AI is no longer a part of the distant future but our current reality. It is changing the world, and we can see its effect across all sectors. The unprecedented growth of AI tools is reshaping the Learning & Development sector. AI can analyse data, find patterns, suggest new methods, and create courses with minimal human intervention. These features have massive implications regarding employee training and skill development.
What is adaptive learning?
Adaptive learning is a learner-centric approach where the learning content and method are curated according to the individual learner’s needs. In a traditional training environment, one trainer can't handle multiple learners this way. This is where AI and associated tools come in, they combine the adaptive learning strategy with its algorithm and this forms one of the best learning tools of this decade.
How can adaptive learning systems be helpful for L&D folks?
They can be invaluable tools for L&D departments everywhere. It can create customized learning plans and content by evaluating the learners' data, assessing and analyzing data to form decisions based on it, and performing constant feedback and evaluations.
Again, it's important to emphasize that the AI system performs these actions with little to no human interaction. This is why L&D departments worldwide are incorporating these systems into their training.
Time-related constraints in traditional corporate training and employee skill training
1. Content development
Developing content takes up a significant portion of course development. The L&D team has to research and compile resources for creating the core content, then be vigilant about new industry trends, regulations, and best practices that may necessitate updates or additions to the training material. Here’s how AI can improve content customization in L&D.
2. Allocations of resources
In a traditional setting, we need to allocate physical resources like course modules, training rooms, and expensive equipment to seat many people. The organization will require a lot of time and money for it to go smoothly.
3. Evaluation and assessment
One of the critical duties of the L&D department is to administer skill assessments, grading, and evaluating the effectiveness of the training material. Evaluations are essential and the only way to know whether the training contributes to skill enhancement. This can be a tedious process and often dictates long hours.
4. Documentation and Reporting
Managing a training program involves many manual tasks like keeping detailed records of training time, evaluating results, tracking attendance, handling budgets, allocating resources, and monitoring progress. These records create important reports that are shown to stakeholders and HR. The insights from these reports guide future decisions, shaping how training programs and the organization develop.
How do AI-driven adaptive learning systems work?
Adaptive AI uses advanced machine learning algorithms to personalize content for each learner. The flow of function is as follows -
First, the system will assess the current capabilities of the learner through surveys, tests or by analyzing past performance data.
After the assessment, the system creates a unique learning plan and will curate content as per the individual learner’s strengths and weaknesses.
As the learner progresses, the content adapts to their understanding and focuses on their weaknesses for greater improvements.
The system tweaks itself by taking quizzes and other tests. Gather the data, analyze it, and make better content unique to the individual learner.
Remember that here, the e-learning content creation works independently and AI is mostly responsible for curation & customization. The best part of adaptive AI systems is that they are continuously improving themselves.
Ways Adaptive AI-Driven Learning Systems Will Transform and Benefit the L&D Program
Paving the way for Personalized Learning to benefit all learning styles - Employees can learn by using content uniquely made for them, the content is made by considering their current knowledge, learning speed, learning style, weaknesses and strengths. This clear-cut approach will benefit learners to learn quickly and efficiently.
Content generation and curation - It will use its algorithm to find and gather information from various documents, articles and learning material. It will then present high-quality content for the learner in a neat and organised manner.
24/7 support from virtual tutors and chatbots - Employees can clear their queries at any time of the day within seconds. This kind of flexibility helps them to learn with their busy schedule.
Provides cost-effective solutions - AI automation will help to decrease dependence on manual work like content gathering and creation, assessment, evaluation, reporting and in-person support for the employees; all these help in cutting down the training costs.
Ways AI-driven adaptive learning saves time in the L&D landscape
Automates content creation and updates.
Automates data analysis and reports making the progress and evaluations of each learner.
Increases the speed of learning in employees as their learning is made uniquely to accommodate them.
Automates accurate feedback.
In addition to this, Generative AI can improve L&D in several other ways. Here’s an in-depth blog post that talks about its impact.
What needs to be considered before implementing AI-driven systems
System integration - Integrating the new AI adaptive learning system into your previous LMS or HR software is the best option. This will benefit the employees by not having to learn from scratch and just having to learn about a few newer inclusions. It's cost-effective, and it won't excessively disrupt the current workflow.
Training for the L&D team - There will be an initial learning curve till everyone understands and adjusts to the new system. It's important to be patient and encourage employees to learn and guide them till they can use it independently. Dedicating a team of trainers for this purpose will help to expedite the process.
Data Privacy- It's crucial to ensure that the new adaptive system complies with data privacy laws and policies. Learners’ private and sensitive data must be protected and measures like encryption, access control, etc must be taken.
Ethical AI governance - While implementing AI-driven tech, we are responsible for ensuring it is ethically executed. We are aware that AI systems can form bias and depend entirely on the data it was fed. The L&D department should establish a governance framework. There should be people overseeing and auditing the system from time to time to ensure it compiles the company's ethical code. As they are still evolving, it is essential to have transparent communication about the usage of AI-driven systems among the employees and departments.
Future possibilities of AI-driven Adaptive Learning Systems
The rapid evolution of AI technologies and tools creates boundless possibilities and modifications to adaptive learning systems.
With NLP (Natural Processing Language) integration and newer machine learning algorithms, the systems' output is getting sharper, more precise, and more interactive. Future systems will likely support multifaceted learning experiences by smoothly integrating texts, audio, video, and visual graphics. NPL can incorporate speech recognition translation.
In the future, AI-driven learning systems can uniquely and personally help learners with various learning styles and speeds.
Conclusion
AI is being integrated in all major sectors around the world, From big banks to classrooms, we are slowly being shown the capabilities and benefits it has to offer.
The potential of AI in the L&D landscape is growing day by day, and the most revolutionary tech of this decade is the AI-driven adaptive learning systems. They are capable of a vast amount of things, but most importantly-
Personalizing the learning experience for each learner
Generating relevant content
Analyzing data to create relevant and helpful feedback
They save the department substantial time by automating a lot of manual tasks. AI-learning systems are constantly evolving, and new and innovative ways are being created to improve their algorithms and workings.
The L&D department must keep an eye on the challenges these systems would bring and take necessary measures to combat them and ensure the company's ethical code is not compromised.