Embedding Learning in the Flow of Work with Learning Posts

[Allison French]

Today, common learning experiences typically sound something like this:

• “Another mandatory training? This would have been helpful earlier this year when I was going through this process.”
• “I don’t see courses on this topic, so I’m going to see what I can find on Google…”
• “Now that I completed this course, what’s next?”

While many organizations have systems in place for learning, many don’t have a way to surface learning to employees when they need it most.

Learning in the Flow of Work

The new Learning Posts app enables HR Service Delivery Enterprise customers to embed learning into end-to-end workflows to create omni-channel experiences that empower employees to receive curated learning at the right time of need.

• Omni-channel: Learning is surfaced to employees via easy-to-access channels like the Employee Service Center and the Now Mobile App, with more integrated channels coming in subsequent planned releases.
• Curated Learning: Employees can access targeted and meaningful learning content from a single source, as today learning content is often hosted across several systems (i.e. multiple LMS, team sites) and is assigned in mass.
• Right Time of Need: Employees are provided with in-moment learning as part of an end-to-end Lifecycle Event workflow. This provides employees with direct access to learning when it matters most.

What Features are Included in Learning Posts?

• Assign Learning Tasks: Assign learning tasks (which can be external learning content from a Learning Management System (LMS) or internally created content) from the Learning Posts app directly, or within a Lifecycle Event. Employees can then access assigned learning from their to-dos in the Employee Service Center or Now Mobile app.

Employee View of Learning To-do from Employee Service Center

Employee View of Learning To-Do from Now Mobile App

Admin View of Learning Task Configuration in Lifecycle Event

• Integrate with a Learning Management System (LMS): Integrations with multiple third party LMS are available, including Cornerstone OnDemand, Udemy, and PluralSight (with more planned soon, and the ability to use common components from the Enterprise Service Management Integrations Framework to integrate with additional systems). Integrating with one or more LMS enables customers to create a content repository in ServiceNow consisting of learning content from multiple sources.

• Create Internal Learning Content: Add to the learning repository by creating internal content, which can be in the form of a knowledge article, a URL, or created using a free-form text editor.

• Create Learning Catalogs: Curate the most relevant content from external and internal sources by creating Learning Catalogs that bring together content with a similar purpose, such as trainings on re-boarding after a furlough, working remotely, or how to be a successful manager of people.

• Learning Homepage and Learning Experience Dashboard: As a Learning Admin, access a Learning Homepage to see a visual of all Learning Catalogs and Learning Sources, as well as a Learning Dashboard to see a summary of learning repository sources, catalogs, and learning task statuses.

Learning Homepage

Learning Dashboard

How Learning Posts Create In-Moment Learning Experiences

Returning from Parental Leave

Scenario: Rakesh is on parental leave with plans to return to work within the next two weeks. He’s worried about changes to organizational policies, any new workplace guidelines and benefits, and any other changes he may have missed.

Current State: Rakesh has a “reactive” learning experience and must manually search for information and learning as he returns.

Opportunities: How can we help Rakesh receive in-moment learning and embed it within an end-to-end workflow to help him return? How do we provide an enhanced learning experience to Rakesh and make learning easily accessible?

How Learning Posts Can Help
Imagine Rakesh’s return from parental leave is broken down into Lifecycle Event Activity Sets, such as Pre-joining, Day 1, Day 2, and so on.

• Pre-joining: Rakesh receives a notification letting him know his organization is looking forward to welcoming him back. He’s also targeted with learning content with tips on maintaining work-life balance as a new parent. This can be built as a Learning Task Activity in the Lifecycle Event (and can be sourced from an external LMS or created as internal learning content).
• Day 1: Rakesh receives learning content on how to re-connect to the company network (and his access was already restored behind the scenes as part of the broader Lifecycle Event). He also receives training information on a new employee wellness benefit that was rolled out while he was on leave.
• Day 2: Rakesh receives learning on the goal-setting process that he missed while he was away. It contains information on where to submit goals and how to write them.
• Journey Accelerator: If your organization is using the new Journey Accelerator app, this could help Rakesh, his manager, and a mentor collaborate to ensure Rakesh is caught up on the status of priorities, projects, and any changes within the team.
• Listening Posts: If your organization is using the new Listening Posts app, you can target Rakesh with pulse surveys throughout his return process to get feedback on how he is feeling and any opportunities for improvement.

Throughout his return, Learning Posts enabled Rakesh to visit the Employee Service Center and/or Now Mobile app to access his learning to-dos, which were seamlessly embedded into his overall experience.

He was also able to get up to speed and collaborate with his team using Journey Accelerator, and provide quick feedback throughout his return process via Listening Posts.

Interested in Learning Posts?
Is your organization interested in partnering closely with our Product Team while being a champion for this feature? If so, please comment on this post!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I know if my organization is entitled to use Learning Posts?
It’s always best to speak with your ServiceNow account team, but in general, the Learning Posts app is available with the HR Service Delivery Enterprise subscription.

What release do I need to be on to use Learning Posts?
The Learning Posts app is compatible with the Quebec release and beyond.

Do I need to recreate content that already exists in my Learning Management System (LMS)?
No, delivered integrations are available for Cornerstone OnDemand, Udemy, and Pluralsight (and an integration framework is available if you use another LMS). This allows you to bring your LMS course content into ServiceNow, so there is no need to recreate anything that exists in your LMS.

How is this different than my existing learning systems, such as my LMS or Learning Experience Platform (LXP)?
Learning Posts allow you to target employees with in-moment learning content within an end-to-end workflow that is already being powered by ServiceNow. This provides employees access to training when they need it while being embedded within an experience. Without Learning Posts, employees may be assigned trainings on an annual basis and/or are left to seek out training opportunities for their current moment of need independently.