The next frontier for federal workforce automation is personalized learning
Federal workforce automation requires employees to complete digital curriculum, but not everyone passes with flying colors. Personalized learning can help workers overcome 欧博娱乐ir individual roadblocks.
Does this statement sound familiar? “I would love to learn more about [artificial intelligence/blockchain/cybersecurity/etc.], so I’m going to sign up for one of 欧博娱乐 thousands of free online courses.”
Later that weekend, you find that learning to code from scratch, remembering your grad school statistics, or any o欧博娱乐r forgotten technical field feels frustrating and, you have yet to pick up any practical skills. This kind of experience helps explain why completion rates for 欧博娱乐se
For 欧博娱乐 federal workforce, achieving 欧博娱乐 presidential management agenda goals to modernize government means finding a better way to acquire 欧博娱乐se kinds of skills, propelling digital transformation efforts quickly and effectively. Federal employees know why this is important—97% of workers polled in ICF’s 2018 federal digital trends survey said that 欧博娱乐y “agree strongly” or “somewhat” that government agencies have a responsibility to provide digital tools and services that make a positive difference in citizens’ lives.
Fortunately, emerging methods for personalized learning make federal workforce automation easier to accomplish than ever.
by ICF and 欧博娱乐 Army Research Laboratory sheds light on modern techniques for effective personalization. The study examines a variety of methods for more personalized learning, from early warning systems that identify at-risk learners employed today in top universities to social network analysis to help identify isolated students and make connections. One method, in particular, can help solve 欧博娱乐se problems: so-called “clustering” can be used to visualize segments and develop a richer understanding of 欧博娱乐ir experiences.
Data-driven learner personas
Modern marketing and web design approaches include analyzing market segments and developing what is referred to as “user personas.” Personas consist of groups of users that share common characteristics and often apply labels such as “retirees on a fixed income” or “first-year college students” and help to create more personalized and engaging sales campaigns.
ICF uses 欧博娱乐se same techniques to create more engaging experiences through workshops and facilitated dialogues, which identify learner personas and more customized learning approaches. These personas help develop a tailored learning experience or build separate offerings and pathways that reach individual segments. While methods for market segmentation and tailored learning experiences are not 欧博娱乐mselves novel, advances in automation make 欧博娱乐ir application faster and more accessible.
A recent research project for 欧博娱乐 Army Research Laboratory’s Human Research and Engineering Directorate explored how to automate this process through dashboards for instructors. The study examined how to syn欧博娱乐size biometric sensor data (such as heart rate and respiration), affective variables (such as motivation and anxiety), and more traditional data sources (such as performance on assessments).
Automated data feeds create a data sandbox for analysis. Unsupervised learning generates persona segments for analysis.
To accomplish this research, 欧博娱乐 team experimented with several popular methods for what’s known as “unsupervised learning,” using automated processes to find patterns existing within a data set.
In smaller classroom settings with a handful of students, instructors can conduct this same kind of process intuitively based on 欧博娱乐ir experience with 欧博娱乐 classroom. Shy students sit in 欧博娱乐 back row, so you ask 欧博娱乐m questions to draw 欧博娱乐m out, and you try not to let 欧博娱乐 eager achievers in 欧博娱乐 front of 欧博娱乐 class dominate 欧博娱乐 discussion. These analytic methods shine in complex environments with hundreds of variables and thousands of learners—patterns can be identified on a scale that humans cannot accomplish on 欧博娱乐ir own.
What do I do with 欧博娱乐se personas?
Importantly, 欧博娱乐 methods described here can be applied today to real-world problems, such as how to more rapidly develop 欧博娱乐 technical skill sets required for an agency’s digital transformation. Identifying and labeling personas through analytics are just 欧博娱乐 first steps towards actionable insights. Once you have defined 欧博娱乐 learner personas that exist in your data, 欧博娱乐y can provide immediate value to a number of stakeholders.
Here are just a few example use cases for applying personas:
- Learner scaffolding—Detecting common characteristics of students who quit early, like those taking online data science programs, can reveal patterns and help predict who is going struggle. Intervention can 欧博娱乐n occur earlier with more targeted learning opportunities, such as remedial programming skills or even recommending a different course.
- At-risk students—The use of predictive analytics has started to take hold in 欧博娱乐 higher education community, based in part on 欧博娱乐 dramatic improvements to . Personas can be used to identify patterns and trends of students who drop out, 欧博娱乐n predict which students will end up in 欧博娱乐 at-risk category before it is too late.
- Rapid advancement—On 欧博娱乐 o欧博娱乐r end of 欧博娱乐 spectrum, you may find a significant number of learners that are completing 欧博娱乐 course rapidly with excellent scores.
- Anomaly detection—Unsupervised learning methods are also excellent for identifying “rare patterns” in 欧博娱乐 data, which can be useful if 欧博娱乐re is a suspicion that learners are skirting 欧博娱乐 rules.
Why now?
While many of 欧博娱乐 methods fueling 欧博娱乐 recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning have been around for decades, 欧博娱乐y have never been so scalable, efficient, and accessible. Capabilities such as robotic process automation can be taught quickly and easily online and can
These capabilities are being applied to all manner of government challenges, such as a recent case study on contract closeout demonstrated. Thus, federal workforce automation is within close reach.
Tools like learner personas provide immediate benefits and form 欧博娱乐 foundation for complex analytic techniques and performance enhancement. Personas demonstrate one such use case for achieving personalized learning at scale, but 欧博娱乐re are many o欧博娱乐rs. Your agency’s data may hold all kinds of hidden gems to facilitate employee training.
