Personalised learning is where the learner controls the how, what and when of the learning experience. This can be anything from choosing when they take a module to what format they engage with content.
Compliance e-learning differs from other e-learning subjects in that the content focuses much more on standards, case studies, controls, best practices, laws and legislation. These topics can be dense, repetitive and dry, making it difficult for learners to engage with them and retain information.
The personalisation strategy increases engagement because learners find the content more personal and can work through it on their own terms.
This is relevant for compliance training on topics such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), business continuity and the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), where there is a heavy focus on legislation and rules.
Employees prefer this kind of learning: personalised learning is the second strongest motivation to learn. So, what are some useful methods to create effective personalised learning for compliance training?
Make use of blended learning
Taking a blended approach with e-learning means providing the materials in a variety of different formats, allowing learners to engage with the content in a way that suits them best.
Some employees may learn better through interactive simulations, while others may prefer screens and bite-sized videos. This blended approach helps solve a common issue with training engagement: satisfying each of your employees’ different learning preferences.
Give people ownership of their learning
Break the task or subject into stages or chunks so learners can pause and come back when it suits them. This is particularly useful for topics such as the GDPR and cyber security, where there are already clear sub-topics and categories, e.g., you could break down phishing into sections on smishing, whaling, etc.
Microlearning can also be used where appropriate to give learners more flexibility. You could package the same block of content into shorter and more focused formats, such as PDFs, diagrams, scenarios, and more, through an LMS (learning management system).
Learners will feel a sense of ownership as they can access these in their own time and at their own pace.
Make learners want to explore the content with good accessibility features, intuitive navigation, and hints and tips. These all combine to motivate learners to delve into and play around with the content.
Use engaging formats and styles
A conversational writing style, polite feedback elements, and friendly human voices for characters and narration are all principles of the personalisation strategy.
Using them appropriately can improve the learning experience, according to Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard E. Mayer’s book e-Learning and the Science of Instruction.
This book also states that it’s not just humanlike voices that help – people also learn better from characters who use humanlike gestures and movements too. You should consider this when designing and animating characters.
There are many engaging formats to choose from, including case studies (suitable for covering compliance topics such as real cases of breaches, lawsuits and cyber attacks), scenario-based learning and gamification elements (ideal for simulating cyber attacks, health and safety dilemmas, and bribery scenarios).
Personalised learning and GRC eLearning
At GRC eLearning, our team understands and effectively uses personalisation techniques in our learning content. It’s why our learners can better engage with and retain information from their courses.
Our expert instructional designers use the most effective learning design techniques to ensure your staff gain the knowledge and understanding they need.
Whether you’re looking to educate your staff on occupational health and safety, GDPR compliance or the threat of phishing, we have you covered.
One solution that you might be particularly interested in is our GRC Complete Staff Awareness Suite.
This package comprises 18 training courses and 2 challenge games designed by our industry experts, so you can be sure that the content is accurate and up to date.
Your staff will receive guidance on everything they need to protect your organisation’s sensitive assets and meet their regulatory requirements.
