Ask most organisations how they train their people digitally, and you'll get the same answer: a course. The online course has become so synonymous with online learning that for many, the two terms are interchangeable. But is this the only way to learn online?
This year’s theme encourages a more inclusive view of learning, recognising that people learn in lots of different ways, not just through formal training, but also through experience, social interaction, and self-directed learning.
“There are many ways we can learn for work, from peer-based learning, coaching and mentoring, training and courses, skills and knowledge exchanges, talks, masterclasses and online resources. Providing a mix of formats and opportunities, timed and scheduled to overcome time barriers, can promote the message that all types of learning and development are valued, and that learning is for all.”
The message is clear: learning is richer, more inclusive, and more effective when it reflects the full range of ways people actually develop — through experience, through others, and through self-directed curiosity.
Most of the online learning that people encounter at work is passive — something to watch, read, or listen to — before answering a handful of questions to prove they were paying attention.
But it doesn't have to be that way. As bespoke designers of digital learning we’re always looking to break away from the traditional e-learning course. In the spirit of Learning at Work Week, here are seven different ways you can learn online.
Learning depends on active engagement and we’re never more active then when we’re playing a game. There’s challenge, feedback, exploration, and repeated practice. But the goal isn't to make learning "fun" in a superficial way — we call that chocolate-flavoured broccoli. The real power of game-based learning lies in its structure: learners make decisions, test strategies, face consequences, and improve. The game becomes a system of cause and effect, and the learner is embedded inside it.
James Paul Gee argues that well-designed games support learning because they place learners in problem-solving environments where they receive feedback, practise skills, take on identities, and learn through meaningful action.
Gee, J. P. (2003). What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Palgrave Macmillan.
Starting a new job at Meta HQ, you might expect a safety induction that feels a little different - more immersive, more memorable, more in keeping with the brand. That's exactly what we set out to create. We visited their King's Cross offices and drew on real features of the workplace to build a virtual environment where players explore, spot hazards, and make decisions under the pressure of a timer.
The experience has two modes. In Learn mode, players move freely around the virtual workplace, discovering potential safety issues as they go. In Test mode, they're challenged to identify hazards, explain why they're dangerous, and choose the right course of action. The result is a safety induction that people actually remember — because they lived it, rather than just watched it.
That's the power of game-based learning done well. When the structure is right, learners aren't just consuming content — they're immersed in it, making decisions that matter. Tomorrow we'll be looking at another way to learn online: through video.