Bridging the Gap Between Academic and Corporate Learning

Skills-based learning is an incredibly valuable method of learning and understanding the practical application of information. However, there is a reason more and more corporations are seeking opportunities to offer education opportunities for professional development. In fact, a LinkedIn Learning report titled Leading with Learning discovered that 64% of learning and development professionals state that reskilling their current employee pool is a top priority. Along the many benefits of employee education and certifications, corporations have found that there is a benefit to using academic learning methodologies to cater to their workforce, as opposed to corporate learning methods.

Academic and corporate learning are at odds with each other, and it's astounding that a dynamic that is so closely related can also be so different. There is very little cross over in the philosophies, methodologies, and objectives of corporate and academic learning.

The technologies that were created to support these methods are also very different. In recent years, advocates for each learning scenario have realized the benefits of bridging the gap between the two because the goal of both methods is the same: upskilling and edification. In this blog, we'll discuss both academic and corporate learning, the differences between the two, and how to close the gap between these two highly effective learning types.

This blog covers:

1. Academic Learning and Corporate Learning: What's the Difference?

2. Using Higher Education as a Corporate Learning Method

3. The Benefits of Higher Education as a Corporate Learning Method

Academic Learning and Corporate Learning: What's the Difference?

Firstly, academic and corporate learning differ mainly in their purpose. So, let's get into that first.

• Corporate learning was created to help employees understand their roles and build skills that directly correlate to the specific job role they're in, and to help the company succeed. Generally, the responsibility to create and maintain corporate learning experiences lies with the human resources department or the learning and development team. Corporate learning can come in the form of eLearning opportunities, in-person classrooms, and activities.
• Academic learning is focused more on the transfer of knowledge and less of the competence of the learner in practical settings. Knowledge is gained on a grouping of core subjects that then make up the whole of a base.
• Think of it this way: Academic learning teaches people the process of learning, and corporate learning teaches them how to apply what they've learned to their jobs.
• Besides the interactivity differences between the two, there are other aspects to the learning structure that set them apart.
• Speed - Corporate training is fast paced, and the teachers and learners are very intentional with their time because companies expect to see results fast. This effects the length of modules and their style because they're intended to be completed rapidly.
• Skill over understanding - Training in a corporate setting is very skills-oriented, and obtaining and practicing these skills is heavily stressed. They need people who know how to apply this knowledge, whereas academic learning focuses on the knowledge aspect of learning in order to gain a broad understanding of the subject.
• Goal types - The types of goals that companies expect to reach are business oriented, and the training must add value to the company as a whole, whereas academic learners expect that the learning experience will enhance their life and advance their career.
• Value for money spent - There must be a high return on investment (ROI) in the corporate setting for the expense to be worth it. Academic learners, however, go into a scenario knowing that their ROI isn't necessarily going to be monetary, and is instead going to show in the form of information offered.
• Effectiveness tracking - Tracking and reporting the effectiveness of the corporate learning program is a key step in the process for companies. If something is off in the program, and learners aren't gaining the value expected, the program needs to be reevaluated and changed to find ways to be more effective. In an academic setting, because the goal isn't necessarily in how well the student can perform a specific skill, there is no specific metric for identifying holes in effectiveness.
• Range of audience - There tends to be a larger range of student ages in the corporate setting with people at different stages in life. Instead of students in their early twenties whose sole focus is their education, corporate audiences tend to have busier schedules and expect for the training to add value to their life in return.
• Certifications versus grades - One of the major differences is the end result of the experience. A certification benefits the corporate validation of educational and professional endorsement and grades do not. Moreover, a certification assignment sounds far more impressive.
• Interactivity of Instructors - Corporate settings very often use a "set it and forget it" mode of teaching. The instructors tend to only be available in extreme cases, whereas in an educational setting, the instructor has a far more hands-on style of teaching, catering to students as much as is necessary.
• LMS strategies - Though learning management systems are used in both scenarios, the methodologies drastically determine the lengths and types of learning modules provided. In a corporate setting, it's understood that the information and skills need to be available in a timely and understandable way because the time allotted for the learner to understand the presented information is limited to minutes or hours. In contrast, for higher education purposes, it's understood that the information will be given over the period of several months and reflects that method with longer videos or lecture content that aren't as skill-based.

Using Higher Education as a Corporate Learning Method

With this in mind, one major question remains. Do we try to create a whole new system that caters to both academic and corporate learning?

The short answer is no. Nobody has time to create a whole new set of educational modules for something that already exists. Putting that effort into doing something that has already been done is like trying to reinvent the wheel. The gaps won't be closed by creating something entirely new, but instead will be closed by leveraging the systems that we already have in place in a way that benefits everybody involved.

The Benefits of Higher Education as a Corporate Learning Method

There are three main ways that corporations teach their employees. Microlearning, gamification, and employee training are devised to give employees quick learning experiences that they can turn around and use immediately. Something that they lack is helping create a longer attention span in order to develop skills that carry employees through longer job instances. On that note, let's look at the benefits of using higher education itself as a corporate learning method.

• Your investment and reward will be higher. Investing in employee's education on a larger scale proves loyalty to them, and they'll then turn around and prove their loyalty to their employer by staying in the job for longer periods of time.
• The personal time management skills benefit everybody in the long run. Using a longer program to teach different skills and information, employees naturally learn to manage their time better to balance both the educational aspect and the work aspect of their job.
• Using a method and program that is already in place frees up everybody's time. The biggest benefit of leveraging an existing program is that a new one doesn't have to be made. Resources can be allocated to where they need to be, and trainers and trainees can focus on their area of expertise.
• Longer forms of learning teach employees the why of their position in a broader context. Corporate learning methods, i.e., skills development, only take them so far in the understanding of their job role, but higher education programs such as business, economics, or other job-specific programs offer context of the process as a whole, rather than just the job requirement itself. It teaches them why they're doing something, instead of just teaching them to do it.

What would higher education mean and look like in a corporate context?

Professional development programs exist in many forms. One program could be learning information that expands on the employees' existing knowledge base, like instructional programs for professional certifications, or business leadership training. Another could simply be taking a course in public speaking to teach the process of speech and how to communicate with a larger audience.

The world of academic learning doesn't have to only benefit academic institutions. Using each of these methods to their full extent in each context creates a more well-rounded learning experience. Academic and corporate learning have vastly different methods and purposes, but that doesn't mean that each one can only benefit itself. When we begin to cross over the divide into different areas, we'll maximize the resources that each of these methods has to offer.

Are you interested in professional development and learning opportunities for yourself, your academic institution, or business? School of PE can help! Get in touch with us today at info@schoolofpe.com or 614-873-7475 to learn more.

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Anna Taylor is a freelance writer and avid researcher- a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts because she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has since found her love of Extended Reality and the possibilities it brings to the world, as well as gardening, cooking, and writing. Anna lives in Interior Alaska with her family.