What is a Social Learning Platform?
A social learning platform offers a range of features to facilitate learning via dialogue, individual interconnection, group work under the benevolent guidance of one or more experts or instructors.
A Social Learning oriented Learning Management System (LMS) integrates tools like chat or forum to allow learners to exchange and reflect in groups but the notion goes far beyond the notion of dialogue. It is mainly a concept of knowledge development in group and in a pro-active way!
The social learning platform must in fact be an e-learning project management platform with multimedia tools such as video learning to also help in the impactful and easy dissemination of knowledge!
As an introduction I invite you to listen to our vlog below:
What is Social Learning?
What is a Social Learning Platform?
To begin the subject of the social learning platform it is necessary to define the concept of social learning.
Employees' sharing of information, knowledge, and ideas is referred to as social learning. Social learning can be both informal and organised, and it may be organised through company-sponsored mentoring or virtual communities.
Social Learning is interpersonal learning through
Cooperation
Collaboration
Social learning is a form of informal learning that occurs when employees share:
Ideas,
Information
And knowledge.
Bandura's Social Learning theory.
The psychologist Albert Bandura is the originator of the Social Learning theory and concept.
Albert Bandura states that individuals are programmed for self-learning and that they are innately and naturally self-learning:
Observe,
Imitate,
and reproduce...
...the actions that other people exhibit. People learn from each other through observation and imitation.
With self-modelling, an individual learns by identifying with a particular person or idea.
The four principles of social learning are
Attention
Focus promotes absorption.
Retention
During discussions and exchanges the process of repetition promotes retention of information.
Reproduction
Hearing and copying processes through mimicry and modelling.
Motivation
Self-training and group work increases motivation and passions.
50% of Learners asked a question & 75% answered questions asked by colleagues!
Benefits of a Social Learning Platform
A Social Learning Platform is the structure needed to build the echo system that will allow you to create a favourable environment for the development of social learning practice.
The tools and activities implemented through the support of your social learning platform will enable you to achieve the following
Better communication within the company
Increased motivation and involvement
Develop the notion of self-learning and the search for knowledge and therefore personal development
Better retention of information
Better knowledge of the company as a whole
A reduction in turnover by reinforcing a positive company culture.
With a social learning platform and an application of social learning in the educational strategy, employees feel listened to and valued and you develop their sense of responsibility and a greater general involvement.
Social Learning Platform and Video Based Learning
The features of a Social Learning Platform
It is important to understand that social learning does not stop at chat and forum! Many multimedia practices are in fact real assets for social learning.
I will list here a series of thoughts related to the technique and the production of content.
I invite you to appropriate these concepts and develop / adapt them to your environment and needs.
I also remain at your disposal for a call! I'm very interested in feedback and ideas... our clients redbull, Mcafee, Norton, World Athletics, L'oréal, Roche... have always been drivers in the development of our Social Learning Platform: The Learning Lab!
Thanks to them and to our community of instructional designers and elearning officers to whom I owe a lot.
Chat, Forum & Feedback for Social Learning
Yes, the basics, simple and vital! At each level of the class, the course, the lesson or the module, the discussions should become more and more selective and refined.
Conversations end up being limited to a small group of participants to stimulate exchanges and give everyone the time and chance to add their knowledge to the building.
This is how your social learning platform will help you work and develop knowledge from the very first step.
From there, the more intimate and private and therefore more specialised conversations must make the transition to a forum open to a wider range of topics and conversations.
Knowledge is like a tower with many doors. It doesn't matter which one you open first as long as you visit the whole building afterwards!
Peer feedback loop
The important thing is to provide constructive and regular feedback to learners in order for them to learn and perform well. It ought to be apparent that it is not a critique rather than a check-in. To be effective, learning material must continually improve and keep up to date.
Social Learning Platform for Blended Learning
I could talk for hours about eLearning but I am still very attached to the human dimension and the need for social interaction.
This is why we have put a lot of emphasis on blended learning. Your learners must evolve in this structure (order not fixed):
Online courses
Discussions
Document exchange
Virtual Classroom
Classroom courses
Brainstorming
Repeat
A social learning platform should also be used for physical meetings. It is above all a working tool and should not be limited to the simple distribution of documents and courses.
That is why I will now discuss the project management dimension.
Project Management Tool for elearning
I refer you to an article written on this subject, please find the link below.
Our Learning Management System (LMS) the Learning lab has in its structure a complete project management tool totally dedicated to the specific need of eleaning.
TheLearning LAB’s Project management eLearning Tool has a wide variety of features that allow project managers to efficiently:
Plan,
Manage,
Share,
Design,
Chat,
Validate
And track the progress of all stages of any project.
Learn more :
Social Media Platform with Video Based Learning integrated
I want to conclude this article on Video Based Learning. Again as a reference please find an article linked below.
A social media platform must integrate the functionalities of video based learning because participative video is a vital tool in the implementation and development of a social learning strategy
With video :
You facilitate focus groups,
You distribute information in an accessible and digestible way
You offer a quick and easy online content creation tool
You get into practical cases very concretely
You offer a place to meet and debate with the virtual classrooms.
Our Video First e-learning platform offers numerous video features:
1/ Interactive Video: Construct your own scenario through a series of choices.
2/ Video Quiz: Add a quiz to your video! It's simple and terribly efficient!
2/ Screen recording: Software training is perfect for video recording
3/ Video Test: Film your presentation or talk and receive feedback
4/ Video Test: Film your presentation or talk and receive feedback
Learn more :
Video based learning for social learning platform