From January 25 to 27, ellicom attended the Human Capital Management Excellence Conference 2017, as laureate, exhibitor, and sponsor, and also had the honour of receiving two distinctions! Patrick Dupperé, Director of Learning Strategies shares his experience at the Brandon Hall HCM Excellence Conference.
How was ellicom’s experience at the Brandon Hall HCM Excellence Conference?
This was our first time attending the Brandon Hall Conference, and I’m pleased to say that we were very well received. There were approximately 250 attendees and we were able to engage in valuable and personal conversations with Chief Learning Officers, Chief Training Officers, Chief Human Resource Officers, Learning and Development Vice Presidents, Directors, and Managers, as well as with current and past HCM Excellence Award winners. Besides taking home two awards, the event was well worth attending.
During the conference, I hosted a Tech Talk about the best practices when implementing a blended serious game strategy, and all seats were taken—some attendees even had to stand during the presentation! The topic generated lively and insightful discussions on the subject.
For me, the highlight of the conference was being able to share and challenge ideas with fellow industry experts. Learning and development professionals are striving to rethink learning strategies and methodologies by challenging the status quo and moving towards innovation. There is a mismatch between organizational reality and the current industry: current solutions no longer meet the needs of organizations. The rules are changing, and major emerging trends include:
- The return of “content is king”: the ability to source, manage, and curate available learning content will become critical
- New types of LMSs that promote experiential learning opportunities
- The rise of personalized learning that targets learners’ personal and professional development
Can you give us a quick summary of your Tech Talk during the conference?
At the Tech Talk, I covered the following topics:
- The elements to consider and the possible approaches to implement a serious game solution in an organization
- The right design and development model for a serious game based on the reality of an organization and its learners
- Best practices for assessing and measuring the learning of a serious game in blended mode
Gamification is based on three major elements: an instructional methodology with a strong theoretical base, a meaningful design model for learners, and a development methodology that builds on the minimal viable prototype (test early, test often).
A critical mistake assessment allows organizations to develop learning scenarios that address common mistakes and present relevant teaching points. Blended learning focuses on correcting behaviour: each mistake is tracked and the learner is given feedback to improve. This is the most effective approach for specific topics, such as health and safety.
What is the future of blended serious game strategies?
During my Tech Talk, I asked participants to raise their hands if they currently used games or gamification in their learning strategies. Roughly 30% did so. Later, 60% responded that they intended on integrating gamification to their learning strategies. I definitely think it’s interesting that a majority of participants intended to integrate blended gamification to their learning solutions. Furthermore, gamification is progressively becoming an integral part of learning solutions offered in organizations. The main roadblock is the C-suite (or upper management) , who may not always see the added value and ROI of gamification. The challenge now lies in showing metrics that will prove the effectiveness of gamification.
