The influence of smart badges in all virtual learning management systems, especially those used in corporate environments, cannot be emphasized enough. A smart badge might seem like a cheap trick, but its effect on the psyche is not to be underestimated.
Well-designed and planned smart badges can affect the brain in far-reaching ways and change the way someone approaches a task, pushing them to the limits to attain a powerful sense of accomplishment, without even realizing it.
Listed below are 3 advantages that corporates can gain out of incorporating smart badges into their learning management facilities.
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Increase In Engagement Through Convincing Titles and Imagery Although it may seem superficial at first, appearances play an important part in the effectiveness of smart badges. Attractive imagery and convincing titles compel people to learn and accomplish more.
The better the title and imagery of the smart badge, the more likely people are to work harder to achieve them. These days, one can use rudimentary image editing software in order to create more appealing smart badges that stimulate learning.
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Encouraging Health Competition
A smart badge system that takes into account the nature and difficulty of task involved and increases rewards appropriately is bound to be more effective than one that devalues the badges. Every single smart badge reflects the nature of the task; the harder the task, the better the badge! Smart badges are incredibly effective in emphasizing the level of achievement. When a learner sees their peer winning a superior badge for a difficult task, they are inclined to attack that tougher task themselves.
For instance, a “silver badge” could be better than a “bronze badge” and a “gold badge” could be better than all the rest. Making use of such a hierarchical smart badge system will only stimulate growth.
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Offering A Powerful Sense Of Accomplishment
The incorporation of smart badges into corporate learning management systems also lets top achievers show off their accomplishments. This not only helps in providing a powerful sense of accomplishment for the participants who put in the effort but also helps corporates in acquiring a clear idea of who the top performers are and those who are lacking in common knowledge. This helps in the further streamlining of a corporate learning management system, where more resources can be devoted to those participants who require more of an external “push”.
Where Do Cohorts Come Into The Picture?
One of the most significant problems that conventional learning management systems have failed to address is the lack of individual motivation. A clever badge system can only do so much to encourage an individual in his/her learning process.
Today, cohorts are increasingly being employed to stimulate learning through interaction with peers. Group learning has long been a hallmark of effective learning and a fundamental measure for measuring educational institutions.
The general misconception is that cohorts in learning management systems are archaic as the only possible benefits that can be derived from them is the advantage of more concentrated faculty-student ratios, where there is scope for addressing and focussing on individuals more effectively. Although there still exists some disagreement about the optimal size of learning groups in corporate structures, it is difficult to find an argument or research that supports large classes.
In simple terms, relatively small groups are extremely beneficial for learning outcomes, but while many companies appreciate it, very few realize the logistical and financial implications on programs that can be taken individually.
Listed below are the ways in which introducing cohort-based learning in a corporate learning management facility can prove to be tremendously beneficial.
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Smaller Groups Stimulate Better Learning
Through the instituting of smaller learning groups, participants are encouraged to interact, compete and be evaluated against the performance of their peers more. This does not mean that interactions with much larger groups should not occur and are not influential in any manner. When the main learning experience exists only within smaller groups, not only is the quality of the learning amongst individual participants far superior but the doors to additional interaction between cohorts are also opened.
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Encourages Collaborative Growth
Access to learning material anytime and anywhere is a huge advantage of online learning that is being exploited by corporates these days. However, in order to preserve this, instituting cohorts, wherein members of individual cohorts are required to abide by the same deadlines is paramount. By creating a flexible structure for each learning program, all participants (irrespective of their individual skill level) are encouraged to learn at the same pace, paving the way for more meaningful and fruitful interactions while also retaining the ability for every participant to learn on their own terms.
Although these are only some of the ways in which cohorts and smart badges can help corporates more effectively streamline their learning management systems, there are a number of benefits that can be derived from clever planning and executing of cohort and smart badge-based corporate learning management facilities.