…
• Tamer of wild beasts: let’s face it, all of these roles are often shared with other players in the organisation; you don’t need a manager label to experience them. However, the big difference that ramps up the intensity of these circus acts is that you have to look good, explain, justify, be a supporter of the organisation, and a communication channel for strategy. And all this in relation to teams that are fluid and constantly changing, engaged or disillusioned, and tamed or wild!
• Human relations magician: as the role of managers is first and foremost leadership and assisting the development of their teams. Regardless of the acrobatics involved, they have to keep their finger on the pulse: refocus teams without demotivating them, be present without being oppressive, encourage without mothering, champion independence without disappearing, and join in work socials without slipping up.
• and and and, of course and last but not least, their role as Mr or Ms Loyal: an expert in their subject, knowing the job like the back of their hand, and offering insightful analysis of current trends.

So you can imagine that when it comes to taking time for training, managers have a quiet chuckle in their caravans. AND YET are they not THE very people the organisation needs to be on top of the expertise required by their profession, aware of management trends, and clear on legal rules?

Rethinking the manager training offer

At Teach on Mars, we don’t believe in conjurers pulling rabbits out of hats: we are committed to helping each employee and every manager to be more efficient in their work and to find fulfilment both in their daily professional duties and in their more personal aspirations. And this is how:

• Instantly and easily access targeted content that’s short and snappy and perfectly matches my role and my everyday operational concerns.
• Learn more about the subjects that inspire me, broaden my thinking, get engrossed in reading a stimulating feature article which nourishes me intellectually and makes me calmer by taking a break from the whirlwind of the big top (content curation, Learning Station offer)
• Rediscover my professional communities: other managers in my company, other experts in my profession, share best practices with them, use cases, technology watch, etc. Seek feedback, problem-solving options and advice from them.
• Monitor training of my teams, have concrete factual elements at my disposal to encourage the development of every employee, and coordinate upskilling. Setting a managerial example when it comes to training means having the ability to free up time to learn, but also devoting the time to identifying and analysing the impact training has on one’s teams.

The Teach on Mars application has been developed in line with this continuous improvement ethos, allowing adaptation to the pace and needs of everyone, not in order to change the surrounding circus but to help each manager juggle between their different acts on a daily basis, and, why not, take pleasure in them?

Manager: get your head out of that lion’s mouth, and aim for the stars!

And ladies and gentlemen, as the applause rings out, we wish you a wonderful day!

Tiphaine Duchet

Tiphaine joined the crew of Teach on Mars after 13 years in multi-modal training strategy consulting. She was trainer, educational engineer, head of an e-learning center, consultant and support for major projects, director of a digital division … she now shares with pleasure and expertise, her rich experience of digital learning.

Learnings From The Summertime – #1

by Adam Charlesworth | Nov 26, 2019 | Mobile Learning

Three months have passed, but it seems like only a matter of days since the Teach on Mars client community came together on July 2-3 in the sunshine of Sophia-Antipolis for the third annual Mobile University Summer University. Yet again, the event was a rich and varied ride through the exciting world of next-gen learning.

Now, as early autumn creeps into view, what better time than to look back to the long, hot days of summer and review some of the key learnings from those two days packed with experience sharing, reflection and thought leadership on the themes that are on everybody’s lips.

As the curtain rose late morning on July 2, the packed house was treated to a specially made exclusive video intro with the compelling message that “everything is changing and standing still was for yesterday”. A rousing call to action, complete with a reminder of the challenges that face learners, trainers and organisations in the next-gen learning landscape. Those challenges, we were reminded, are also opportunities, and Teach on Mars was clear in its promise to support and accompany its clients as it addresses them.

Vincent Desnot, Teach on Mars CEO, amplified and reiterated this message in his now-traditional opening address, giving the participants a sneak peek into the new functionality and philosophy that will shape the development of the Teach on Mars solution in the months and years ahead.

Next up was a visitor from across the English Channel! Learning & Performance Institute CEO Edmund Monk braved Brexit humour from all sides of the room to give an inspiring keynote in which he developed the sentiments of that curtain-raiser video into a roadmap for what learning and development professionals can do in practical terms to navigate an ever more challenging environment. His key messages read like a hands-on guide for any organisation wanting to ensure that its learning philosophy and offer will be fit-for-purpose as we move into the third decade of the 21st century.

First message – don’t panic. Despite the breakneck pace of change in the modern workplace learning landscape, effective, impactful learning solutions are now more important than ever, Edmund reassured us. No less a publication than The Economist stated in a recent article that “lifelong learning is now an economic imperative” for organisations.

Second message – as learning and development professionals, we need to be where the learning is. Or where the learners are. Both physically and intellectually. Learning is happening in organisations, and the learner populations themselves are taking control. As a learning and development function, it is our job to plug into those new learning phenomena, to repurpose and enhance them for the benefit of employer and employee alike, and to add value to them without seeking to control or constrain them.

Third message – embrace the Permanent Beta climate in which we all live. Every project is a moving target in workplace learning these days, and Test & learn methodologies are no longer a nod to fashion – they are part of our everyday reality. Edmund urged us to embrace the pressure and intensity of this new reality – and to work together on finding and exploiting the huge opportunities that Permanent Beta is opening up for clients, vendors and learners alike.

Fourth message – focus on the high-level strategic questions that all LPI’s research confirms C-suite leadership are grappling with. Needs like how to instil a learning and coaching culture; how to support and enable the workforce of tomorrow; how to successfully navigate the inevitable digital transformation of learning; and how to embrace not just a philosophy but actionable measures to promote self-directed learning.

Fifth message – challenge our own thinking on how the learning function should operate. We all know that L&D needs to be more strategic – there’s nothing new there. But do we fully appreciate what that means for the mandate we enjoy as a function, the tools and solutions we deploy, and the tacit contract we have with the organisation and with the learner populations? Are we ready to be flexible on the types of learning options we offer? Relinquish some of the control we have traditionally needed to have over the way learning is delivered in order to encourage self-directed learning and user-generated content? And take inspiration from new media and social networking to inject new energy and purpose into the way we market our offerings both inside and outside the organisation?

Sixth message – focus on developing the human skills that will make the difference in this age of ever-advancing AI and automation. Whether we’re talking about the learner populations we address or the L&D specialists within our own teams, everyone will need our help building skills like critical thinking, cognitive flexibility, service orientation and emotional intelligence – those irreplaceable human skills where machines will never be able to match us.

The rest of Day One of the Summer University showcased a series of brilliant illustrations of how this roadmap for success is already being executed by some of Teach on Mars’ clients.

Clémentine Thenet, Teach on Mars Customer Experience Manager, interviewed two marquee clients on the incredible success they have achieved in short time-frames by having the courage to invest in a mobile-led learning approach where the human touch remains of critical importance. Maïté Amostegui from Dior shared the story of the Dior Digital Addict initiative, while Saba Pradeilles from Axa introduced the audience to the phenomenon that is the Axa Learnng Games, launched in late 2018.

Straight after lunch, it was time to talk about deployment, and what happens when mobile learning is launched in the field in genuinely global organisations. In an augmented round-table format that illustrated and mirrored the challenges of working in the new worldwide learning landscape, Marielle Baudet, Head of the Teach on Mars Academy, coordinated contributions from three locations on two different continents charting the progress of Coty, Chloé and Vinci Energies as they use Teach on Mars to take the learning to where their learners are.

Long-time Teach on Mars collaborator Jérôme Wargnier then used the afternoon keynote shared to trace how digital learning has evolved as a crucial component of the workplace learning landscape over the last twenty years. He also presented a compelling case study from his own recent personal experience of how new learning technology and instructional design methods can be combined with the more traditional sensibilities of the learning profession to produce startling results with real business impact on the ground.

Finally, as a triumphant conclusion to Day One – and a dazzling demonstration of just how far innovation in modern learning can be taken – the participants were treated to an all-new and fully immersive “Phygital Learning” experience. Guided by custom-built content on their smartphones, but also by some more than fifteen members of the Teach on Mars team, they spent a breathless hour under the Côte d’Azur sun navigating a veritable assault course of physical, intellectual and sensorial challenges.

With a sleeves-rolled-up, hands-on approach, and ample helpings of self-directed and social learning thrown in, the immersive experience proved beyond any doubt that next-gen learning is not a spectator sport, and that Teach on Mars really does walk the walk when it comes to delivering “digital learning with soul”.

Look out for a review of Day 2 of the Summer University event in an upcoming blog article.

Adam Charlesworth

Welcome to the era of phygital learning!

by Tiphaine Duchet | Sep 23, 2019 | Mobile Learning

At Teach on Mars, we of course adore digital learning but what we love more than anything else is learning, as a way to develop people and teams, both from a professional and a personal point of view.

The fact that we are a software developer does not mean we are going to deny the origins of what we do: the transmission of knowledge by all sorts of learning methods and by face-to-face training in particular. We like to see ourselves as a new colour in the palette available to the training ecosystem of the companies which we equip.

Today, we propose to take you on a short guided tour of the 4 types of solutions which you can use to integrate not just our digital platform but other things too!

1) Full digital

In certain contexts, for certain targets and on specific topics, information can be transmitted entirely by remote means either via the application or the Teach on Mars web portal. However, to not become caught up once again in the shortcomings of that e-learning module which is now gathering dust on the shelf – for good reason given the harm it has done to our profession, there are some basic formulae to be followed. Our formula is one that I am sure you know well: the famous ELPA* model, founded on the belief that a 100%-remote learning cycle is possible once you offer initial activities to Engage, supplemented by subtly alternating between phases of Learning and putting into Practice. Last but not least, the circle would not be complete without the Application of the notions and concepts addressed in the field.This ELPA model can be adapted into the 3 other types of solution which we go on to discuss below.

Here are some examples of full digital solutions deployed by our customers:

• launch of a new product in an existing range in the cosmetics sector, presentation of a collection in the clothing retail sector
• cross-functional HR topics: diversity, annual interview, being ecological in what we do at the office on a daily basis
• topic on which awareness needs to be raised company-wide: GDPR, cybersecurity

2) Augmented digital

Whereas full digital is individual and asynchronous, augmented digital introduces synchronous group methods. The idea is to add periods of time to the solution during which people who are following the program can get together and:

• discuss things between themselves via a forum or chat
• talk to a trainer thanks to telephone coaching
• do both of the above in a virtual classroom framework for example

It is also possible to incorporate regular webinars or possibilities for User Generated Content but always using remote learning methods. As with MOOCs, the sequencing is generally more precise, with a start, an end and a speed of learning that is controlled by a trainer or administrator.

3) Blended learning

A term which has been much used (perhaps too much?) in recent years, blended learning consists of mixing the methods which we have just described with periods of meeting face-to-face (classroom training, coaching, events, seminars, learning expedition). There are infinite number of possible combinations and in general they are based on common sense principles: use digital methods to put the emphasis on theoretical contributions and individual reflection upstream of the face-to-face training so as to be able to make the most of hands-on interaction, simulations, sharing of experience and putting things into practice when participants meet face-to-face. Revision exercises, as well as exercises in memory anchoring, hot and cold assessment, and certification are proposed in the downstream phase of the solution… More elaborate solutions incorporate phases of inter-session activities which allow for a stronger emphasis on putting acquired knowledge into practice and thus on gathering feedback that is more substantive and enriching.

4) Phygital learning

Now we’re really getting to the heart of the matter!First, let’s start by telling you the definition that we are using as our basis for exploring this concept. Physical learning consists of tightly integrating digital activities into face-to-face sequences to create a learning experience that is surprising, rich and effective over time. In this way, the application used gradually comes to form a powerful backbone for the solution, enabling everything before, during and after the periods of physical meetings to be linked together. Here are a few very tangible examples of digital activities created using the app that we have been able to try out with our customers or on our teams during events:

• participate in a group Brainstorming activity on open questions: each participant proposes their ideas, and everyone votes for the ones they think are best
• organise a giant challenge with a battle and podium in Live! mode
• discover content locally thanks to geolocation tags
• unlock specific content by scanning a QR code in specific locations
• grant access to the remainder of the course thanks to a code obtained after successfully completing a challenge in real life
• share photos on a dedicated feed to experience or relive the event

Watch the video below to discover the Teach on Mars phygital activities that we have been able to offer our customers who put themselves forward to test them as part of a highly colourful (red-themed) immersive experience.

*Model designed by Jérôme Wargnier – Alberon Partners

Tiphaine Duchet

Tiphaine joined the crew of Teach on Mars after 13 years in multi-modal training strategy consulting. She was trainer, educational engineer, head of an e-learning center, consultant and support for major projects, director of a digital division … she now shares with pleasure and expertise, her rich experience of digital learning.