This piece originally appeared on the Learning Pool website. I wrote it when I worked there.

At Learning Pool, we’ve got a new toy: Waves. It’s an exciting, powerful and flexible new product, and I’ve had the privilege of experimenting with it over the last few months. Using variables and flowcharts, Waves has a lot more in common with e-learning tools like Storyline than it does with scheduling software or LMS functionality. It’s like a lego set. You could use it to build the email schedules that you’re used to, or you could get creative and build something completely new.

Don’t just schedule, contextualise

With the advent of just-in-time learning, micro-learning and LXPs, the L&D industry is realising that context is just as important as content. The learning campaigns you build in Waves will let you deliver your learning in the context that’s right for your learner. Timing is one small part of context. Other factors include:

-       Previous training (if they’ve already completed basic maths, send them advanced maths instead)

-       Previous actions (the learner has just finished their first ever sales meeting. Send them a prompt to reflect on what they learned)

-       Personal preference (they specify that they would rather take one long course rather than micro-learning, so send them the full course)

-       Attitude (in a questionnaire it was clear the learner thinks that presentation training is pointless. Send them something addressing their scepticisms before the training itself)

Don’t replace learning, enhance it

 Waves isn’t designed to replace your current learning platforms or content, it’s meant to add to them. Using Waves to deliver content to the right people at the right time will increase engagement, make training more efficient, and improve learning. Waves will let you control the bigger picture of learning in your organisation and can give every learner the sense that their training has been tailored to their specific needs.

 

  Don’t throw out the baby with the bath… Waves?

 Scheduling is still an important feature of Waves. You can quickly cook up a reminder loop or a content schedule that sends learners their content at specified intervals. The first hurdle that learning has to leap is engagement. Scheduling content in Waves can help you automate messages and reminders designed to increase engagement.

 

A far larger hurdle for learning to leap is effectiveness. Scheduling can help with that too. You can build spaced practice models to truly ingrain learning by constantly reinforcing a learner’s knowledge. Scheduling is a great place to start with Waves, just don’t stop there!