Nano learning and blended learning are now accepted forms of continuing professional education, thanks to
That means a new offering from the
The revised standards will provide “for one-fifth (0.2) of a CPE credit for nano learning, and the ability to award one-fifth (0.2) of a CPE credit for programs using other delivery methods after a minimum amount of credit has been awarded,” according to the AICPA. “Additionally, (the standards) revise the definitions of group live and group Internet-based programs to focus the definitions from how the content is delivered by the instructor to how the content is received by the participants.”
“Boards of Accountancy, CPAs, and CPE providers have recognized the need for CPE to continue to evolve to keep pace with current learning models,” said Maria Caldwell, NASBA’s chief legal officer and director of compliance services. “The addition of nano learning and blended learning delivery methods is representative of that effort.”
The MACPA’s
The effectiveness of the AOAF model—short videos followed by exercises that teach you to apply what you’ve learned to what you do—is backed by science.
“In 1885, a German psychologist named Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted a study about memory called ‘Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology,’”
Beyond that, Shriar writes, nano learning helps increase employee engagement, helps create a culture of continuous learning, and is easy to update with the latest information.
The MACPA and the BLI have pioneered new methods of learning for more than a decade, starting in 1999 with the association’s “
The MACPA and the BLI continue to work to transform learning in five key ways:
1. Social: We have been using Twitter hashtags for several years to supplement learning at conferences. We are now exploring more formal ways of capturing and documenting this learning (see
2. Mobile/nano, or “Just When You Need It” learning: The MACPA and the BLI are working on an innovative learning system called “Wise,” which uses social media to track and report nano or micro learning from Twitter and LinkedIn.
3. The cloud: The AICPA Navigator learning management system allows us to offer what we call “the four Cs of talent development”—competencies, career path, and a curriculum on a cloud-based learning platform. The LMS allows firms and companies to move their talent development to a strategic and systematic approach.
4. Collaboration: The MACPA’s “Management By Sticky Notes” process, the Conferences.io audience participation tool, and the ThinkTank Collaboration platform are highly engaging ways of increasing learning through involvement (see Hood’s article, “
5. Competency-based learning: With our
Advances in technology and learning are coming together to truly transform what and how we learn. As Hood says, “In a world of rapid change and increasing complexity, the winners will be those who can keep their L>C. That is, their rate of learning greater must be greater than the rate of change and greater than the rate of their competition."
Bill Sheridan is the electronic communications manager and editor at
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