Despite all the changes brought about by COVID-19, Smurfit Executive Development (SED) does not believe that a pandemic has altered the fundamental ways that their clients learn, but they recognize an opportunity for new delivery models. To enhance their clients’ learning experience in a virtual world, SED has partnered with Volute, an EdTech company bringing to market a social learning ecosystem comprised of expanded virtual communities that continue the professional development journey off-campus and between formal programmes.
SED’s clients know that training is facilitated and enhanced by sharing questions, insights, and experiences with others. With recent advances in technology and pedagogical best practices for professionals, SED is creating new opportunities for lifelong learning through Volute, merging new technology and blue-sky thinking to vitally connect professional development needs to a digital workspace – a space that preserves the resources, connections and insights used throughout the learner’s journey.
Helen Brophy, Director of Smurfit Executive Development says, “SED has been making significant efforts in creating robust online learning approaches long before the current pandemic and so this crisis is not driving our decisions, it’s merely accelerating our learners’ expectations.” SED has focused its efforts to reimagine technology to enhance what their clients already love about them. Jehan Henehan, Programme Manager at Smurfit Executive Development says, “Our clients express their appreciation for the attention we pay to their personal interests and how we work so closely with them to explore new ways to maintain learning momentum beyond our formal programmes.” Jehan adds, “They’re members of a close-knit community, and we want to incorporate that experience and feeling into our virtual offerings.”
One of the keystones connecting SED’s past strengths to the current needs of their learners is Volute’s “Virtual Learning Lounges.” Like the welcoming rooms in SED’s Centre, a Learning Lounge is a place where like-focused individuals engage and explore new knowledge-sharing capabilities. With Volute, clients shape their own learning journey and invite others to enhance or alter it as their community of co-learners evolves.
By incorporating these kinds of digitally enhanced professional relationships into the fabric of SED’s training programs from the beginning, clients will discover a new enthusiasm for learning that continues after the end of a programme. Moreover, learning communities will evolve beyond the circle of people that interact in a course. SED clients will have the added benefit of connecting with SED’s alumni to find mentors and learning partners to help them grow professionally.
Without access to the personalized communities and social learning spaces made available through Volute, many programmes fall back on the default option of using pure social network tools void of high-touch, personalized learning, leaving learners searching for meaningful connections in networks peppered with ads and solicitations. Going forward, SED plans to turn that funnel upside-down by giving their clients the power to map their own path to success by shaping their circle of learning peers and materials based on specific needs. Smurfit Executive Development’s pedagogy and faculty can be made available to clients and alumni on-demand. It is a unique approach that will become a vital differentiator in the careers and advancement of all professionals in the years ahead.