Uplimit’s mission is to deliver effective education at scale, and one way of doing that is via cohort-based learning. Research shows that cohort-based courses often have significantly higher completion rates; they can also strengthen learners’ soft skills and improve knowledge retention.
But not all cohort-based programs are created equal. They need to be intentionally designed to keep learners “in” the cohort—engaged in the community, invested in the learning experience, and on track to complete at the same pace as their peers. At Uplimit, we’ve run and supported hundreds of cohort-based courses. Along the way, we’ve identified five principles that lead to success:
Strike the right balance of live and asynchronous learning. Live sessions can be enormously beneficial as part of a cohort-based model. Meeting in real time helps learners connect, maintain motivation, and prioritize learning in their schedules. But it also has costs. If a program is over-reliant on live participation, scheduling conflicts can become a barrier that leads learners to fall behind or drop out. The key is to find a cadence of live sessions that works for your content and participants. This could be weekly check-ins, a single live meeting as a kick-off or close-out, no live content at all, or anything in between. Experiment with different models, and pivot if live sessions have low attendance or are becoming a major stressor for learners.
Create opportunities to practice. Real learning requires application, which means getting learners to practice is key. The form of practice can vary widely, from AI-powered role plays, to projects, to interactive exercises. But there are some general best practices program designers can keep in mind to ensure it’s effective. First, learners should receive immediate (or near-immediate) feedback, and should be encouraged to correct mistakes before moving on. Second, exercises should be scaffolded so learners have easy access to tips and support if they get stuck.
Provide support and accountability through personalized “nudges”. Even the most well-intentioned learner can lose motivation in a challenging course. Personalized nudges—which can be fully or semi-automated with the help of AI tools—help to prevent those slumps. Nudges can provide just-in-time hints for completing an assignment, encourage learners to take advantage of office hours and other ways to get support, or offer simple encouragement and a reminder that someone cares about their progress. They can even re-ground a learner in their goals and reasons for enrolling in a learning program in the first place.
Use structured peer interaction to create community. Research suggests that lack of social interaction is one of the biggest barriers to success in online learning. Adopting a cohort-based approach is a big step toward addressing this, but building a learning community still takes intentional effort. Consider incorporating structured peer assignment reviews and small-group discussions to get learners talking about the program content. Platforms like Slack or Teams can create additional structured space for peer-to-peer support.
Use a learning platform that makes the experience easy to follow. One of the challenges of a cohort-based model is keeping everyone on the same page and moving through the course at the same pace. Platforms specifically designed for cohort-based learning make this much easier. Look for a system that allows you to automate course communication, including updates and reminders, and that provides at-a-glance analytics on learner progress. Make sure the learner interface clearly identifies next steps, overdue work, and optional vs. required elements. These may seem like minor details, but at the end of the day they’re critical to keeping learners focused on what they came for—learning.
Join us on August 14th to get an inside look at how our platform delivers cohort learning with AI at scale. Plus, you'll hear directly from L&D visionaries like Jeanne Meister, Karie Willyerd, and Adrianna Alterman. The upskilling revolution is here, and you won't want to miss what's coming next.