In today’s fast-paced world, the concept of a digital-first learning strategy is gaining momentum. However, despite its increasing relevance, only a handful of organizations have successfully implemented it.
The challenges of creating a cohesive digital-first learning strategy include getting the answers to questions like “What does digital-first learning really mean?” and “What roles, tools, and resources are needed to make it work?”. In this blog, we’ll explore what embracing a digital-first learning strategy truly means, implementation considerations and steps, and the critical roles required to drive success.
What is digital first learning?
Implementing digital-first approach
Roles for a digital-first learning approach
Tools for digital-first implementation
How LEAi supports a digital-first learning strategy
What is digital first learning?
Digital-first learning refers to an approach to education and training where digital tools, technologies, and platforms are the primary means of delivering content, facilitating engagement, and supporting learning outcomes. This strategy prioritizes online and technology-enabled methods over traditional face-to-face or print-based methods.
In my discussion with Raghu Vishwanathan at MongoDB, he says that a digital-first learning strategy means embracing a learner-first philosophy, where the approach is tailored to meet individuals where they are and how they prefer to learn. His team believes that each human being absorbs knowledge differently, and they aim to create learning experiences that resonate with everyone. This means they approach learning by creating different modalities, including:
- Read it: Learn through reading written content.
- Watch it: Engage with video experiences that bring concepts to life visually.
- Try it: Jump straight into the software and learn via hands-on.
- Achieve it: Stay motivated by earning badges or certifications that validate progress.
- Ask it: Leverage conversational learning for an interactive and personalized experience.
These various learning modalities ensure everyone can learn in a way that suits them best. A digital-first approach ties them all together, offering accessible and innovative ways for learners to grow.
Implementing digital-first approach
A digital-first approach isn’t about simply digitizing existing content. As Niyati Shah, Senior Director of Education Services at GitLab recently discussed, it is about rethinking how content is created and delivered. Focus on developing resources tailored for digital consumption rather than replicating physical formats in an online environment.
Content should also be designed to be scalable and modular. Attention spans have drastically changed, and so has the way learners consume content. Today’s learners expect content to be easily accessible, adaptable, and available in various formats. Modular content allows for greater flexibility, searchability and tailoring to the learner’s unique needs.
Use data
Data is your best ally in a digital-first approach. Continuously measure and analyze how learners engage with your content to identify areas that need improvement and how to refine your strategy. The team at MongoDB uses feedback tools like star ratings and post-content surveys to help focus on strategic priorities, adapt to user insights and answer questions like:
- Content changes: Is the feedback pointing toward updating or enhancing the content?
- UI adjustments: Are users struggling with navigation or design?
- Perception shifts: Is the feedback more about expectations than experience?
This structured approach allows them to determine what feedback requires immediate action, what should be incubated for more clarity, and what might be misperceptions.
Another key consideration when implementing a digital-first strategy is the importance of regional nuances. Strategies effective in India may differ from those in Latin America or Eastern Europe. Tailoring content and engagement strategies to local preferences has allowed us to build stronger connections and relevance across diverse markets.
Start small. Build for scale
When Niyati joined GitLab, she had four self-paced courses that were core to their product adoption. She and her team quickly lifted and shifted those and built them into full-fledged courses.
From there, she could implement more technological pieces and map the learner’s journey and experience. She also leapt to bite-size learning (microlearning), multi-module content delivery, and going beyond video tutorials. A data-driven approach ensures that the team invests their time and effort in the content that customers use.
Roles for a digital-first learning approach
To successfully build and deliver effective learning solutions, MongoDB has a robust team to address various critical aspects of the learning creation and delivery process. These include:
- Engineering support for LMS integration: While Learning Management Systems (LMS) offer a range of features, no single platform delivers everything you might need. That’s why MongoDB’s engineering team specializes in integrating custom learning applications and solutions with the LMS to bridge functionality gaps and ensure seamless delivery.
- Expert content and curriculum development: MongoDB’s instructional design team is central to creating engaging and impactful content. With a dedicated leader for certification and testing, they address this specialized discipline to ensure rigorous standards and assessments are met.
- Video production expertise: High-quality video content is crucial for modern learning experiences, and MongoDB has a video production leader who oversees studios, cameras, backdrops, and other essentials for producing professional-grade educational media.
- Enablement and go-to-market strategy: MongoDB has a leader dedicated to enablement, which ensures its learning programs reach the right audience. This role aligns its offerings with the right channels, campaigns, and visibility strategies to maximize impact and engagement.
GitLab was initially focused solely on instructor-led training. It required a strategic shift when it transitioned to a digital-first approach for content development. To adapt, it sought out skilled content strategists and strong curriculum developers.
While GitLab had many talented instructional designers with expertise in andragogy, a gap became evident: they needed professionals with a journalistic mindset. While not subject matter experts, these individuals could ask the right questions, gather insights effectively, and create impactful content.
They also hired a learner-experience designer to concentrate on the front-end experience, ensuring that everything we developed was learner-centric and engaging. This combination of roles allowed GitLab to seamlessly navigate the shift to digital content and deliver high-quality training solutions.
Tools for digital-first implementation
Rather than building tools from scratch to implement their digital-first strategy, MongoDB focused on partnering with the right companies offering the right solutions. Their plan was built around four key pillars, and here’s how we approached each one.
- Choosing the right LMS: Thought Industries was MongoDB’s LMS of choice. They needed a platform to support anonymous users for frictionless learning and logged-in users for more personalized experiences. Offering this dual capability was crucial to their goals.
Another game-changer was the ability to create custom microsites tailored to specific audiences—all from the same system. Whether building unique experiences for clients like Wells Fargo or Citibank or creating content by industry segments like financial services or manufacturing, Thought Industries provided the needed flexibility.
- Hands-on learning: For MongoDB’s developer-focused audience, hands-on labs were essential. They chose Instruqt, a platform with a unique interface where learners can follow instructions on one side while working directly within the software on the other. This setup allows users to write code, explore features, and get practical experience.
What stood out to us was the seamless integration between Instruqt and Thought Industries. Learners can transition from the LMS to Instruqt for lab exercises and back, with all progress and metrics tracked in one place. This integration creates a smooth learning journey and ensures comprehensive performance tracking.
- Testing and certification: A robust testing and certification process was another key component of MongoDB’s strategy. They partnered with Examity for proctored exams, providing a secure and reliable certification experience. To complement this, they also introduced a badging program using Caveon. Unlike the proctored exams, the badging program offers non-proctored assessments, creating a balanced approach to accrediting learners. This combination of certification and badging has allowed us to provide learners with meaningful credentials that recognize their achievements in various ways.
- Reaching global audiences: MongoDB decided to subtitle all its videos in nine languages to expand its reach into international markets. While the original content is in English, learners can switch to their preferred language and follow along effortlessly. To scale its content for a global audience, MongoDB partnered with 3Play Media.
While each tool plays a unique role, integration is the secret sauce that makes it all work. Whether students start a course in the LMS, transition to hands-on labs, earn badges, or watch subtitled videos, the interconnected system ensures a seamless learning experience.
How LEAi supports a digital-first learning strategy
LEAi by LearnExperts can support a digital-first learning strategy by leveraging AI-driven capabilities to streamline and enhance the process of creating, managing, and delivering learning content. Here are nine reasons LEAi is a critical tool for a digital-first approach:
- Faster content generation: LEAi can rapidly create training content by extracting and summarizing information from existing documentation, making it faster to create digital learning materials.
- Reduced reliance on SMEs: By automating much of the content creation, LEAi minimizes the time and resources needed from subject matter experts.
- Versatile formats: LEAi can generate training materials suitable for various delivery methods, including e-learning modules, microlearning and videos.
- Interactive content formats: LEAi supports various digital content formats (e.g., quizzes, scenarios), making learning interactive and engaging.
- Targeted learning objectives: The system can efficiently prioritize key content areas to address gaps.
- Consistency in tone and messaging: Automated content generation ensures uniformity across all learning modules, which is crucial for a cohesive digital experience.
- Future-proofing content: Content can be easily updated and scaled as organizational requirements evolve.
- Adaptive learning paths: LEAi can help create customized learning paths tailored to specific roles or learner needs.
- Integration with LMS/LCMS: LEAi content can be easily exported and integrated into digital learning platforms, ensuring a smooth workflow.
Let’s chat about your digital-first learning objectives and how LearnExperts can help you!
