This edition of our magazine explores concepts that have the potential to form the experiences we encounter during a corporate learning program. We all know and research supports that the act of doing improves our retention when learning. In the corporate context, these rich learning experiences are being replaced by self-paced unengaging training, resulting in a check in the box for training but little or no impact to the business we support.

Our goal should be to fight that trend, and look to improve the experiences contained in a learning initiative. Not all methods discussed in this issue require technology to enable them. Sometimes they take the form of a story, a coaching session or a practice case with the support of a virtual instructor. In a special report, we explore how artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality and machine learning will impact the future of corporate learning.

The core challenge and opportunity we are faced with is how to effectively include these experiences in our programs to impact the learning, and ultimately the performance of our employees. We need to be able to demonstrate that investing in better experiences for the learner improves business results.

I believe that most organizations have figured out how to embrace virtual instructor-led learning in support of many of their current offerings. The technology has evolved to the point where the learner’s experience is positive when taking programs through this modality. The speed with which new delivery options multiply, we are going to need to structure our thinking around what experiences match best with what types of skill development. We can accelerate the adoption of the most effective experience enhancing tools by measuring the change in the program’s impact from the use of the tools. The quicker we can formally measure this change, the quicker the adoption, and the better the learning.

As a community, we need to share both our successes and failures. We at Training Industry hope to be the enabler for sharing those stories and would love to hear your thoughts about the point of views shared in the magazine