A rich, engaging, and effective onboarding experience requires an intentional approach that moves well beyond checklists, rote tasks, and generic information dumps. Modern onboarding programs not only teach a new employee the basics, they foster connection, collaboration, and community through holistic, highly interactive, and immersive periods of engagement that start on (or even before) a worker’s very first day.

In an ongoing series, we will explore onboarding initiatives centered around the six key pillars of learning on NovoEd: Practice & Application, Discussion & Feedback, Mentors & Managers, Effective Facilitation, Team-Based Learning, and Curated & Goal-Aligned Content.

We’ll start with the Practice & Application pillar, a cornerstone of cohort-based learning and an essential component of NovoEd’s collaborative learning platform.

How Practice & Application Help New Employees Connect to Their Organization

Practice is the act of improving performance through applying new knowledge to a mindset or behavior intentionally.
Application makes practice meaningful. It is the transfer of new knowledge into authentic, real-world situations.

At the heart and center of impactful learning are practice & application. With opportunities for practice & application, professionals are more likely to develop deep learning and long-term retention of skills and knowledge, including the breadth of information a new employee garners in their first several months of joining an organization.

Learning activities that change mindsets and behaviors close the gap between online learning and on-the-job performance. When learners are engaged with opportunities to learn in the context of work through individual and team projects that can include video practice, role play, presentations, and more collaborative learning activities, opportunities for practice & application of newly acquired knowledge and skills become abundant.

The opportunity to engage with content beyond the initial exposure is a key benefit of practice in a learning environment. Learning happens at a deeper level when the concept is practiced and explored with revision and exposure to other colleagues’ work. Application is the process for that practice to occur and serves to confirm the mastery of a topic/subject within the learning environment.

Practice & application turn learning into real, relevant, and resonant learning experiences that help an employee feel connected to their roles, colleagues, and organizations from the start. Social and collaborative learning platforms offer organizations the ability to structure a comprehensive, multilayered virtual onboarding experience that incorporates elements of in-person onboarding, such as coaching; peer-to-peer practice; team experiences; engagement with mentors, managers, and business leaders; learning in the context of work; formal and informal feedback; and more.

NovoEd analyzed and compiled years of experience with best-in-class programs into a format you can quickly reference as you design your learning experiences. Take these ideas and best practices to incorporate into your current programs or use as inspiration for new activities, new ways to engage your audience with learning, or as an alternative to traditional methods.

Ideas for Onboarding Program Activities That Effectively Incorporate Practice & Application

NovoEd profile completion activity
An “Introduce Yourself” activity (with images, stories, PowerPoint, video, etc.)
Scavenger hunt for resources
Do a sales pitch of the company vision (“Elevator Pitch”)
Start a conversation with people in your role or on a different team (“Coffee Chat”)
Reflect on what you learned during your Coffee Chat
In-video quizzes
Record a video for the next cohort of new employees (“What I Wish I Knew”)
Meet with supervisor/teammates for how to plan your career — and report back
Shadow a peer’s project and reflect on what you learned
Create a glossary of role- or company-specific terms
Make a connection to a core company value and a incorporate a photo of how it manifests
Describe what other departments do
Describe how your role interacts with other units or departments
Take a picture of your work-from-home space
Interview your manager