Creating Evidenced-Based Learning Plans

What is evidenced-based learning?

Evidence-based learning refers to using evidence, research, and data to inform and improve educational practices, strategies, and decisions.

In the context of continued professional development (CPD), an evidence-based learning plan ensures that the learning process is structured, relevant, and effective in meeting both personal and industry requirements. This systematic technique promotes strategic and targeted learning by assessing the learner’s existing skills, knowledge, and career aspirations, allowing individuals or managers to tailor CPD to address specific areas for improvement.

From a business perspective, this deliberate approach increases the value of learning by maximising time and resources by focusing on learning outcomes that directly contribute to professional growth and competency enhancement.

How can you implement evidenced-based learning in your firm?

Assess

The first step in creating evidenced-based learning plans is assessing the skills, competencies and existing knowledge of individuals and your team. This will include determining their level of regulatory and product knowledge but also encouraging self-assessment may help identify areas where learners feel they lack confidence or highlight new skills that they require to work towards their personal goals.

The Development Zone can help you get started. Through reports, you can review your learner's progress across previous years and identify areas where they may have struggled by reviewing pass rates, quiz failures, and assessment attempts. You can even use custom content to create your knowledge assessments to help ensure learners are informed about the specific products and services they deal with daily.

Some firms have a range of annual assessments tailored to roles in different areas of their business which users complete at the start of each year. These allow managers to identify knowledge gaps and build customised learning plans based on individual development needs. You could also use custom content to build feedback forms to collect learners’ input.

Identify industry trends

Staying up to date with regulatory changes and emerging practices will help you to identify any new learning needs and align them with skills gaps identified in your team.

Set goals

Collaborate with employees to set clear, achievable, and measurable objectives. These objectives should align with both individual career aspirations and the company’s goals and needs. By working with learners, you can ensure that they understand why they are focussing on certain areas of development and help them to take ownership of their learning journey.

Select diverse learning activities

There are certain subjects that everyone involved with insurance distribution must cover each year, however, that doesn’t mean they have to complete the same courses. Assigning a range of learning that covers various subjects helps to keep learners engaged, especially if it coordinates with working towards their ambitions.

The IDD Refresher course, introduced to the Development Zone last year, is a great, easy way to cover the 8 core competencies required under the IDD, whilst allowing more time to focus on other learning objectives.

Develop a learning schedule

Collaborate with employees to create a learning schedule that accommodates their work responsibilities and aligns with regulatory and business requirements. Some learners, for example, may prefer to complete their regulatory required learning earlier in the year and then focus on product knowledge or business or communication topics as they progress and find that new skills or knowledge is necessary.

Setting a schedule of learning early in the year emphasises the importance of continuous learning. The Development Zone ‘Allocate learning’ tool allows you to build full learning plans in one go, assigning courses and programs, from both our core catalogue and your custom materials. These items can be assigned individual due dates to distribute learning throughout the year.

Track progress

It’s important to review your learner’s progress and if necessary, adjust their learning plans to ensure they stay on track to achieving their goals.

Again, you can review course completions through reports on the Development Zone. However, encouraging learners to make the most of the reflection statements in their CPD records is also a great way to assess if the activity has met their learning needs or highlight areas that may need further work. This can form the basis for conversations around development in one-to-one sessions and inform changes or additions to their learning as they advance.

Get in touch!

If you would like any advice or support in building learning plans or creating custom content, please get in touch with our support team. Email: devzone@ukgigroup.com OR Call: 01495 708 037

Find out more about the Development Zone

If you would like to find out more about the Development Zone or sign up for a Demo and free 14-day free trial, visit Free Trial | The Aviva Development Zone (mydevelopment.zone)

About the author

Chloe joined us in 2020, having graduated with a 2:1 in Graphic Communication from the University of South Wales. 

Chloe started with the team working as a Design and Content Assistant, creating engaging e-learning materials and marketing content, before moving into her current role. Currently, she works across all elements of the client experience and utilises her knowledge of the Development Zone platform, to ensure users can get the most out of their e-learning journey.

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