Practical Steps To Overcome Forgetting Curve In Employee Training

During their training, employees are overwhelmed with a great amount of material and information. Corporate training teams are confronted with the fact that companies require employees to be on the job as soon as feasible.

Unfortunately, this frequently sets off the Forgetting Curve.

Employees are less efficient as a result of the steep forgetting curve, and they are compelled to discover solutions to problems on their own or become dependent on SMEs.

However, it is not only time that contributes to a steep forgetting curve. The rate at which an individual forgets is affected by various elements, including memory strength, the significance of the material, and physiological conditions such as stress. The excellent thing is that there are a variety of practical strategies you can utilize with the assistance of your LMS to help your staff overcome the forgetting curve.

Let’s look at them.

Through the Use of Microlearning Modules

Nothing can replace the traditional training that you employ for your staff, whether in the form of classroom sessions or eLearning curricula. However, incorporating microlearning modules in your organization’s training structure can help you in reinforcing the vital information provided in the training sessions. Microlearning modules are 10-minute bursts of learning content that help learners to concentrate on a single learning objective at a particular time. But how can microlearning modules help with knowledge retention?

It helps to reduce the cognitive load on your employees. The amount of mental work required by a person to absorb material is known as the cognitive load. The greater the cognitive load, the more likely it is that learners will have trouble retaining material. This is why breaking content down into bite-sized bits makes it easier for learners to retain the information. Small amounts of knowledge, rather than massive amounts of information, are better retained by the human brain.

It helps in improving retention. When smaller chunks of learning modules are spread out across time and repeated at appropriate intervals, retention levels benefit. The most important thing to consider here is the time between repetitions. Microlearning chunks in online training should be provided two days, 15 days, and 60 days after training to maximize knowledge retention.

PDFs, eBooks, videos, game-based training sessions, and infographics are some of the microlearning forms in online training that can be employed for efficient reinforcement of learning. The best part about this approach is that you don’t have to go out of your way to implement it.

By Incorporating Spaced learning

To completely appreciate what has been learned, two key components must be considered. The first is time, and the other is repetition.

Spaced learning thoroughly combines these two making knowledge retention possible. This is the reason why it is regarded as one of the most effective methods for overcoming the forgetting curve. Spaced learning also benefits businesses by encouraging skill retention and increased output over time.

So, what is spaced learning? It is a learning technique in which learners are given content to learn over a set amount of time, followed by a short break. You might be wondering how this is related to the decrease in the forgetting curve.

It provides the learner with the time to evaluate the knowledge provided in the training sessions. It will also enable the employees to return to review their knowledge frequently. The student also practices retrieving the material taught through various formats such as problem-solving, exam completion, and so on. This reinforces all that has been taught and aids in the prevention of the forgetting curve.

With the assistance of On-Demand Learning

On-demand, learning can be a game changer in the field of online training. With this, the employees can access the training modules as and when they want, and from any device. This will help in dealing with the forgetting curve in online training as this keeps into consideration the employee’s needs.

Moreover, learning at the point of application, also known as performance assistance, leads to higher and longer retention. Performance support tools are learning aids designed to help employees perform better.

These on-demand resources can be stored on your organization’s LMS, allowing learners to access them whenever they need to. This service is often given by all LMSs, so all you need to do is choose a good LMS. This will assist you in reducing the forgetting curve most practically and efficiently.

By introducing Social Learning Elements

The importance of employee interaction and discussions can not be overlooked when considering employee knowledge retention. Modern learning tools allow for the inclusion of social learning components. This encourages learners to ask questions openly, answer the doubts and queries of their colleagues, share their knowledge, and engage in collaborative activities to find the best solutions for the problem at hand. Regular interaction and information exchange among colleagues overcome the forgetting curve during online training.

Using an LMS, you can incorporate social learning into your training regime. You can use group conversations (hosted on your LMS) and possibly even user-generated resources to keep your staff updated on the latest training modules. Discussion forums in eLearning give employees the provision to get quick responses to queries from their peers along with gaining information from their experiences. These discussions can circle developing a comprehensive Plan of Action, the best approach to tackle a problem, or around troubleshooting tips. User-generated content, such as audio and video, can be a useful tool to deliver online training. This will make the employees more inclined to relate to the experiences of coworkers who have accomplished comparable objectives.

This will not only encourage cohesion among the employees but will also help them retain important knowledge. Frequent informal discussions tend to leave an impression on the employees’ minds, helping them in retaining knowledge.

Conclusion

It’s no secret that technology plays a vital role in all of these strategies for overcoming the forgetting curve. While your organization may provide the initial phase of the training offline or online, you can employ technology-based treatments to assess, instruct, and reinforce the same.

These strategies are practical in their approach. You may not see the outcomes of these strategies the next day, but the forgetting curve is bound to drop in the long run.