How to approach learning technologies in the workplace

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many organizations to update their processes, whether it’s to automate processes or replace legacy equipment with cloud-based services. These workplace changes require workers to learn new skills. Providing workplace education and professional development is critical for organizations to teach new skills and retain employees.

In the book Digital technology for effective workplace learning transformation; Author Rhea O’Donnell, including The Epidemic; The growth of the gig economy and new technologies. She also provides insights into how organizations can use digital technologies to teach employees new skills and measure the effectiveness of workplace learning.

In this interview, O’Donnell discusses how organizations can integrate digital learning technologies into the workplace and how organizations can address the challenges they face when implementing new learning technology.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated many industries by five to 10 years. Have you seen that impact on how people learn and organizations facilitate professional development?

Ria O’Donnell: 100% because people are decentralized and need to learn new roles and new ways of working because they’re taking on responsibilities they didn’t have to take on before. Some people are thrown in front of computers who may not necessarily have used computers, and are thrown to learn new things.

At the same time, they have to learn in an unfamiliar way using technology. Maybe you were historically in the workplace and had a classroom session with a teacher who taught you new skills, but now everyone is thrown into the deep end, and they have to learn how to learn technology on a new level. skills.

For businesses evaluating new learning technologies in the workplace, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), AI and Experience APIsHow do you advise employees to decide which option is best for them?

Rhea O’Donnell

O’Donnell: I think it’s probably beneficial for more businesses to outsource or bring in-house experts, who can assess the overall landscape in their role. Looking at the overall learning and development frameworks in the organization, ‘these are the things that employees or support staff need. These are the tools that help; These are the resources we have.

Organizations can audit everything they have and the skills gaps they need to close. They can make recommendations on whether the organization should invest in AR and VR or AI. You can also look at the type of learning analytics and next steps in place to personalize learning and provide opportunities for people who may be a little above or below the mainstream level.

One challenge discussed in your book is the lack of standards for implementing and measuring effectiveness of new technologies such as AR and VR. How can organizations incorporate new technologies into their workplace learning initiatives?

O’Donnell: When you look at it from a micro perspective and you look at an organization, what do they need to be able to do if they’re going to develop what they think are their own structures and their own standards? where are the people You can map out what they need and how they want to see people. They can come up with their own mini standards and compare while waiting for the rest of the technology to catch up.

Some employees may resist using technology in a learning environment, such as a VR headset. How can organizations incorporate new technology in a way that encourages employees to use it?

Click here to learn more


Dynamic digital
Technology is effective
Workplace education.

O’Donnell: It’s a two-pronged issue because you’re teaching people new skills, but you’re also teaching them how to learn those skills. How do you use a VR headset when you’re teaching someone and interact with that type of technology, which is a steep learning curve? It’s a culture shift where trying and engaging people is part of what you do every day.

It’s not going to be something different, where you’re going to take a course, and it’s like a once-a-year opportunity. It becomes what people are doing day in and day out, and they share their new knowledge with others, and everything is tied to their key performance indicators or team goals. It becomes part of our daily routine so that we have the prospect of continuous learning and growth.

How else do you see learning technologies in the workplace?

O’Donnell: There’s an opportunity for startups and businesses in the education technology space because it’s something that’s taking — literally — the entire world where everyone needs to learn. It used to be limited to school, and now, everyone needs continuous education.

These education technology startups have a huge opportunity now that the barriers to entry have been lowered because there is more sharing. Everything is in the cloud. People can test things, and there are many organizations willing to test them. There is a lot of investment in that space as well. It’s a huge market place that really needs some technology to fill the gaps. For those looking to develop virtual reality or AI capabilities, there is indeed a huge opportunity.

What is the key takeaway for readers of your book?

O’Donnell: I think the key to this book is the way that technology is advancing at such an accelerated rate that things are not going backwards or backwards. We should all try new digital technologies and make an effort to immerse ourselves in those technologies instead of reverting to old comfortable ways. Because, as we’ve seen, the way the pandemic has happened and the way the workplace has changed, with people working from home, we’re not going back to the normalcy we had before.