We’re back again with updates on what’s been released across our technology here at Go1! Have a read below to learn about the releases we are excited about.

In April, we worked with customers to migrate them to the new version of data feed which has been built to increase the long-term reliability and visibility of the service. This improved service resolves some previous issues and helps the Go1 team to troubleshoot and surface any issues in customer data. Please contact your Customer Success Manager if you would like to find out more or implement this feature.  

A playlist tab has been added to the ‘Saved’ tab in My Learning so that users can have improved visibility of their created playlists.  

Simplifying the task of adding multiple users to Groups

Groups of learners will change over time, and it’s important to make this a simple task. Soon you will be able to add multiple users to a group in one action from the User Management page. This means you can also filter your users down to your preferred cohort, and all within the system. No more pesky .csv files. You can expect to see this improvement coming next month!

Reduce time spent assigning to multiple cohorts

Reduce time assigning and managing learning through Groups to multiple cohorts with relative due dates.

The Go1 research group aims to understand the objectives of our customers and how we can best help you to achieve your desired business outcomes.

Sign up to give feedback on our Platform or Learning in the flow integrations, and see what our Product team is working on. Join the Go1 research group.

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

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Welcome to the latest product release blog! See a rundown of new features and improvements.

Product release round up April - June 2022

Welcome to the latest product release blog! Read on to learn about improvements and new features that we've released in the last few months including a new playlist tab and an improved data feed experience.

How often do you stop and think about how you’re learning? If you’re like most of us, the answer is probably ‘not often enough.’ At a certain point, learning becomes second nature, an automatic process like blinking or breathing. When this happens, we can neglect to think about the key processes and strategies underpinning our learning. Ultimately, this leads to diminishing returns. 

Enter: cognitive learning theory. Cognitive learning theory centres around metacognition. That is, thinking about thinking or learning how to learn. When we engage in cognitive learning, learning becomes an ongoing and engaging lifelong pursuit, rather than a dull, automatic reaction. 

So, we’ve decided to analyse cognitive learning theory. We’ll start by asking what cognitive learning theory is, before branching off to compare social cognitive theory and cognitive behavioural theory, and finally finishing with four benefits of cognitive learning theory. 

This article will be the first in a two-part series on cognitive learning theory. Be sure to join us again in a fortnight when we’ll dig deeper into the topic by outlining strategies to apply cognitive learning theory, including implicit vs explicit learning and collaborative learning. 

Ready to learn about learning? Start here. 

To understand cognitive learning theory, it’s vital to understand two key terms: cognition and metacognition.

Cognition simply refers to thinking. It is the “mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.”

In contrast, metacognition means thinking about thinking. Doing so helps us understand how our thought processes influence our learning. Mastering metacognition means gaining a deeper understanding of your thoughts and mental processes. 

Metacognition is central to understanding cognitive learning theory. 360 Learning explains that “by understanding the role of thought processes during learning, we can guide those thoughts to help us gain knowledge more effectively. We can manipulate the internal and external factors that impact our thinking to improve learning in ourselves and others.” 

Behavioural psychologist Jean Piaget popularised the theory of cognitive learning, contrasting it against the more popular (at the time) behavioural learning theory. Cognitive learning theory focuses on internal mental structures and processes. In contrast, behavioural learning theory claims that learned responses to our external environment are more influential. To Piaget, this seemed backwards. 

According to Western Governors University, “behaviourism focuses on the idea that all behaviours are learned through interaction with the environment. This learning theory states that behaviours are learned from the environment, and says that innate or inherited factors have very little influence on behaviour.” 

On the other hand, Valamis notes that cognitive learning theory is “an active style of learning that focuses on helping you learn how to maximise your brain’s potential. It makes it easier for you to connect new information with existing ideas, hence deepening your memory and retention capacity.” Similarly, Indeed adds that cognitive learning theory is all about “more effective use of the brain.”

In other words, cognitive learning theory focuses less on what you’re learning and more on how you’re learning. It’s the difference between mindlessly memorising facts to pass a test and building sustainable, repeatable, and substantive learning patterns that will allow for long-term growth. By understanding how to learn, learners can confidently approach new tasks while also boosting their comprehension and problem-solving skills.

According to Piaget, there are three vital steps to mastering cognitive learning theory. These are: 

Accommodation: taking new information into account by modifying what we already know.

Assimilation: Arranging new information inside our heads alongside what we already know.

Equilibration: Balancing what we already know with the information we are trying to acquire.

Thus, cognitive learning theory helps learners to join the dots between existing knowledge and new materials, leading to deeper, more comprehensive insights. With cognitive learning theory, you’re continuously adding new bricks to your pyramid of learning. 

Generally, we can break cognitive learning theory into two main subsections: social cognitive theory and cognitive behavioural theory. Below, we’ll analyse and contrast these theories.

Social cognitive theory vs cognitive behavioural theory

Academic researchers typically divide cognitive learning theory into two distinct sub-theories: social cognitive theory and cognitive behavioural theory.

According to 360 Learning, social cognitive theory “explores how social interaction affects learning cognition… it aims to modify the learner's environment to influence inner thought processes.” 

In simple terms, this theory posits that we learn by observing others. External influences such as peers, teachers, managers, and parents all model behaviours from which we subsequently learn.

On the other hand, cognitive behavioural theory “examines how our thoughts influence our behaviour and feelings… a person’s thoughts, feelings, and actions impact how they learn. In other words, their thought patterns and mindset affect how they pick up and retain information.”

Put simply, cognitive behavioural theory looks at how our thoughts impact our feelings which in turn influence our behaviour. For example, you’re less likely to make rational decisions when you're angry. Or, when you’re tired, you may not make sound judgements.

By being aware of this process, we can seek to control these influences. As Valamis puts it: “when we change our thoughts, we can change our emotions and then our behaviours.” 

We dive deeper into cognitive behavioural theory in our articles on cognitive skills and carrying the cognitive load of learning, so check those out for additional insights. 

Examples of social cognitive theory & cognitive behavioural theory

Essentially, social cognitive theory focuses on how the outside world and external influences impact our learning cognition, whereas cognitive behavioural theory focuses on how our internal thoughts impact our ability to learn. 

Some concepts that impact social cognitive theory in the classroom or workplace include: 

Observational learning: When learners see someone else perform a task, they are more likely to be able to repeat that action. 

Positive reinforcement: External reinforcement such as praise or tangible rewards may make a learner more likely to repeat positive behaviours. 

Reciprocal determinism: Reciprocal determinism is a theory that explains how a person, their environment, and their behaviour all influence and interact with one another.

Conversely, concepts that impact cognitive behavioural theory in the classroom or workplace include: 

Finally, it is worth emphasising that these theories are not mutually exclusive but rather, intertwined subsets of cognitive learning theory. Both internal and external factors greatly impact our ability to learn. 

4 benefits of cognitive learning theory 

Now that we understand what cognitive learning theory is, it’s worth asking: what are the benefits of cognitive learning theory? 

We’ve broken it down into four key benefits. 

Cognitive learning theory can improve learners’ comprehension when attempting new subjects or tasks. With cognitive learning, students learn by doing. This hands-on approach allows learners to gain a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of new materials.

Cognitive learning theory helps us learn how to learn. As such, learners are better equipped to develop problem-solving skills that they can deploy later to think through challenging situations. 

By promoting problem-solving and improving comprehension, cognitive learning theory can also boost learners’ confidence. Cognitive learning theory equips learners with the skills to handle challenging and complex problems, thereby making new subjects seem less daunting and empowering learners with the confidence they need to branch out. 

Cognitive learning is ongoing, continuously adding new building blocks to your learning pyramid. So, using cognitive skills can promote lifelong learning by allowing learners to connect existing knowledge with new materials. Cognitive strategies also encourage a love of learning by making it exciting, engaging, and fulfilling. 

Remember, we'll continue our deep dive into cognitive learning theory in a fortnight, asking: “What strategies should L&D teams use to apply cognitive learning theory?” Be sure to check back in then for more! 

In the meantime, you can subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

In part one of our series, we’ve decided to analyse cognitive learning theory. We’ll start by asking what cognitive learning theory is, before finally finishing with four benefits of cognitive learning theory.

Cognitive learning theory: benefits and examples

Learning on the job can be exciting, especially when it’s about something interesting like a new technology for the field or hearing from an industry leader about their experience. And while it is essential to any effectively functioning workplace, what’s not likely to get any gasps of excitement is workplace learning centred around compliance. 

Before you prepare the airhorns to blast people awake as they doze off during compliance training, there is an easier (and quieter) way: gamification. Gamification can be described as adding elements of game play to an activity. These can be things like point scoring, progress display, and competition with others - but of course there’s plenty more.  

Let’s dive into why gamification could be just what you’re looking for to level up your compliance training. 

While turning compliance training into a game may seem like it would lead participants to treat the compliance training less seriously, it actually has the opposite effect. Gamification can drive positive behavioural changes in the workplace. 

Part of gamification can involve creating a narrative around the training that helps the learner to know why what they're learning is relevant. For example, including a character in the training based on a hypothetical employee can help the learner to create an emotional connection to the content, which can in turn affect the attention span of learners in a positive way.  

Not only can an element of emotional connection affect the attention span of learners in a positive way while the training is being conducted, it also boosts knowledge retention long after the training has been completed. 

Another way in which gamification proves to be extremely valuable in the workplace is that it helps to highlight any competency gaps. For instance, if you use gamification in the form of a point scoring system as part of your compliance training, and find that there’s a particular policy employees tend to score poorly on, it could be a sign that you need to increase focus on that policy. Or revisit that training more frequently than you would have otherwise. 

The idea of introducing gamification to compliance training may seem complex. After all, creating an entire game can take a significant amount of time; time that many businesses simply don’t have. However, it doesn’t have to be like that. Gamification can be introduced slowly at first, in really simple and easy ways.  

For example, rather than showing a participant that they're on page four of goodness knows how many pages of compliance training, why not use a progress bar instead? That way, participants can clearly see how far they’ve come and how far they’ve got to go.  

Not only can this help to motivate learners and encourage them to continue, it can also help them plan the rest of their workday based on how long the training might take. 

Gamification isn’t just about making a typically unexciting activity like compliance training ‘fun’. Though fun is certainly part of it, there is also real science behind gamification and how it can make learning more effective. In addition to making the knowledge learned during compliance training easier to retain. 

You may have heard about the feel-good hormone ‘dopamine’. It's a hormone that’s released when we are rewarded for completing a specific task. In terms of compliance training, this could be something like giving the learner a virtual badge when they complete a stage of the training, or even having a triumphant trumpet sound play when they get something correct. 

Whether you’re already a fan of video games or prefer to stick to board games, we’re all familiar with the thrill and excitement that often comes with playing. The reason why we feel this way is because of the endorphins being released. Not only are endorphins our body’s natural painkiller (how cool is that!) but they can also lower stress levels, which is extremely effective in creating more focused learning. 

When learners are more focused on the content they’re learning, they’re more likely to retain it. In the case of compliance, this means learners would be more focussed on critical workplace policies for which there could be a number of consequences if not followed. 

If put on the spot, even the most dedicated team member could be hard pressed to remember the details of all the workplace policies off the top of their head. There are often so many that trying to remember them all just by reading them or taking notes would create some serious cognitive overload! Gamification helps to break down the learning into smaller pieces which makes it much easier to retain. Learners can also then make connections to different parts of the gamified learning to help them remember certain policies. For instance, remembering that when learning about compliance management, a character was dressed a certain way or a certain style of game was played. 

Compliance training may not always be thought of as the most fun aspect of workplace learning and development. But by utilising elements of gamification, whether they be complex or more simple, can help transform the way learners both approach and retain compliance knowledge.  

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

While it's essential to any effectively functioning workplace, what’s not likely to get any gasps of excitement is workplace learning centred around compliance. Investigate with us and find out why gamification could be just what you’re looking for to level up your compliance training. 

Level up your compliance training with gamification

Craig Hamill, Senior Customer Success Manager, Go1 moderated a panel between Laura Overton, Co-Founder, Emerging Stronger and Malcom Taylor, Senior People Development Manager, Met Office to discuss the importance of workplace communities and ways to cultivate learning in these spaces where natural collaboration is already in place.

Within the session our panellists discuss the Cultivating Learning in Workplace Communities toolkit, developed in partnership between Go1 and the Emerging Stronger team. You can access this downloadable resource here. 

The discussion begins with the panelists highlighting ways in which they already see businesses using communities to nurture learning and found that a majority of people value a combination of live events (e.g. panels, speaking engagements, fireside chats, classroom style activations) and learning at the point of need (e.g. Slack, Teams). 

The pandemic helped accelerate plans to formalise organisational communities and bolster LMS usage, which in turn helped build communities of practices, where employees could customise the type of learning needed and integrate the information in a one-stop shop.

The panelists also found that workplace communities drive connectivity, which comes in handy when you have global businesses. By building relationships within these communities, employees are able to build a sense of trust, which can lead to more question asking to create a cohesive culture. Information isn't always accessible and a workplace community opens the gate for a wealth of knowledge.

They conclude by determining the best way to cultivate learning in workplace communities is by building trust. As learning is complex, it is also about reflection and practice. Trust allows the barrier of fear to be broken down and for more questions to be asked to link various communities to provide a more vibrant environment. 

●      Improving learning transfer

●      Building motivation and engagement

You can catch up on the full session below. 

Smarter ways of cultivating learning in workplace communities

Check out the full wrap-up of our time and favourite moments from Festival of Work, 2022 here. 

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or book a demo today and discover the ways Go1 can help with your organisation's learning needs.

Recorded live at Festival of Work, 2022 our panellists share their insights into cultivating a learning culture within workplace communities. Their discussion covers natural collaboration, structured environments, the impact of trust and more.

Smarter ways to cultivate learning in workplace communities 

Recorded live at Festival of Work, our panellists share their insights into cultivating a learning culture within workplace communities. Their discussion covers natural collaboration, structured environments, the impact of trust and more.

Smarter ways to cultivate learning in workplace communities

If your business is serious about developing employees by offering regular training and the opportunity to learn new skills, then you’ll likely know about the advantages of a learning management system (LMS).

Learning management system software allows you to store, organize, create, and monitor all training materials used by your business. It streamlines the training process for a business owner and HR personnel point of view, as well as the employees taking the training.

But how do you decide which LMS is best for your business? There are so many learning management systems available that the choice can be overwhelming. In this post, we’re going to take a look at the features you need to look out for, how to make sure an LMS aligns with your business goals, and how employees can get the most out of their e-learning experience.

While every business will use a learning management system with a slightly different goal in mind, the basic reason is usually the same: to provide a simple, convenient, and accessible e-learning experience for all users.

With that in mind, there are several essential features you need to ensure an LMS has so it can provide a well-rounded experience.

AI in LMS is essential because without it there can be very little automation. AI removes the need for long-winded manual processes and can help identify skill gaps, provide real-time assistance and feedback, improve accessibility, generate content, and provide a personalized learning experience.

Some learning management systems don’t offer instant reports, which instead have to be requested - which can take a few days to be generated and sent. Good LMS reporting features need to be instant, easy to understand, and offer the option to present the data visually so it can be quickly digested by stakeholders and decision-makers.

While it’s important that an LMS is simple and accessible for HR employees and business owners, it’s more important that greater focus has been placed on making the learning experience easy for students.

Your LMS should never share your users’ data and should have all the necessary security in place to protect it.

You want your LMS to reflect your brand, and the option to personalize the experience so it has your business’s colors, logos, and messaging is a must.

By grouping employees, you ensure the right employees get access to only the learning materials appropriate to them. This also bypasses lengthy manual admin processes.

When employees join your business, ensure onboarding is simple, and new starters can be assigned courses and materials quickly. An LMS is also a great tool for making sure new employees complete compulsory training.

You want to be confident that students are absorbing what they’re learning so they can put new skills into practice, so assessment tools make sure employees engage with the material.

For more information, read our blog on what do people want from their learning management system?

Can you integrate the LMS with other software?

One of the major features of an LMS is the ability for it to work with other key pieces of software. Without LMS integration you’ll find that you’ll spend just as much time on administrative tasks as if you weren’t to utilize an LMS at all.

Software you will likely want to integrate with your LMS includes:

CFM (customer relationship management) software

What type of content will the LMS support?

There are seven different learning styles, which means it’s unlikely that all employees will be able to learn from just one training style. For that reason, your system needs to support a wide range of LMS course content and learning materials so all employees have the opportunity to develop.

Good LMS content management also makes a big difference to engagement, and low engagement will affect the impact the training has on employees.

The types of content your LMS should support include:

Videos are one of the most common forms of e-learning content and help visual learners retain information. Videos may be embedded from platforms such as YouTube, or uploaded directly to the LMS - you’ll want to clarify which if you intend on uploading your own internal training videos.

Video content includes recorded and edited footage, webinars, recorded face-to-face content, whiteboards, and interactive videos.

A lot of training content is presented in written form, often accompanied by images, charts, and graphics. Copy must be formatted in a way that makes it easy to read and digest, and not presented as a wall of text.

Presentations are a frequently used tool in business and can be an effective way to learn. While slides are commonly accompanied by somebody presenting the information, they can also be a useful e-learning tool.

Podcast-style content is ideal for aural learners, and is also a useful way to learn when traveling or undertaking menial tasks that don’t require the full attention of students.

Dialogue simulation is a useful interactive learning tool that is good for teaching customer service and communication skills, by encouraging the student to interact by simulating real-world scenarios.  

Not only do quizzes and assessments encourage employees to engage with the course materials, but they also help them retain information so they can use their newly developed skills and knowledge.

Not for everyone, but gamification adds a fun and competitive angle to e-learning. Utilizing points, awards, and league tables incentivizes learning by rewarding top-performing employees.

Many learning management systems will offer basic content creation - which you may want to consider if your organization intends on producing its own training material. 

However, if your business wants to create a large volume of detailed content, you may want to consider also implementing an LCMS - Learning Management Content System. An LCMS will often have more content creation tools and features than an LMS. However, if you’re interested in creating simple content then this should be possible with a good LMS.

Can it be grown to support a larger number of users and content?

You need to be mindful of whether or not your LMS can change dependent on your business’s requirements as it grows. Does the LMS provide scalability to grow alongside your business?

Adding users to your LMS is vital, and you want to ensure there are no caps or limitations, either imposed by the service level you have, or whether the software can cope with thousands of users.

An LMS that cannot keep up with your business will invariably hold you back by preventing you from training and developing your employees.

Make sure your LMS can handle the following as your business grows:

How does the LMS system align with your strategy and vision?

A learning and development strategy is vital for any business. Without one, you’re not going to get the most out of your employees, who are going to become frustrated as they stagnate.

You need to ensure that your LMS shares similar values to your business. If it doesn’t, then you’ll quickly realize that it’s not the right LMS for you. Your e-learning strategy must align with your LMS strategy, or else the two won’t work together effectively or efficiently.

While employees will do a majority of their learning at work, such as during time blocked out for development or periods of downtime, this may not always be the case. Sometimes, employees may find themselves in a position to learn while away from their desks, such as during a commute or while visiting a client.

Because of this, LMS access shouldn’t be restricted to just desktop users. A good LMS will be mobile-friendly, so it can be accessed on a smartphone or tablet. Some learning management systems even have a dedicated app.

While organizations shouldn’t expect employees to learn outside of working hours, the option should be there for students who are keen to develop their skills and knowledge at a faster rate.

Go1 integrates with leading learning management systems

There are hundreds of learning management systems available, and choosing an LMS that’s right for your business can be challenging. Make sure to consider all features offered, and that it aligns with your goals and values.

Go1 integrates with many platforms, including leading learning management systems, enabling you and your employees to conveniently access our vast range of learning resources and courses quickly and conveniently.

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

Aligning the correct features and capabilities with your learning and development strategy is essential. Get help from the experts at Go1.

Choosing the right learning management software in 2022  | Go1

Learning management system software allows you to store, organize, create, and monitor all training materials used by your business. But how do you decide which one is best, and make the most out of it?

Which modern LMS system is best for your business?

Thought-provoking discussions continue in day two’s streamed session with panellists Naomi Hepworth, Sales Manager at Go1, Amanda Nolen, Co-Founder of Niles-Nolen, Satnam Sagoo, Associate Chief People Officer at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and Paul Neville Freelance Positive Change Leader, on utilising L&D to upskill and retain existing talent in the post-Pandemic world. 

Amanda opens the conversation by examining how organisations have transitioned to digital learning platforms. Naomi vocalises the importance of having a support system in place for time training and remote working practises. Reflectively, Naomi and Satnam highlighted an initial focus on redeployment instead of considering post-pandemic learning support and what skills L&D professionals need to support and align with the people’s experiences. Paul adds the success of rapid learning and adaptability, but reflects on how it ultimately took a global crisis to apply pre-existing tech systems of virtual learning and digital environments. 

The complexities of successful learning curation

Delving into people strategy further, Amanda notes that offering learning opportunities is a key attraction to employees but questions how this translates to obtaining future skills. Naomi answers, looking at this engagement as a positive indicator but stresses we should consider how these learning objectives align with the strategic direction of organisations. Amanda asks the audience to consider their relationship with talent and whether this connects with L&D practises. 

Satnam says balancing leading, collaborating and advocating are essential to shaping a person’s experience. Agreeing, Paul adds that there should be a symbiotic relationship between talent and learning functions. A concerted upscale strategy, needs to distinguish the difference between perceived needs and real needs, and reflect on those problems internally before curating content.

Next, the team explores the importance of integrating practical experience and not solely linear L&D programmes to ensure challenge and stretch objectives are being met. 

They look at the overall, dynamic learning journey, with a focus on progression, coaching and self development in order to branch individuals into more personalised learning pathways. Concluding with a practical analogy, Amanda says ‘we wouldn’t want a brain surgeon performing an operation on us who had only read text books.'

Wrapping up the session, Amanda encourages the audience to reflect on what metrics matter. Aligning content curation with the right people, providing opportunities of practise and application, are all crucial in furthering the L&D journey and closing the skill gaps. 

Unanimously, the panel concluded that it’s vital to first establish the end performance goal you’re working towards, prior to technology enhancement, in order to assess whether the learning platforms offered are successful in driving KPIs and business performance.

You can catch up on the full session below. 

How to master the art of L&D content curation (Day 2 session of Learning Tech)

Check out the full wrap-up of our time and favourite moments from Festival of Work, 2022 here. 

For our next Festival at Work session we dive further into mastering the art of L&D content curation with Go1's Naomi Hepworth and an expert panel. They discuss the complexities and opportunities within L&D to develop and retain employees in the new working world.

The modern complexities of L&D content curation

Learning should be a lifelong pursuit. As the saying goes, you learn something new every day. Yet, too often, we think of learning as something that happens at school and other formal institutions when we’re younger. 

Without this formal setting, adult learning is often an afterthought; something that just happens, with little thought given to how to best approach and structure this learning. 

At Go1, we think this is a shame. After all, a love of learning is one of life’s great gifts. Adult learning principles should be considered and bespoke, differing vastly from childhood learning principles. By approaching the two similarly, we deprive many adults of the opportunity to experience engaging, relevant lifelong learning. 

So, we’ve decided to examine the fundamentals of adult learning principles to aid your learning journey. We’ll start by asking what adult learning principles are, before analysing the six principles of adult learning.

In the mid-1970s, American educator Malcolm Knowles began to recognise that adult learning differs significantly from childhood learning. These differences are due to adults having lived much longer lives, and therefore already have motivations and experiences that drive them. Understanding these differences means learning can be just as effective following adolescence. To describe this theory, Knowles popularised the term andragogy to refer to adult learning. 

Andragogy is the opposite of pedagogy, which refers to childhood learning. As such, adult learning theory explores the different ways adults retain new information. By understanding this, it enables teachers and trainers to prepare lessons and materials which benefit a wider range of learners.

The term andragogy is derived from the Greek words andra, meaning 'man', and agogos, meaning 'leader of'. Literally translated, andragogy means ‘leading man’ or ‘man-leading’.

As Enablers of Change explains, “Knowles saw that adults learned differently from children – something that seems obvious now – but he was able to articulate this difference with the concept of andragogy.” 

These days, it may seem self-evident that adults and children learn very differently. However, in Knowles’ era, this was a significant breakthrough. 

Instructional Design expands on this, adding that Knowles’ conception of andragogy was “an attempt to develop a theory specifically for adult learning. Knowles emphasises that adults are self-directed and expect to take responsibility for decisions. Adult learning programs must accommodate this fundamental aspect…andragogy means that instruction for adults needs to focus more on the process and less on the content being taught.”

Accordingly, Knowles outlined four overarching principles that define adult learning. These are: 

Adults should take ownership of the planning and evaluation of their learning

Experience (including mistakes) provides the basis of adult learning activities

Adults are most interested in subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life

Adult learning should be problem-centred rather than content-centred 

As such, autonomy, relevance, and self-directed learning are central pillars of Knowles’ theory of andragogy. Whereas childhood learning typically focuses more on the ‘what’  —  such as learning basic facts and skills  — adult learning focuses more on the ‘why’, i.e. the processes and reasoning that underpin a specific learning activity.

Put simply, adult learning should strive to answer the question: “what’s in it for me?” Additionally, adult learners should be familiar with the goals and objectives of a particular learning activity beforehand and, ideally, play a role in defining these outcomes. Finally, the content should be relevant to the learners’ life and prior experiences.

As well as Andragogy, there are several other similar adult learning theories, including:

Transformative learning: this theory aims to “change” the student by first using experiences that relate to the student, then undertaking activities that challenge those experiences and offer other points of view.

Self-directed learning: this theory understands that learning is a personal journey and students must use their initiative so they can discover their own learning goals, needs, and strategies.

Experiential learning: this theory is about relating experiences to knowledge. With experiential learning, students learn by doing, including role-playing and using simulations.

To summarise, in Knowles’ own words, “an essential aspect of maturing is developing the ability to take increasing responsibility for our own lives — to become increasingly self-directed.” 

Why are adult learning theories so important?

The importance of adult learning theory is simple: without it, educators can't provide an ideal learning environment for their adult students - which, in the case of a business, is everyone. There is no correct approach to adult learning because there are many variations in how adults retain information. However, employing adult learning principles gives students the best chance to develop.

When you adopt adult learning techniques into your business’s training and development strategy, you increase opportunities for upskilling and decrease the risk of unnecessary stress.

In addition to this, there are many more benefits to applying adult learning principles at work, such as:

Gives students a renewed passion for learning, which increases their engagement.

When students retain information, they can put what they’ve learned into practice, which increases the ROI of your training and development strategy.

By learning new skills and knowledge, employees feel confident in their abilities, which builds self-esteem and improves job satisfaction - this can also help reduce staff turnover. 

Adult learners have a wealth of life experience they can use to apply context to what they’re learning. 

Applying the six adult learning principles 

Now that we understand what adult learning principles — or andragogy — are and why they're important, it’s time to look at these principles in detail. 

As part of his work, Knowles outlined six principles of adult learning. Let’s analyse these six adult learning principles, including how to apply them in an L&D setting. 

First things first, adults must understand why they need to learn something. Without understanding why the learning is relevant, adults will quickly lose interest and disengage. 

While children are like sponges, soaking up vast swathes of information, adult learners are far more discerning. They can distinguish between information they need to know and information that is extraneous to their immediate needs.

So, before designing a learning module, ask yourself, 'what are the key objectives and desired outcomes of this activity?' Put yourself in the learner’s shoes and ponder, ‘what’s in it for me?’

If you can't answer these basic questions, then it is likely that the learning activity will not be relevant or engaging for your learners.

As a child, everything is fresh and exciting. You are learning things for the first time and taking in new experiences. In contrast, adults are experienced learners. From school to informal learning to workplace training and everything in between, they have been there and done that. 

According to eLearning Industry, “as a person matures, they accumulate a growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for learning.” So, even if an adult learner is unfamiliar with a particular concept or subject matter, they can relate it to other skills and lived experiences to inform the learning process. 

This rich wealth of experience should inform learning activities as an adult. Your job as a learning designer is to match this experience with new materials to enrich the learning process. As Maestro Learning explains, “finding ways to integrate this experience with discussion groups and debriefs can be a neat way to help your learners feel like you see the value they bring, too.” 

Adult learners thrive on autonomy. They already know what they need to learn. Your job is to work with them to facilitate that learning. 

We'll examine the fundamental principles of adult learning, asking what adult learning principles are and analysing the six principles of adult learning.