learning skylines


Five: learning communities


In the latest in our Learning Skylines series – a joint initiative between Brightwave and e.learning age – Charles Gould looks at the five factors influencing engagement within online learning communities


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1. Continuous (Towards Maturity 2013-14 Benchmark, The New Learning Agenda) Recognise that learning happens all the time. Learning at work, as a distinct activity, has become increasingly woven into the fabric of our working lives – as opposed to a separate event. With the rise and rise of social media we have the opportunity to support people to direct their own learning rather than treat them as passive consumers of pre-designed information pushed down at them.


2 2. Purpose


Understand learner expectations online. Recognise the difference between informal, social media and collaborative media around a shared goal or purpose. If you set up a social media platform, be clear about its purpose. Is it a completely open forum which allows comments and discussions about anything without intervention e.g. Yammer? Or is it positioned around a particular subject or group? How much direction does it need? Are you incorporating more formal learning content?


4. Trends Look to the future. Is Facebook history? Is IM overtaking SMS? How will the next generation workforce operate socially online? The technology offered by employers has slipped behind what we take for granted outside work. But that’s no excuse to ignore emergent trends in online behaviour. Today’s workforce expects to learn in a way that mirrors how they discover and connect with information in their recreational time.


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3. Community Foster a culture of contribution. “Be fluid with the rules, build them collaboratively, but ensure that they are clear. Tread a fine line around


moderation, especially in the growth phase. Too heavy handed and you will just end up with a static and sterile site.” (from Exploring the World of Social Learning by Julian Stodd) It’s tempting to believe that a high profile launch, a nod from senior management and a shiny new technology


platform will be enough to generate a successful learning community. But if it’s not going to wither and die, it needs to be based on a culture of collaboration and sharing and requires ongoing nurturing to sustain it.


e.learning age february 2014 3. Shaping


Good enough is not good enough. A formal learning intervention tends to be a


course shaped for a particular audience and to meet predefined learning objectives before being pushed out. At this point L&D’s main role is all done bar some awareness-raising. The learner is expected to do little beyond show up, sit back and pay attention. Developing an online learning community depends on much more involvement. The technology platform needs to excel at user experience. Curating, moderating and coaching then become centre-stage.


Charles Gould is CEO of Brightwave This article is part of the Learning Skylines series, a joint initiative between Brightwave and e.learning age on what influences our learning. See the May 2013 issue, page 7; September 2013, page 16; October 2013, page 13; and December/January 2014, page 12.


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