What's different about social learning platforms?

I was recently asked what the difference is between a Learning Management System (LMS) and a Social (or collaborative) Learning Platform (SLP).

Simply, a Social Learning Platform creates a continuously evolving collaborative enterprise learning environment whereas a Learning Management System is a static platform which enables the management and delivery of learning content and resources.

So what exactly is ‘collaborative learning’ and how can it benefit business? To answer that question, let’s firstly look at some basic facts about the way we acquire knowledge. There are two methods to consider; firstly, formal structured learning which is made up of face to face activities like classroom training and coaching and secondly, self-led web based activity such as elearning courses. This type of ‘structured’ learning can be managed and monitored using an LMS.

But what about using the knowledge acquired through the secong method, ‘informal’ learning? According to research carried out by Princeton University, 70% of an individual’s knowledge base is acquired through informal learning; learning from experience, role models and problem solving for example. Informal learning happens, often subconsciously, as part of our everyday life. It’s not planned or structured and therefore often isn’t taken account of in business learning strategy. Organisations who've introduced a Social Learning Platform have taken a huge step towards making use of this invaluable resource. But, how?

Firstly, a Social Learning Platform encourages and incentivises employees to share the knowledge they’ve gained from both informal and formal learning by allowing them to create and upload their own learning material. Secondly, employees are encouraged to communicate proactively, the aim being to create and support a mentoring or coaching culture developed from within; ultimately, employees learn from each other. The Social Learning Platform acts as a central hub which is constantly evolving and growing as new knowledge is added daily. This can be in the form of video, documents and links to websites. When I explained this to my fifteen year old daughter she said “Mum, that sounds like Facebook” - Well, in fact some Social Learning Platforms are intentionally designed to look like Facebook, but don’t be fooled; there are some essential differences. Apart from being flexible to business needs, branded and unique to each organisation, in my opinion, a good Social Learning Platform also has the following elements;

Firstly, a top-down library of learning resources, very similar to a traditional learning management system. Secondly, a bottom-up element which enables employees to make their own contributions to engage others and build content. Thirdly, a community environment which encourages employees to connect and share their knowledge with each other. When these three elements come together, the result is the creation of a continuous learning and coaching culture. However, a truly effective Social Learning Platform should also contain a performance indicator or leader board. A ‘shared learning community’ will only be successful if everyone takes part. By providing public recognition for time spent learning and sharing, the leader board ensures that employees feel incentivised and motivated to get involved. All this information of course needs to be linked by a skills matrix providing a meaningful collaborative and continuous learning environment.

Some static learning management systems have now added a social element to their platform but I sometimes wonder if this has been thought through carefully enough … By introducing a chat or community feature only - is this really going to work if employees aren’t engaged or incentivised to participate? Couldn’t they use other social networking tools for this?

Surely Social Learning Platforms are the way forward for enterprise learning.