Introduction to the World of Education

Now let’s have a look at the different training methods. To simplify, we’ll answer two important questions here:

• Where is training delivered? In person, online…

• How is training delivered? Skill-based methodology, knowledge-based methodology, synchronously, asynchronously…

Location

Where does training take place? It might seem like a silly question, but it’s worth digging into it as it changes the dynamics of learning.

In Person

Training can take place in person. You know, in the physical world. 🤓

The room size can vary:

• 10 people or less for some specific lifelong learning providers. This type of training is generally more costly.

• 30-40 people for a traditional classroom. This is mostly the case for K-12 students, but we can also observe this number of learners for lifelong learning providers or workshops at universities.

  

• Hundreds of people in an amphitheater. This is especially the case at universities.

  

I’m simplifying a bit, there are exceptions, but this gives you an idea of the different setups we generally see.

These training sessions can last one hour, several hours, half a day or even a full day in the same room. Obviously, the teacher and the students are present in the room and interact at the same time: teaching is synchronous.

Distance Learning

While most of us are used to an in-person setting, distance learning is developing. You might think it appeared recently with the internet, but that’s not true…

In France, the “FOAD” acronym is widely used in the training industry to refer to distance learning. It means “Formation ouverte et à distance” (which can be roughly translated to Open remote training).

Distance Learning by Mail

Before the internet, it was already possible to learn without having to go to a classroom with a teacher. The training material was delivered by mail, step by step. Students had assignments to send back to their teachers by mail. It basically went like this:

1. You receive your new course by mail.

2. You learn with the material you’ve just received.

3. You complete an assignment.

4. You send this assignment to your teacher by mail.

5. The teacher sends you back your assignment by mail with some feedback and a grade.

6. (Repeat)

Distance learning by mail is, by nature, asynchronous. The teacher and the student don’t interact at the same time: they need to wait for each other’s answer.

This training type was available to both K-12 students and adults. Today, it has mostly been replaced by online learning on the internet.

🇺🇳 Country by Country

🇬🇧 UK

Historically in the UK, paper-based distance learning was pioneered by universities. It actually began in 1850! Its use increased in providing some form of continuity of delivery by schools and colleges. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, the UK government introduced an initiative to widen access to education for non traditional audiences so they could obtain degrees and the Open University was established. It was wrongly viewed by some traditional educational establishments as being of inferior quality but it was very popular and delivered quality provision to learners who were under employment, family or work restrictions.

🇫🇷 France

The CNED is one of the most famous distance learning providers. This public organization was created during World War II because traditional education was disrupted by the war.

Online Learning

Online learning became possible thanks to the wide adoption of the internet, especially broadband internet which allows for video streaming and videoconference.

It didn’t really kick off immediately after broadband internet became popular however. Why? Because it works differently from in-person training or even distance learning by mail. Habits – and sometimes legislation – needed to change. Today, it’s possible to get a Bachelor's or Master's degree fully online, to be financed for online training, etc. It hasn’t always been the case!

Online learning has accelerated with the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 which forced everyone to stay at home.

There are many ways to learn online:

• Consume text content: web pages with text, PDFs…

• Consume video content: think of YouTube videos for example

• Interact with content: interactive exercises like quizzes, games…

• Work on guided projects: step-by-step projects (sometimes autocorrected)

• Follow a live video course: think of a video streaming platform like Twitch

• Videoconference with a teacher: using tools like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams…

Online learning allows for both synchronous and asynchronous learning.

• Synchronous learning: live video course, videoconference…

• Asynchronous learning: text and video content consumption, exercises…

Therefore, online learning can be fully synchronous, fully asynchronous, or a mix of both.

Distance Learning Trends

Some trends appear periodically in the learning sector. Some of them materialize, some don’t (or take many years to come to fruition). Here are a few:

• Mobile learning: while online learning first rose on traditional computers in the developed world, the rise of smartphones has created a new learning space called mobile learning. The training modules are usually shorter and fit our smartphone small screens. Some countries in the developing world are likely to skip the computer phase and will directly go to mobile learning (African countries for example).

  

• MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses): this refers to an online course that is available online to everyone, usually with hundreds or thousands of students at the same time. Coursera is a platform famous for having popularized MOOCs. MOOCs are often taught by universities, use videos with a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning.

• Social learning: a learning approach that focuses on social features, with students having to interact with each other, learn from each other, work in group on projects, etc. It acknowledges that not everything is taught by the teacher, but that a lot of the learning happens between students themselves.

• Rapid learning and micro learning: learning in small increments, with bite-sized courses (sometimes delivered on mobile). It answers to workplace needs where learning has to be efficient and to provide a quick return on investment. The idea is to fit the holes in a busy schedule with small learning activities, instead of spending full days or weeks on a training program.

• Virtual Reality (VR): as virtual reality headsets like Oculus become popular, it is possible to deliver an online training in a virtual reality world (often referred to as the “metaverse”). Virtual reality can help people to prepare for real world work experiences, like using a specific machine.

  

• Augmented Reality (AR): tools like smartphones enable students to see new content added to the real world. It is a way to update the real world with additional information, by seeing it through the lenses of a digital device.

  

Blended Learning

Blended learning is by definition a mix of in-person and online learning. There are no expected ratios (like 80/20): as long as there is a bit of in-person and online learning, it is considered blended learning.

People use blended learning because they want to get some of the benefits of in-person learning (live interactions without screen fatigue…) and online learning (learn at your own pace, different formats…). However, it also comes with some limitations, as students need to be in the same geographical area to participate in the in-person part of the training.

Delivery Method

Let’s focus on the training delivery method itself: how we learn. 🔍

There are different ways to teach a student. I’ll make it simple for you and walk you through the two main delivery methods: knowledge-based and skill-based. We’ll also talk about synchronous and asynchronous delivery.

Knowledge-Based Learning

This is the traditional delivery method, the one you’re probably most used to in formal education.

Knowledge-based learning means you are here to acquire new knowledge on top of your existing knowledge. How does it work?

1. You attend lessons (this is where you spend the most time).

2. You take notes.

3. You remember as much as you can.

4. You do exercises.

5. And then you have to show what you know in an exam.

You are likely to be given grades (A+, B, B-… or 15/20) which assess how much you’ve learned on a specific topic. In this model, “the more you know, the better”.

Skill-Based Learning

With skill-based learning, the focus in on skill acquisition, not knowledge acquisition.

In a skill-based education:

1. You are introduced to a new topic.

2. You make research and collaborate on this topic with other students (this is where you spend the most time).

3. You present what you’ve learned.

There are usually fewer grades: a skill is either acquired or… not yet acquired.

What is a skill, you may ask? 🧐

It’s specific know-how or a behavior that you can directly use (we say “activate”), like:

• Mobile application development

• Contract negotiation

• Critical thinking

• …

Of course, these skills are job-ready skills, but there are also more basic skills you learn in primary school, like “Multiplication” (yes it’s a skill!).

A skill can be achieved at different levels, such as Introductory, Beginner, Intermediate and Expert. Here are some examples:

With skill-based learning, we are more intentional about what we expect students to be able to do at the end. The focus is less on pure knowledge and more on the actual result.

So… Which Method is Best?

One method is not better than the other.

Knowledge-based education is the traditional formal way of learning, while skill-based education is the new growing trend. You might think that skill-based education is “cool”, therefore it’s better… well, not exactly. People need a bit of knowledge too!

Did you know? Knowledge is actually one type of skills. There are 3 types of skills:

• Knowledge (what you know)

• Hard skills (what you can do)

• Soft skills (how you behave)

What this means is that skill-based education generally considers a wider variety of skills than just knowledge.

Now it’s true however that today, knowledge is more easily accessible than ever on the internet. We might need to remember less knowledge than before…. but we need more hard and soft skills like “critical thinking” to be able to identify the right knowledge online.

One element to keep in mind is the relationship between these methodologies and time:

• Knowledge-based education is often “clock-hour based”. You need to spend time in the classroom to justify you have learned enough (a specific number of hours). That’s why university credits are often based on a number of hours: a Bachelor’s degree in the US is equivalent to “120 credit hours” for example.

• In skill-based education, we care less about the time you need to learn. You have completed your training once you can prove that you acquired the skills (through completing a project for example). This enables people to learn faster if they can, or to take more time if they need to. Note that sometimes it’s necessary to display an average duration in hours for a program even in skill-based education, to connect with the traditional credit-hours system.

Asynchronous and Synchronous Learning

You should be able to distinguish asynchronous from synchronous learning:

• Asynchronous learning: the teacher and the student are not working at the same time. For example, when you’re doing your homework, it’s asynchronous learning (the teacher is not “there” for you at the same time). Viewing online videos is another form of asynchronous learning: it has been prepared by a teacher, but the teacher doesn’t need to be there while the student is viewing the video.

• Synchronous learning: the student and the teacher are interacting in real time. This is the case in a classroom, an amphitheater or even online during a videoconference session. Synchronous learning is generally more expensive, but can allow for more social interactions.

They both have their pros and cons. Being fully asynchronous can work, but the lack of in-person interactions can be an issue over time. Being fully synchronous can also work, but can quickly be exhausting (your mind needs to rest and also learn at its own pace).

Striking the right balance is key, whether you're training in person or online.