Hijack Your Learning KPIs with

Science: 3 Theories Explaining

Why Most eLearning Fails
2 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

Executive summary

👉 Right now, we’re living through the greatest learning crisis in

recent memory. We’re dealing with more competing demands on
our time than ever before, and we don’t always have the space to
learn the way we want to.

This is much bigger than just the COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide
pivot to remote working–though these trends certainly haven’t helped.
Even before 2020 blurred the lines between working online and simply
existing, people everywhere were facing ever-increasing expectations
to get more done during the day. In this context, it’s no surprise that
nearly three-quarters of people reported feeling burned out at work.

Now, L&D leaders need a way to help people lift their heads above the
water. Instead of relying on traditional solo approaches to eLearning, we
need a way to put learners at the center of every learning engagement.
We need to encourage people to take ownership of their needs and
aspirations and work together. In short, we need to get people excited
about learning again.

👌
The answer? Turn to the science of learning, and hijack your
learning KPIs.

Even in today’s remote, decentralized world, neuroscience tells us

human-to-human exchanges offer the most effective way to help
people learn. For millions of people around the globe, these moments
of connection are the brightest spots in the working week: getting the
chance to see people (either in-person or on-screen), share ideas and
knowledge, and work together to solve common problems.

Unfortunately, even in the face of established science, many organizations

today still rely on prescriptive eLearning strategies. These strategies
focus on solo work, offering passive experiences with little to no human
 Executive summary 3

interaction. Training priorities are often set by management, with no

input from learners themselves. These outdated methods don’t just
result in dull, flat learning experiences; they also contribute to dismal
course completion rates, disengaged employees, and lower rates of
learning achievement. Traditional eLearning strategies also force L&D
teams to spend too much time on low-value administrative tasks, like
scheduling training and validating course completions.

🙌 Luckily, there’s a great alternative. By using the latest

neuroscientific data on learning, organizations can find new ways
to engage learners with compelling, interactive content built on
internal subject-matter expertise.

In this ebook, we’ll explore how to achieve greater outcomes

through ditching traditional eLearning and focusing instead on
active learning driven by human interaction. We’ll show how
participatory experiences help learners retain new information and
develop new skills, and how to drive higher rates of achievement
by letting people learn from people. We’ll also show how three
theories–active learning, mirror neurons, and expert collaboration–
illustrate the limitations of traditional eLearning.

To do this, we’ll examine research conducted by neurophysicists and

educational researchers, from understanding the complexities of the
human brain to uncovering the aspects of human behavior that help us
to learn. As we dive into this research, we’ll show you why traditional
eLearning is no match for the current moment, and explain why
collaborative and interactive learning experiences drive the greatest
learning outcomes.

Let’s get started! 💥

⏳ Estimated reading time for this ebook: 20 minutes.

4 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

About

360Learning
360Learning empowers Learning and Development teams to drive
☝

culture and growth through Collaborative Learning. Our Learning

Platform combines collaborative tools with the power of a Learning
Management System, enabling high-growth companies to unlock
learning based on collective expertise, instead of relying on traditional
solo-based eLearning. 360Learning is the easiest way to onboard new
employees, train customer-facing teams, and develop professional
skills–all from one place.

360Learning powers the future of work at over 1,200 organizations,

including Toyota, AlphaSights, and Airbus. Founded in 2012, 360Learning
has raised $41 million, with over 200 team members across New York,
Paris, and London.

Want to see how we can help you make

Collaborative Learning a reality?

Request a demo with 360Learning today. 💡

 5

Table of contents
☝
P. 6 Chapter 1 How active learning boosts learner
completion rates
P. 6 How much of a difference does active learning really make?

P. 9 The key to active learning: human interactions

P. 11 Chapter 2 What mirror neurons tell us about learning

from others
P. 12 What are mirror neurons?

P. 13 The role of mirror neurons in active learning

P. 14 Chapter 3 The cognitive neuroscience behind

collaborating with subject-matter experts
P. 15 How does asking questions boost learner engagement?

P. 17 How should we engage subject-matter experts in practice?

P. 19 Case studies Sugata Mitra’s ‘Hole in the Wall’ and

‘Granny Cloud’ experiments
P. 20 Sugata Mitra’s revolutionary theory of interactive online learning

P. 21 Case study #1: The ‘Hole in the Wall’ experiment

P. 23 Case study #2: The ‘Granny Cloud’ experiment

P. 26 Conclusion People learn from people: Why Collaborative

Learning is the solution we need

P. 28 Over 1,200 companies love us already!

P. 29 What’s next?
6 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

Chapter 1

How active learning boosts

learner completion rates
Have you ever taken a course that was so engaging it didn’t feel like
work? The instructor asked intriguing questions and let the discussion
flow organically. You worked through problems as a team with other
learners and constructed your own understanding of the topics as you
went. You may have even found yourself discussing it with friends in
your spare time. It all just clicked for you.

👉 This isn’t a coincidence. It’s an example of active learning.

Active learning is a process where learners are involved

in actively constructing their own understanding of the
subject, often through group interactions and applied
thinking.

👀 This method of learning has been scientifically proven to increase

learner engagement, comprehension, and retention of material.

How much of a difference does active learning

really make?
Recent scientific studies demonstrate
the value of active learning. For ex-
ample, in a recent study conducted
by researchers from the University of
Washington, active learning was proven
to positively affect the academic per-
formance of university students. More
surprisingly, this study found that the
 Chapter 1 — How active learning boosts learner completion rates 7

absence of active learning can actually
hurt a student’s chances of academic
success.1
This study was first conceptualized in
response to a decline in students earn-
ing degrees in the Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
disciplines. The number of U.S. students
entering college with a concentration
within STEM fields is low to begin with,
at less than 40%. But of the students
who do concentrate on STEM fields,
only 20% end up actually graduating
with a STEM degree.

1
Freeman S, Eddy SL, McDonough M, Smith MK, Jordt H, Wenderoth MP. ‘Active learning increases
student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics’. PNAS. http://www.pnas.org/
content/111/23/8410. Published June 10, 2014. Accessed August 23, 2018
8 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

In an attempt to understand what could possibly be causing such a

small number of degree achievements, the researchers examined the
learning environments used in STEM courses and hoped to answer the
following question: Which is better for student performance: lecture-
based learning or student-focused active learning?

The team meta-analyzed 225 existing studies that tested student

performance in classes with active learning versus traditional lecturing,
using two different types of measures in their analysis: exam performance
and failure rates.

From this analysis, we have two revolutionary findings:

1 Active learning leads to increases in examination

performance that would raise average grades by
half a letter.

2 Students taught by traditional lecture-based

learning are 1.5 times more likely to fail than students
participating in courses featuring active learning.

This is an important conclusion for L&D leaders–especially given the

current challenges in organizational learning. It confirms what we’ve
been told our whole lives: actively participating in the learning process
encourages learners to invest more and retain the information more
effectively. But these results do more than just confirm a theory we
already suspected; they open the door to an entirely new discussion
altogether.

What Freeman and his team found could be the catalyst that leads to
abandoning traditional solo eLearning altogether, as this is the first study
 Chapter 1 — How active learning boosts learner completion rates 9

to prove that passive learning is associated with a higher likelihood of

negative learning outcomes.

So, what is the key to active learning? And how can you help
your learners ace their KPIs?

The key to active learning: human interactions 🔑

In order to understand how to put
active learning to work, we must
first understand what makes it so
effective in the first place. It all
comes down to one thing: human
interaction.
In active learning, learners are forced
to discern and practice what they
are learning as they’re learning it–
something that can only be achieved
through human interaction. This is
not a process that can be internalized
within passive, solo learning activities
prescribed within traditional eLearning.
If learning is something that is merely
done to people without them having a
say in what–or how–they learn, then it’s
hardly surprising that learners aren’t
engaged.
10 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

Alternatively, activities that involve collaboration and sharing of ideas

among learners promote a deeper level of thought, and create meaning
for the learner. Online exercises based around human interaction–such
as peer discussion, team problem solving, and group tutorials–allow
learners to apply the material learned while simultaneously gauging
their level of comprehension through peer validation, feedback, and
positive reinforcement.

Implementing human interactions within learning fosters

better motivation, stronger retention and comprehension,
and above all, it creates a human connection–a key cognitive
function which is vital in learning.

👉 Now, let’s take a closer look at these cognitive functions and examine
our second theory: the role of mirror neurons in active learning.
 Chapter 2 — What mirror neurons tell us about learning from others 11

Chapter 2

What mirror neurons tell us

about learning from others
From their very first day on earth babies learn by interacting with other
human beings. It takes no more than a few minutes to teach a baby
how to smile, stick her tongue out, wave her hand in the air–simply by
showing. Observing and replicating behavior in this way is the most
basic form of learning, and it applies to the way we learn as adults, too.

Have you ever felt the intense, cringeworthy secondhand embarrassment

of a comedian being booed off stage, as if you were the one being
heckled? Or have you ever witnessed someone bump their elbow on
something and immediately felt yourself tense up and say ‘ouch!’ in
solidarity with them? These aren’t coincidences.
12 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

It’s the reason why when someone smiles at us we can’t help but return
the gesture, or why they say yawning is contagious.

These instances of empathizing with someone simply

by observing behavior are made possible by mirror
neurons. And even when we’re all working–and learning–
remotely, these mirror neurons are
still hard at work helping us learn. 📚

What are mirror neurons?

In order to understand mirror neurons,
we need to examine the study that led
to their discovery.2 In the 1990s, Italian
neurophysiologist Giacomo Rizzolatti
and his team conducted a series of ex-
periments to study the neurons that
control motor movements in macaque
monkeys.
In each experiment, a monkey would
perform an action with its hand or
mouth, like reaching for a piece of
food, and the team would record the
corresponding neuron activity. What
was surprising, though, is that the same
neurons that fired when performing the
activity would also fire when the
monkeys observed each other perform-
ing the same activity.
This study suggested that the ma-
caques’ brains were able to adopt the
behavior of the macaque it was looking
at, and respond as if we are the ones
doing the action. This is a truly aston-
ishing observation, and has huge im-
plications for mankind and the way we
have evolved as a civilization.

It also tells us a lot about how active learning works.

2
Rizzolatti G, Fabbri-Destro M. ‘The Mirror Neuron System.’ Handbook of Neuroscience for the Behavioral
Sciences. 2009. doi:10.1002/9780470478509.neubb001017.
 Chapter 2 — What mirror neurons tell us about learning from others 13

The role of mirror neurons in active learning

The basis of human comprehension stems from observing,
comprehending, and imitating, as proven by the discovery of mirror
neurons. But how can we apply what we know about mirror neurons
to active learning in a modern digital environment, especially one in
a remote learning context? Do mirror neurons still play a role today?

Absolutely. While it’s true that online or remote learning

involves a fundamentally different experience for learners
than traditional classroom learning, it still involves human
interaction. 📌
These learning experiences should aim to replicate the same human
interactions that happen in face-to-face settings. And yet, many
organizations have completely ignored this, opting instead for static,
non-interactive eLearning formats prescribed by management. For
example, traditional SCORM-based modules ask learners to simply
click through a fixed set of slides with no interaction. They may not
understand why they’re even being asked to complete the activity, so
how can they be truly engaged?

We need a better way to engage learners through human

interaction. We need to offer learners the right set of
tools and resources to participate in active learning
and ace every one of their learning KPIs.

This is where the choice of learning platform plays such a key role.
Incorporating human interaction at every step of the training process
helps learners to be more engaged, stimulating better comprehension
and knowledge retention. Using activities like peer feedback, interactive
quizzes, or discussion forums can all help boost participation, completion,
14 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

and overall learner satisfaction. Even better, it can help you to improve
your learning content over time by iterating in response to learner
feedback.

Next up, we’ll take a look at our third learning theory: the cognitive
neuroscience behind subject-matter expert collaboration.

Chapter 3

The cognitive neuroscience

behind collaborating with
subject-matter experts
As we’ve seen, the transfer of knowledge isn’t just a solo activity: it’s a
multiplayer game between the learner and the content creator(s).

One of the most effective ways to ensure all parties are actively
engaged in the learning process? Make room for learners to collaborate
with subject-matter experts by asking questions, testing shared
 Chapter 3 — The cognitive neuroscience behind collaborating with subject-matter experts 15

knowledge, and iterating to improve learning content.

Recent scientific research examining questioning as a teaching method

has proven that not only does interactive dialogue increase the amount
of knowledge gained by the learner–it also increases the level of
engagement for subject-matter experts.

And since the two go hand-in-hand, a more engaged subject-matter

expert equals a more engaged learner.

How does asking questions

boost learner engagement?
Asking questions might just sound like another
method to add to your playbook, but it has a much
bigger effect than we ever imagined. Science has
proven that by asking questions while learning, there
is a significant increase in brain activity in both the
learner and the subject-matter expert. In other words,
asking questions increases engagement. Science has proven
that by asking
To further explore this notion, let’s take a look questions while
at a scientific study proving that learner-expert learning, there is a
dialogue leads to greater knowledge transfer and
significant increase
in brain activity in
both the learner
and the subject-
matter expert. In
other words, asking
questions increases
engagement.
16 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

comprehension. In the study called ‘The Cognitive Neuroscience of

the Teacher-Student Interaction’,3 scientists Antonio Battro and team
sought to uncover the implications of the ‘teaching brain’ in order to
re-conceptualize how we understand the process of teaching as an
interaction.

To do this, they had 17 pairs of subjects read an educational dialogue

that involved the expert asking questions of the learner. They then used
near-infrared spectroscopy devices to measure brain activity.

What they found was that whenever an expert had

high brain activity during the discussion, the learner
also showed higher than normal brain activity. And the
opposite was true: for learners who had lower levels of
brain activity, the expert in these duos also exhibited
lower levels of brain activity.

👉 These findings prove that asking questions of learners generates

higher brain activity. And interestingly, when experts are more engaged
in the conversation or exchange, so is the learner. Experts who use
active discussion with learners are proven to be more effective, because
they feel more motivated, the learner retains more information, and the
content of the courses improves thanks to the iterative feedback and
exchanges on learning content.

From this, we can be sure that asking questions not only results in an
overall more effective learning process than with passive eLearning,

3
Battro AM, Calero CI, Goldin AP, et al. The Cognitive Neuroscience of the Teacher- Student Interaction.
Mind, Brain, and Education. 2013;7(3):177-181. doi:10.1111/ mbe.12025
 Chapter 3 — The cognitive neuroscience behind collaborating with subject-matter experts 17

but also leads to infectious levels of engagement for both expert and
learner. Experts have more fun, and learners achieve more of their
KPIs. Talk about a win-win!

How should we engage subject-matter experts in

practice?
Science tells us an engaged expert is
more capable of sharing knowledge and
specialized information. The same rules
apply regardless of your position: when
you are interested and feel connected
to what you are doing, you’ll do it better,
and with more passion. Unfortunately,
we rarely read articles or guidance
discussing the importance of engaging
experts to participate more actively in
the learning process.
The Battro study is different, because
it gives us hard facts that cannot be
ignored: there is a direct correlation
between expert engagement and
learning engagement. This means when
the expert has higher levels of brain
activity, the learner will follow.
This begs the question: how do we
engage subject-matter experts in
practice? We know that active learning
18 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

is significantly more effective than active learning and human interactions

passive learning, and that mirror neurons are a smart way to begin increasing
play a key role in how we learn through expert engagement.
human interaction, so incorporating

But taking it a step further, the study points to something

more fundamental: asking questions is neurologically
proven to increase engagement between experts and
learners. It is this type of discussion that will be a game-
changer in your learning strategy, and will allow you
to overcome the limitations of traditional prescriptive
eLearning.

📌 That’s why it’s so crucial to feature human interactions at every

step of your learning strategy. Rather than just setting a curriculum of
course content and tracking completions, you need to make room for
open conversation, dialogue, and collaboration. With the right practical
exercises, you can encourage experts and learners to work together.

And just like learners, experts contribute their most valuable knowledge
when they are motivated and given the opportunity to engage with other
human beings. All you need to do is find the right platform to make this
collaboration a key feature of every learning experience.

Now, let’s take a look at two great case studies showing how
this science works in practice.
 Case studies — Sugata Mitra’s ‘Hole in the Wall’ and ‘Granny Cloud’ experiments 19

Case studies

Sugata Mitra’s ‘Hole in the Wall’ and

‘Granny Cloud’ experiments
Right now, with so many people around the world working from home,
it’s great to find reassuring evidence that remote learning can be just
as effective as traditional in-person learning. In fact, as Educational
Researcher Sugata Mitra demonstrates, remote learning can even
be more effective.

🔑 The key factor? It all comes down to the role of the subject-matter
expert, or instructor. Traditionally, instructors have acted as lecturers:
they’re the sole voice of the classroom leading learners through a se-
ries of speeches explaining the information in a one-sided dialogue.
But in today’s world, this role has changed. Now, instructors and ex-
perts are there to curate conversations and foster human interactions.

Let’s take a look at this in the context of Sugata Mitra’s famous ‘Hole
in the Wall’ and ‘Granny Cloud’ studies.
20 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

Sugata Mitra’s revolutionary

theory of interactive online
learning
Humans are hardwired to learn: it’s in our DNA to
constantly gain knowledge, improve, and flourish.
But how powerful is this instinct of ours? Is it
Humans are
powerful enough for a group of learners, for
hardwired to learn: example, to teach themselves a complex subject in
it’s in our DNA to another language?
constantly gain
knowledge, improve, It sounds pretty unlikely, but that’s exactly what
and flourish. happened in the first of a series of experiments
conducted by Education Researcher Sugata Mitra.
Known as the father of educational research for
the 21st century, the work of Sugata Mitra provides
the most revolutionary insights into learning
available today. His ‘Hole in the Wall’ and ‘Granny
Cloud’ experiments are two of the most significant
educational studies in recent decades, and his
conclusions have gained the attention of scientists,
educators, human behaviorists, and psychologists
worldwide.

What differentiates Mitra is his belief that through human

interaction, learners can effortlessly absorb information
through technology.

Mitra challenges the notion that transfer of knowledge must be difficult.

In fact, much of his work is dedicated to making education opportunities
available to students in isolated parts of the world. But his findings
have done more than validate the idea of remote learning: he has
proven that remote learning can be more effective and lead to lasting
comprehension.
 Case studies — Sugata Mitra’s ‘Hole in the Wall’ and ‘Granny Cloud’ experiments 21

The following two experiments offer practical insights into how the right
remote learning technology can bring active learning strategies to life,

👇
and why traditional approaches to eLearning no longer offer the right
solutions for the modern world.

Case study #1

The ‘Hole in the Wall’ experiment

In what he dubs the ‘Hole in the Wall Experiment’,4 Mitra brought a
computer with internet access to several rural countries around the
world and left it for local children to play with.

In each location, the children managed to teach themselves how to use

the computer within hours, and were observed recording each other
singing, sending emails, and playing games on websites they found
on their own–all on a computer with the language set to English, a
language they didn’t know.

Pleased with how successful these experiments were going and happy
to find that learners are able to succeed in unlikely circumstances,
Mitra wanted to test the limits of this phenomenon. What he found in
this next experiment is truly remarkable:

He set himself an impossible target: Can Tamil-speaking 12-year-

old children in a South Indian village teach themselves biotech-
nology in English on their own? And he thought, “I’ll test them,
they’ll get a zero. Then I’ll give the materials, I’ll come back and
test them, and they’ll get another zero. Then I can go back and say,
‘Yes, we need teachers for certain things’.”5

4
Mitra S. Hole-in-the-Wall - Beginnings. Hole-in-the-Wall - Solution. http://www.hole-in-the-wall.com/
Beginnings.html. Accessed August 23, 2018
5
Mitra S. Kids can teach themselves. TED: Ideas worth spreading. https://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_
mitra_shows_how_kids_teach_themselves. Accessed August 23, 2018
22 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

He called upon 26 children and said to them, “There’s some really

difficult stuff on this computer, I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t
understand anything. It’s all in English. I’m going now, good luck!”
and he left.

When he returned two months later their scores had gone up from
zero to 30%–an educational impossibility given the circumstances.

He found that not only had the students learned the complexities
of DNA replication and genetic diseases, but some of them had
taken on the roles of instructor, and would help the other learners
all on their own accord.

So, what does this case study mean for active,

human-centered learning?

It tells us that learners are capable of much more than they are given
credit for, and that experts have more powerful leverage when viewed
as a facilitator, not simply as a teacher.

The findings from this study show that the level of engagement
of a course depends on the level of inspiration, interaction, and
encouragement given to learners. This emphasizes the importance of
effective learning engagement, and shows us how human interactions
can spur learners to achieve more.
 Case studies — Sugata Mitra’s ‘Hole in the Wall’ and ‘Granny Cloud’ experiments 23

Mitra’s second experiment in active learning engagement has even

more to show us about the importance of human interaction to
achieving greater learning outcomes.

Case study #2

The ‘Granny Cloud’ experiment

Sugata Mitra had a hunch that encouragement and facilitation might
help improve his students’ scores, so he tried a second approach with
the biotechnology students. While their scores had gone from zero to
30%, 30% is still not a pass.

To help them improve even more,
he encouraged the students to
play the role of the grandmother
with each other: to stand behind
them and admire them all the time,
and to give them the right kind of
encouragement.
ourselves: since the desire to learn
is inherent in each of us, our level
of engagement depends on how
inspired we are. Positive reinforce-
ment through human interaction
has the power to drive learners
to succeed.

Once one of the students had been
doing this for just two months, the
students’ scores went up to 50%,
which is what other Delhi schools
with a trained biotechnology
teacher were achieving.
Just by simply having someone
motivate them and ask probing
questions, the students’ perfor-
mance increased to 50%. This
tells us something crucial about
This revelation led to what has
become Mitra’s most famous
achievement: The ‘Granny Cloud’.6
In an attempt to test the limits of
online learning and the role human
interactions play, Mitra created an
online school where grandmothers
from the U.K. would volunteer one
hour a week in an online course
with students from rural parts of
the country.

6
Mitra S. Granny Cloud. School in the Cloud. https://www.theschoolinthecloud.org/people/the-granny-
cloud/. Accessed August 23, 2018
24 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

The role of the ‘Cloud Grannies’? To encourage the stu-

dents in whatever they are learning, giving praise and
making the students feel proud in their work. And just
Human emotion is a
like in the previous example, these grannies have zero
powerful motivator,
previous knowledge on the subject matter. Instead,
their effectiveness lies within their ability to encourage
and positive
and stimulate conversation, not to lecture. reinforcement is
an effective way to
So, why has this method been so effective? It all comes stimulate behavior.
back to what we know about humans. Human emotion
is a powerful motivator, and positive reinforcement is
an effective way to stimulate behavior. And secondly,
active learning and human interaction can drive
learners to achieve results that would never be possible
with traditional solo learning.

But, did learning in this way lead to actual retention?

Surprisingly, the answer is: yes.

Sugata Mitra tested the students again two months after the original
assessment and found that their scores had not only stayed the same:
in some cases they had actually improved.
 Case studies — Sugata Mitra’s ‘Hole in the Wall’ and ‘Granny Cloud’ experiments 25

The neuroscience behind interactive learning helps explain this:

Memories from learners interacting with one another are more strong
than the memories form simply reading learning content. By learning
actively and socially, the learning process became emotional. And the
part of the brain that handles emotion, the amygdala, also handles
memory, which is why strong emotional events are often more easily
remembered.

The students felt a sense of self-importance and pride when they

found the correct answers, which triggered a positive emotional
response, strengthening the memory.

By discussing with each other and their instructors online, the children
were left with visual photographic memories to recall in the future.

These case studies have a lot to tell us
about bottom-up, interactive learn-
ing. By encouraging these learners to
take charge of their own development,
and by centering the learning process
around active, social learning, Sugata
Mitra was able to turn learning from a
dry, individual activity into something
shared and engaging.
When so many people are struggling
to stay engaged from a distance, these
studies offer more than just practical
guidance for L&D teams: they offer a
ray of hope that learning and devel-
opment doesn’t have to suffer just be-
cause we can’t physically be together.
All we need to do is give learners the
tools and resources they need to con-
nect with each other, share their sub-
ject-matter expertise, and learn togeth-
er. Then, they’ll have everything they
need to set ambitious learning KPIs–and
achieve them every time.
26 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

Conclusion

People learn from people:

Why Collaborative Learning is the
solution we need
In times of crisis, we need to find new solutions to shared challenges.
And right now, with so many competing demands on everyone’s time,
the world is a stressful place. We need an alternative to the prescriptive,
solo focus of traditional eLearning. Instead, we need a way to engage
learners with fun, stimulating training–even in a remote environment.

👉 Fortunately, science offers a solution. As the three theories in

this ebook demonstrate, by ditching solo eLearning strategies and
connecting learners to experts instead, we can harness human interaction
to make learning active, engaging, and fun. We can create participatory
experiences that give learners the tools they need to develop new skills,
 Conclusion 27

retain information and expertise, and learn from each other. Once your
learners have these tools, they can ace their learning KPIs.

We’ve never had more information about how the human brain learns.
And as we continue to find new techniques to engage learners from
a distance, we’re finding better ways to make learning interactive,
stimulating, and, even better–collaborative.

With Collaborative Learning, the traditional role of the teacher or

instructor is transformed completely. Instead, Collaborative Learning
encourages learners to declare their own needs, connect with subject-
matter experts, and work together to create and improve learning
content to match urgent business needs.

We talk to L&D experts on a regular basis, and these discussions tell us

that a learning strategy focused on human interaction leads to better
outcomes. With our platform, our users engage in 11 learning activities
per day on average, with course completion rates boosted from the
industry average of 20-30% to over 90%.

Interested in putting the science to work to hijack your learning KPIs?

💪
Get in touch with one of our learning experts today to see how you can
make Collaborative Learning a reality.
28 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining
Chapter Why
3 - What
MostiteLearning
takes to become
Fails a Learning Organization

Over 1,200 companies love us

already! 💜
360Learning is already helping over 1,200 clients to transform
their organizational culture through Collaborative Learning.

But don’t just take our word for it: take a look at
organizational learning expert Josh Bersin’s exploration of
why Collaborative Learning makes such a big difference—
360Learning is
and how companies of all shapes and sizes can put it to
much more than a work.
Learning Platform. See how our Collaborative Learning platform can help
Every single your business keep up with the trends, opportunities,
company needs a and challenges identified in Gartner’s 2021 transfor-
mation report.
platform like this.
Take a look at how we stack up against other organi-
Josh Bersin
zational learning solutions at Gartner’s peer insights
page.

For a closer look at how we support collaboration

between teams, check out features like our Experts
Engagement Tool, Discussion Forum, Authoring Tool,
and Learning Needs Tool.

For a deeper look at how our clients make Collaborative

Learning a reality, read about how we helped AI
consulting firm Appen save $240k in annual training
costs.
 What’s next? 29

What’s next?
🚀
The world is changing, and so is the way we learn. This is much bigger
than just COVID-19 and the switch to remote working–learners today
are juggling more competing priorities than ever before. In this context,
L&D leaders need a better way to engage learners.

Fortunately, there’s a better way to drive learning engagement. Top

academics support the science behind active, human-centered learning,
and this is what drives every step of our learning platform. We don’t
just help organizations to deliver more effective learning experiences,
either: we also help L&D teams save time on repetitive administrative
activities like scheduling and validating course completions.

Our Collaborative Learning platform achieves this by:

Making it easy for people to declare their learning needs and engage with each
other on these needs

Empowering enablement teams to make and ship courses quickly in response

Shaping learner recommendations based on user data relating to skills, interests,
role, feedback from other learners, and more

Freeing up subject-matter experts to contribute their skills, share their knowledge,

and iterate learning content over time

Enabling L&D teams to build tailored programs by curating courses from 3rd
party platforms

Using a continuous feedback loop to keep content current, accurate, and engaging

Fostering a shared sense of connection and belonging through making every

step of the learning process as interactive as possible

Interested in finding out how Collaborative Learning could

help you?

Request a free demo today! 💡

30 Hijack Your Learning KPIs with Science: 3 Theories Explaining Why Most eLearning Fails

Learning Needs Tool Experts Engagement Tool Projects Tool

Discussion Forum Authoring Tool Reactions

Video Pitch Assessment Relevance Score

Looking for more great reading?

Web Series Blog Ebook

Onboarding Joei: Our award-winning unscripted CLO Connect: A series of Embracing

docu-series in-depth interviews with L&D the Learning
experts Organization Model
 What’s next? 31

Ebook Blog Blog

How COVID-19 fired up the

transition to Collaborative
Do You Need an Learning at work
Why Collaborative Learning is the next phase
LMS, an LXP, a
of LMS e-learning
Talent Suite, or a
Learning Platform?

Blog

32 onboarding templates and

checklists to design great
new-hire experiences
 Contact us
(US) +1 917-936-4632
contact@360learning.com
www.360learning.com