A shortage of qualified labor and a rapidly changing workforce have defined conversations about professional development in recent years. Employees must continually update their skills to remain competitive in this constantly evolving environment.
Learning is a core component of professional development and one of the primary reasons that people join associations. Associations are uniquely positioned to help their members achieve their career goals by offering learning programs that enable them to develop the skills that they need.
Engagement should be a core pillar in an association's learning strategy because it leads to improved learning outcomes. Providing personalized and interesting educational experiences for association members can increase engagement and deepen their connection with your organization.
Read on to learn how your association can use effective learning strategies to keep members engaged.
1. Use an LMS to Promote Engagement
From online courses to networking, the primary reason that members join associations is to access information that will enable them to progress in their careers. An association LMS is a critical component of an association's learning program, and the right LMS can enhance that educational program and how members experience it.
Making an LMS with engaging content available to members is one of the most effective learning strategies that an association can employ. Personalized and informative content relevant to myriad career goals almost guarantees a high level of member engagement.
An LMS provides a central hub where staff can curate course content and build online courses. When your members can see their skillset growing through classes that they've taken via your association's LMS, they're likely to return to learn more.
Associations should focus on content that will help members fill gaps in their skills and knowledge or enable them to obtain industry-level certifications. These courses can be offered in various formats, including webinars, mini-courses, and live-streaming events.
2. Make Learning Opportunities Accessible
Accessibility should be at the top of the list when associations choose an LMS. Their members have full schedules and are more likely to participate in learning opportunities that are accessible and flexible. The right LMS enables associations to create online materials and resources compatible with their members' goals.
Members should also be able to access on-demand content from various devices, including tablets, smartphones, and laptops. Ensuring that your association's LMS is accessible across devices will empower your members because they can learn at their own pace, whenever and wherever they'd like.
Effective learning strategies include ensuring that every member of your association can access your learning program by providing course content in multiple formats. Videos uploaded to your LMS should also include closed captions, and live transcription should be available during presentations.
By employing these strategies, you ensure that all members can participate in and take advantage of your association's learning opportunities.
3. Create Learning Paths
Since keeping their skills up to date is a primary reason that members join associations, personalized learning can ensure that they maintain their competitive edge and remain employable and promotable can get them engaged.
Learning paths enable members to customize their learning to meet specific objectives, goals, or preferences. Associations can use their LMS to design, build, and plan learning activities focused on the knowledge that members need in order to achieve specific goals.
When used correctly, learning paths give members a blueprint to follow at each stage of their career and provide them with relevant training and skills to enhance their profile and encourage professional growth. They also provide members with a tailored educational experience by providing a clear-cut plan for accomplishing their goals so they don't become overwhelmed by course offerings.
4. Incorporate Digital Badges into Learning
Everyone enjoys being rewarded for a job well done, and it's one of the most effective learning strategies that associations can use to enhance member engagement.
When associations certify their members' achievements, it enables them to keep track of their progression in a course. This form of gamification keeps members engaged by adding an element of competition to the learning process.
Leaderboards can also motivate association members because they can compare their progress to that of others. Associations can also hand out digital badges when members take an online course, complete assessments, participate in discussion forums, or contribute research. The more badges that they obtain, the higher they climb on the leaderboard, promoting healthy competition with their peers.
5. Encourage Social Learning
Humans are social creatures by nature, and most people learn better when collaborating. Associations can take advantage of this natural inclination by implementing social learning, which encourages members to acquire knowledge and skills by observing and interacting with others.
According to LinkedIn's Workplace Learning Report, learners who use social features watch 30x more hours of learning content than those who don't. Using the social features on your association's LMS, like live chat, surveys, Q&A sessions, and discussion boards, will help increase engagement.
Final Thoughts
Developing effective learning strategies is essential for keeping association members engaged. From personalizing educational experiences through learning paths to encouraging social learning, associations can leverage the power of their LMS to help members develop the skills that they need to prosper in their careers.
Here at Cadmium, we make it easy for association educators to deliver personalized learning to members to keep them better engaged and improve content satisfaction. To see how we can help you better engage your association members, reach out to our expert team today!
