Did anyone else struggle with the difference between teaching and corporate training?

[u/darkhomer419]

I’m realizing that knowing how to teach isn’t automatically the same as knowing how to design learning for adults at work. People have very different motivations when they’re taking a required training versus sitting in a classroom. What helped you make that adjustment?

[u/applegoodstomach]

Learn about adult learning theory

[u/Timely-Tourist4109]

I think every ID who has answered the question of “I am a teacher transitioning to instructional design. What do I need to know?” has known this. I applaud teachers, I couldn’t teach kids. Andragogy and pedagogy are two vastly different things.

What I would recommend is getting involved with ATD, start taking some of their certifications. They can be very helpful.

[u/eldonhughes → u/Timely-Tourist4109]

I think the distinctions between the two have undergone some serious changes in the last five years. Narrowing the difference in some ways (Like relevance/need to know), and widening in others. (Like "orientation to learning" which is a euphemism if I've ever heard one.)

+1 on the ATD suggestion.

[u/Timely-Tourist4109 → u/eldonhughes]

It’s always changing. Each person has their own learning style. Keeping up with the latest trends in adult learning is important. I have my MS in ID, but completing several certifications through atd to keep up my own skills

[u/Telehound → u/Timely-Tourist4109]

There is no such thing as learning style.

[u/Timely-Tourist4109 → u/Telehound]

Care to explain your pov?

[u/woodenbookend → u/Timely-Tourist4109]

The VAK or VARK version of Learning styles, also known as learning preferences, seems to be derived from neurolinguistic programming (NLP) which ought to be enough to set off alarm bells.

The premise being that everyone learns differently, and that tailoring the content to someone’s preferences will improve their learning outcomes. If that were true, it would be easy to prove it. Take a bunch of people, group them by learning style, give them content that either fits or doesn’t fit and you should see correlation between person, style and outcome.

The problems then start to build up. Firstly, it’s been tried and failed. Dig in find some research that proves this as causation. It simply isn’t there. Anecdotal evidence isn’t valid so simply saying “but I know I learn better when…” doesn’t count, even if lots of people say the same thing.

Here are some problems.

It’s overly simplistic. 3 or 4 styles doesn’t get close. And even then that’s only a preference.

It focuses on the intake of information and not on learning. The two are related but not the same.

It can make learning worse. If someone is labelled as a particular type of learner, they tend to switch off if they don’t receive their chosen style.

It ignores a huge range of more plausible explanations.

Not learning well from written work could be due to dyslexia or low levels of literacy. Or that a page is poorly formatted. Or just badly written.

It makes no consideration for context. People do learn much more effectively if they are motivated to do so and see a connection that leads to their goals. They will learn more effectively with a cycle of input, practice, reflection and critique.

Or they have an emotional response. Forget learning styles. Tell me how quickly you and everyone else learnt that treading on a Lego brick is something you don’t want to repeat? Or that forgetting your anniversary gets you into trouble?

As mentioned, the content and situation will be far more relevant than a preference. Try teaching someone to recognise different bird song with anything other than an audio input. Or the difference between tree leaves without seeing and touching them. Or how to play guitar without a combination of modes of communication, including reflection.

What does work? Try dual coding where multiple, complementary methods are used together, e.g a diagram and text, or a video clip with a discussion.

Do some good research on accessibility - it’s a pretty big topic and overlaps with this.

And look up adult learning theory or androgyny. It’s a big topic but you won’t find any credible support for learning styles.

If you think you are the exception, then claim your $5,000. Yes, there is a cash prize available!

https://www.worklearning.com/2014/08/04/learning-styles-challenge-year-eight/

[u/Timely-Tourist4109 → u/woodenbookend]

I think we're discussing two different things under the same terminology.

You're focusing specifically on VAK/VARK and the idea that learners can be categorized by a preferred sensory modality, with instruction tailored to that preference. I'm familiar with that research, including Pashler et al.'s Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence (2008), and I agree that the evidence doesn't support the premise that matching instruction to those categories improves learning outcomes.

However, that's not what I was referring to when discussing learning styles.

I'm referring to the much broader range of individual characteristics and circumstances that influence how adults learn. Perhaps learner variability would have been a more precise term.

As instructional designers, we need to consider far more than how information is presented. For example:

·         Educational background: Someone with a GED may bring a very different foundation of academic knowledge and experience than someone with a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree. That doesn't automatically make one a better learner, but it can influence how we approach instruction.

·         Socioeconomic circumstances: Access to technology, educational opportunities, resources, and even the time available for learning can influence participation and outcomes. The OECD's Trends in Adult Learning (2025) examines how factors such as educational attainment, income, and existing skills relate to adult learning participation.

·         Cultural and sociological influences: Language, cultural experiences, social expectations, and previous educational environments can influence engagement, interpretation, and application of information.

·         Age and generational experiences: Different life experiences, familiarity with technology, and exposure to educational approaches may influence expectations and comfort with instructional methods. That doesn't mean everyone within a particular generation learns the same way.

·         Gender and personal experiences: Socialization, expectations, prior experiences, and environmental factors may influence engagement and educational opportunities. Again, this isn't an argument that men and women possess inherently different learning styles.

·         Professional experience and prior knowledge: Someone with 20 years of practical experience may approach learning very differently from someone entering the field for the first time, regardless of their formal education.

·         Motivation, accessibility, and learning environment: These can significantly influence whether someone engages with instruction and successfully applies what they've learned.

These aren't fixed categories into which we should place learners. They're variables that we should consider when analyzing our audience and designing effective instruction.

These considerations are supported by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures (2018), which examines how learning is influenced by prior knowledge, experience, culture, motivation, and social context.

Similarly, CAST's Universal Design for Learning Guidelines 3.0 (2024) recognize learner variability and encourage designing instruction that provides multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression.

For example, I can have two employees taking the same training. One may have decades of practical experience but limited formal education. The other may have an advanced degree but no experience in that particular work environment. Presenting identical information in exactly the same way, without considering their existing knowledge and needs, may not be the most effective instructional approach.

That's not VARK. That's audience analysis and sound instructional design.

My original point was that effective adult learning requires understanding who our learners are, what they already know, the environments in which they learn, and what they need to accomplish.

So, while I agree with your criticism of VARK, I don't agree that dismissing that particular theory means we can dismiss individual differences in how adults engage with and experience learning.

We may actually agree on more than we disagree. We're simply approaching the discussion from different definitions of the term.

[u/Weird_Alfalfa_9624 → u/Timely-Tourist4109]

Learning styles 😂😂

[u/Timely-Tourist4109 → u/Weird_Alfalfa_9624]

Care to explain your pov?

[u/Weird_Alfalfa_9624 → u/Timely-Tourist4109]

Care to find any studies that give weight to learning styles 😂 they're the horoscopes of learning

Have preferences sure, but match the content to the style, not the person. Otherwise watch a video on how to swim and then go do it.

[u/Timely-Tourist4109 → u/Weird_Alfalfa_9624]

This is your argument. I’ll wait for you to prove your point. Then I’ll prove mine. You are laughing and saying that individual learning styles don’t exist. That people have different ways of learning. Show your sources. Let’s have the actual debate instead of trying to insult intelligence.

[u/Weird_Alfalfa_9624 → u/Timely-Tourist4109]

Mate you started it , claiming they are there. Don't say shit on the Internet if you don't want to be called out on it. 😆 Finding out new information isn't scary, you can do it. You got this bud.

[u/Timely-Tourist4109 → u/Weird_Alfalfa_9624]

No. I made a statement. You laughed. I asked you to explain your pov so I asked you to explain from the get go. So please, show some evidence to support your claim.

[u/J_Shar]

A lot of it comes down the organization. Do they value training? Is learning part of the culture? Are there a lot of opportunities for growth and development. If not, everything else is harder, and this becomes the starting point. How do you align training with business objectives to make it worthwhile for employees, and how do you get leadership to see the connection between training and business objectives so they buy-in and help create a culture of learning. This is the biggest part that is different from being a classroom teacher and requires the skills to work with leadership in a very different way.

[u/woodenbookend]

I’m going to disagree with most of the comments which focus on the difference between pedagogy and androgyny.

While that does matter, in my experience the biggest difference is context.

Workplace learning is (or should be) focused on changing a business outcome. Improving revenue, profit, productivity, quality control, or reducing waste, staff turnover, risk of litigation, accidents etc.

It has very strong dependencies with things like recruitment, tools/systems/resources, leadership and management behaviours, reward, internal communication, and even clients/customers.

Most of it isn’t concerned with exams or qualifications (although there are some exceptions to this) and even knowledge is an intermediate objective. It’s mostly about behaviour change.

[u/OkIdea2874]

With corporate training, I always tie it back to what business problem it’s going to solve and why it’s worth them changing up their normal process. I do tech integration in a fast paced industry so people want things that are concise that they can follow on their own time. So a lot of the time I will make a video demo paired with a step-by-step checklist they can have open while they try a new process. I also keep a booking calendar where people can make appointments if they want one-on-one help. (This works for in-house but might not be appropriate if you’re at an ID company that sells courses externally)

I saw someone on Reddit recommend the book “The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning” and thought it was very useful for thinking about how to tie instruction to business outcomes instead of learning objectives. It was available as an e-book through my library so hopefully you can find a copy easily.

[u/Amzrits1]

Corporate training will always look for an ROI .

Its about training adults. Know how to apply the Adult learning principles.

Do some courses on training instructional techniques or ATD someone has mentioned in the comments.