Comcast Uses Mobile to Deepen Learning and Verify Skills

A mobile learning platform can deliver content; that’sobvious. But when Guy Sellwood, VP of Americas for Prosell Learning, was working with a team to designonboarding training for Comcast, he decided that just pushing content was notenough.

New sales hires at Comcast complete eLearning andparticipate in “ride-alongs,” where they shadow an experienced salesperson fora day. Sellwood sensed an opportunity. “How do you know what they learned?”Sellwood asked the managers.

“We don’t,” came the reply.

Sellwood’s team suggested using mobile devices to get thenew hires to reflect on what they had learned during the ride-along. “Wesuggested sending questions at the end of the day about key points they learnedon tools and products,” he said.

Comcast adopted the team’s ideas; now, each learner receivesprompts to answer open-ended questions at the end of a ride-along. Responsesare shared with the learner’s manager or coach. The questions accomplish twogoals: For one, they prompt the learners to reflect on their experience and digout the lessons they’ve learned. “We know that reflection turns into actions,”Sellwood said. The questioning also triggers a conversation, possibly via anLMS or on email, with a manager or mentor. These conversations createopportunities for additional coaching and learning, as well as providingreinforcement and feedback to the learner.

Sending questions via learners’ mobile devices was just thebeginning. “Obviously these guys have iPads,” Sellwood said. “The easy waywould be to push content. But we thought about other types of interactions andother tools, like the camera.” The team ultimately designed an onboardingpackage that included interactions using mobile devices, experientialactivities, and eLearning.

During their training, new hires attend a “boot camp.” Each learnerused to be asked to deliver a five-minute “history of Comcast” presentation onthe first day of the boot camp. “Can you imagine—20 people each giving a five-minutepresentation?” Sellwood asked. Instead, his team suggested, why not invite traineesto create videos using their tablet during their field training? Now, the newhires create short videos and share them with the others in their trainingcohort prior to the boot camp, which builds relationships and fosterscollaboration.

Using video, FaceTime, and other tools on the tablets hasopened up additional possibilities for moving learning out to the field. Forexample, Sellwood said, new engineers now take photos as they perform aninstallation process and run a speed test at the end of the installation. Theyshare these photos with a manager or supervisor who can check their work andprovide feedback. This moves “testing” and verification to the field, allowsnew hires to demonstrate their proficiency, and eliminates training that is farremoved from actual application of the needed skills.

The team has even implemented mobile-based learning toreplace promotion exams for Comcast engineers. An early implementation inFlorida, where many of the engineers use English as a second language (ESL),was warmly embraced by the engineers. “Engineers start as level 1, and to moveup to level 2, they had to pass an exam,” Sellwood explained. Now, theengineers demonstrate their expertise by taking photos and video as theyperform required procedures in the field.

“When Comcast presented this in Florida, they received astanding ovation,” Sellwood said. As ESL speakers, many of the engineers saidthey lacked confidence when taking exams in English—or they believed that theirpoor English masked their competence. They felt unable to demonstrate theirengineering skills, and they were struggling to earn promotions despite theirproficiency. With the new approach, they can show managers that they areskilled engineers by demonstrating their ability where it matters—on the job.

Learn more!

Do you want to learn more about accelerating learning usingmobile strategies? Guy Sellwood is presenting a session at FocusOn Learning 2017 Conference & Expo in San Diego, California, June 20 – 22:Using Mobile to Take the Classroom to the Field.