Creating an environment that is safe to fail

Learning is often a social experience. Social learning theory proposes that knowledge and performance are increased when learners engage in social exchange. Without a social context, the theory suggests a learner simply engages in rote learning and memorisation. In contrast, when a learner perceives an interaction as social communication, they actively engage with the learning as part of their sense-making process. This involves the learner integrating their learning with prior social knowledge. eLearning often provides a learning experience that lacks face-to-face social interaction. This does not necessarily mean that eLearning is the poorer cousin.

Group dynamics offer their own challenges. Bruce Tuckman proposed four stages of group development in his 1965 article Developmental sequence in small groups. These stages are ‘forming, storming, norming and performing’. Performance in any group environment, including a learning environment, is not instantaneous. It is questionable whether a classroom environment progresses past the initial ‘forming’ stage. During this stage, learners are polite and positive, but they may also be anxious about underperformance and social embarrassment. People often learn through their mistakes and the classroom environment may not necessarily provide an environment that is safe to fail.

eLearning creates an environment that is safe to fail. It is an interactive medium that allows learners to apply their skills and knowledge in an environment that is free of immediate social and business consequences. Learners are able to innovate, step outside their comfort zone and take risks without fear of humiliation or costing the business money and resources. In doing so, learners are able to learn of the consequences of poor performance both on an individual and business level. They can make and correct their mistakes. Feedback can also be tailored to provide further instruction to guide the learner to proficiency.

Social interactions are not the only way to tap into a learner's sense-making process. Case studies can also be used to engage with this process. We do this with our COIL approach. COIL is an acronym that stands for context, objectives, interaction and learning. We use the case studies that were used to establish the pain points to construct convincing narratives. Narratives build context and help make the training relevant. The purpose of each case study is linked to one or more learning objectives and each objective provides a challenge for the learner to complete. Next, an interaction is matched to each objective. These interactions provide activities that allow the learner to apply their skills and knowledge. Finally learning is provided in the form of feedback. This instructional design method creates content that is meaningful and provides opportunities to practice and apply learning in an environment that is safe to fail.

eLearning does not necessarily replace face-to-face training. Each method of training has its advantages and disadvantages. The challenge is to combine training approaches to create a blended learning solution with maximum impact.

What strategies do you use to create an environment that is safe to fail?

Interested in eLearning? Visit our blog.