This Tip describes the five moments of learning need, going from learning something new to learning a new way to do it.
“Who questions much will learn much and retain much.” Francis Bacon
The Five Moments of Learning Need
Learning isn’t static and our learning needs change throughout a day. Bob Mosher and Conrad Gottfredson have identified what they term The Five Moments of NeedTM :
- New: learning something for the first time
- More: expanding on what has been learned
- Apply: acting upon what has been learned
- Solve: using knowledge to solve a problem in a situation when something didn’t work out as expected
- Change: learning a new way of doing something
A Blended Learning to Address the Five Moments of Need Infographic suggests the following:
Learning for the first time (New) – GOAL: Teaching something new
- Instructor-led classroom sessions bring an immediacy to the table. That makes them highly effective in driving core concepts into the learners’ minds
- Webinars can accomplish the same purpose when instructor- led training isn’t possible
Learning More (More) – GOAL: To expand already existing knowledge
- E-learning modules with second level interactivity such as videos, animations and clickable graphics
- Scenario -based learning and gamification to help employees explore concepts further
Applying what you’ve learned (Apply) – GOAL: To assist them at work when they apply the learned concepts
- Bite-sized resources such as ‘How to’ videos and modules, FAQs, product summaries, etc.
- Intuitive mobile and tablet learning design. It limits the number of pages they need to click through to provide fast and reliable performance support
When things go wrong (Problem Solving) – GOAL: To provide immediate answers/solutions to problems that employees face at work
- Blogs and videos, each of which focuses on solving one particular problem at a time
- Social interactive features in the LMS to facilitate:
- live chats,
- threaded discussions and
- sharing of experiences
among employees who encountered similar problems
When things change (Change) – GOAL: To minimize or eliminate the resistance to change by providing the necessary learning
- Peer-to-peer information sharing, meetings and email newsletters to set expectations
- A mix of instructor led, online & mobile learning courses depending on the scale & potential impact of the change
In her article: “4 Fundamental Principles for Applying The 5 Moments of NeedTM,” Katelind Hays writes that Bob Mosher recommends four specific design steps to support these five moments on the job:
- “Embed content in the workflow so it’s readily available at the moment of application.”
- Ensure resources are “contextual according to specific roles and varying access need.”
- Create content with “just enough in the form needed to effectively perform inside the business process.”
- Remember that “trusted and curated content…supports a common language and enables meaningful collaboration.”
“Here is an instructional design secret. In-house designers do not need to create every piece of content in a training program. Turn to expert-written articles, outside blogs, and cutting-edge videos and pull them into designs. Curate them by providing context around their value. It helps keep resources current and modern, a key to learners’ perception of applicability.”
For content to make the most difference, make sure learners can get to it when they need it in two mouse clicks and in 10 seconds or less.
I’m not an elearning expert, but I see the value in these recommendations. On a most basic level, I find that Google and Youtube are my best friends in all five of these moments!
Are you doing anything to address these five moments in your worksite?
May your learning be sweet.
Deborah
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