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When designing a Blended Learning training model, you must answer three critical questions:
- What skills and tools do our employees need to learn to solve problems and generate improvement?
- What instructional tools are available to me?
- How can I combine learning activities to best appeal to the learning style and culture of my organization?
Every organization approaches the design of a Blended Learning program with a unique perspective and set of circumstances. Some companies are looking to bolster their mature deployments, which have relied purely on time-intensive live training classes. Others are weaning themselves from expensive consulting firms and looking for ways to deliver standardized, cost-effective training. Still others are small firms that need just-in-time training for a geographically dispersed staff.
What online and offline learning components are available to you? Can your IT department support a dedicated Intranet or file server? Do your employees use social tools (e.g., online chat, Web research) to learn and share advice and best practices? Take the time to see how your culture is learning - and learning best - as you consider the training design that is best for your organization.
The following table discusses some of the most common components that are used in successful Lean Six Sigma Blended Learning deployments.
Interactive e-Learning |
Effective online courses with easy navigation, interactive exercises and quizzes |
High-quality e-Learning includes:
- Clear explanations of ALL concepts and tools,
- Sufficient real-world examples of concepts and tools,
- Ample opportunity for student practice and individual problem solving,
- Easy access, loading and features to support multiple learning modalities (i.e., audio options, interactive gadgets, legible font, and intuitive navigation), and
- The ability to customize the look, feel and content of the course.
Do not settle for an e-Learning program that does not include all of these features. Learn more about the best practices of online training. |
Simulations for DMAIC and Lean Projects |
Provide real-world practice in a virtual world |
Simulations are the critical bridge between learning and doing, knowing and showing. See MoreSteam's simulation section to learn more. |
Live and Recorded Webinars |
Share past project successes and best practices with current students |
What is critical to the longevity of an organization's Lean Six Sigma program is how knowledge is stored and made accessible to future waves of Belts. By recording sessions, including teleconferences, lectures, and even tollgate reviews, project data and past project work can be reviewed and perpetuated as best practices. |
Online or Paper-based Testing |
Students and trainers monitor the understanding of content in an objective and immediate way |
Adult learners enjoy the instant feedback that a quiz score gives. Testing gives students a progress report - not a final grade. |
One-on-one Coaching |
Either in person or virtually, including project tollgates |
There is no substitute for a healthy mentoring relationship. Schedule (and keep) regular meetings with students as they work through projects.
View our recorded Webcast on "Intrusive Coaching" to learn more about how Blended Learning allows trainers to focus more on coaching and student improvement. |
“Study Hall” |
Catch-up days with online virtual check-ins and group discussion |
e-Learning often takes a backseat to the urgencies of day-to-day work. Schedule regular study halls to provide students with the opportunity to focus completely on working through content, solving problems with classmates, or discussing projects with MBBs. This kind of just-in-time training relieves students of some of the pressure associated with self-paced programs and helps develop their time management skills and avoid work-time distractions. |
High-quality Support Literature |
Books and references |
There are many good hard copy and online texts and handbooks on Lean and Six Sigma. Find a few that align with your organization's application and keep them around for student references. Many students feel more comfortable with a book for just-in-case situations. |
The actual delivery design of the blended model is driven by the geography of the participants and the technology available to the MBB/instructors. In the case of Green Belt training, one prototypical model is shown below, representing a three- to four-month total timeline.
One of the key goals is to eliminate instances of travel for both cost and flexibility reasons. In the common situation where class participants are geographically distributed, it makes economic sense to holder fewer, longer classroom events rather than frequent shorter events.
When the geography is more centralized, such when the participants are all from a single large location, the classroom workshop can be broken into two shorter sessions, positioned after the Define work is completed, and again after Control. This flexibility in the scheduling and delivery of discrete portions of the training is just one of the reasons why a Blended Learning model is popular, effective, and lean.
A successful Blended Lean Six Sigma Training program is one that is designed to produce high performing and confident Six Sigma practitioners. Deployment leaders must recognize that proper learning involves more than rote memorization, strong test-taking skills and an understanding of DMAIC. Learning also involves practice, making mistakes, critical thinking, and focus during periods of ambiguity.
For more examples and ideas on how you can implement a Blended Learning program, visit our online resources page or learn more about MoreSteam.com's Blended Learning Playbook.
 The Blended Learning Playbook by MoreSteam.com is the first and only practical guide dealing with the design and implementation of a Blended Learning model for Lean Six Sigma training.
Drawing on our expertise and the experiences of our customers, MoreSteam has compiled this Playbook as a means to help interested deployments to understand what Blended Learning is and as a single source for answers to these questions:
- Why does my organization need to adopt a Blended Learning model for Lean Six Sigma training?
- How can my organization design the most appropriate and effective Blended Learning model to meet our requirements?
Learn more about The Blended Learning Playbook and download a free, abridged version.
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