Learning, Forgetting and Reinforcement

 Very interesting thing,  came to our level of interest as we tried to analyze how consumers could 'forget' brands, and how that forgetting might be turned around.   A kind of learning and forgetting cycle.  Domain context is different, but applicable here?  An ultimate element of any kind of learning. 

Case study: Counteracting the forgetting curve with reinforcement technology

L&D practitioners know that learning cannot take root and impact sustained performance changes if it is once and done.

by Jeneane Becker,  February 6, 2023   in ChiefLearningOfficer

Employees are busier than ever. That’s why often in organizations, learning and development activities occur infrequently, typically during onboarding or annually for compliance purposes. But L&D practitioners know that learning cannot take root and impact sustained performance changes if it is once and done. The Ebbinghaus Curve (or forgetting curve) indicates that knowledge retention is a mere 10 percent only a week after completing training. 

The ultimate purpose of learning is to change behavior, which takes time, repetition, practice and continuous encouragement. Yet L&D teams often deliver a full suite of learning resources all at once. Learners consume the available training and perhaps the organization sees a spike in behavior change; however, without continued reinforcement over time, pre-training behaviors eventually return. That’s why the Choice University team asked ourselves how can we break the cycle of employees taking training periodically (i.e., when it’s “due”) and instead create a more regular habit of returning to the ChoiceU.com LMS over time, not just when they are initially onboarding or annually required.

Identifying the need

Recognizing the need for reinforcement methodology was a data-driven decision. An internal content analysis indicated steep drop-off with engagement of a learning asset 30 days post-launch. Alongside this data, external validation from Choice’s Business Intelligence team shows that hotels with higher Choice University engagement achieve stronger results with KPIs like revenue and guest satisfaction. Therefore, the need to drive “return” habits for learners matters more than simply LMS clicks, it makes a difference for hotels’ business. 

Additionally, hotel employee turnover rates are typically higher than other industries, so new learners are onboarding all the time at any of our 7,000-plus franchised properties worldwide. We estimate that, on average, for a learning asset launched six months ago, approximately 1,000 learners will have missed the asset at launch. If we do not reinforce and remember over time, key learning concepts may be completely missed by an increasing percentage of our learner population. 

Testing the concept

We piloted a blended solution for our customer loyalty program, one with which every hotel employee interacts. We developed “foundational” e-learning and video content followed by bite-sized “reinforcement” tools and resources to be strategically released over time, and then cyclically retired. Each iterative release of reinforcement content is intended to point back to or build upon a foundational learning asset, which drives new learners to take previously released content they might not have been aware of otherwise, while tenured learners refresh their knowledge and understanding.   ... '