We have learned through our research in ETE that one element that greatly enhances the participant experience for training courses is being part of a constant cohort.
Often informal teams are created without structure, planning or oversight. They are built simply through a set of individuals, signing up to experience something they are interested in, as it turns out – together. Diversity has the potential to greatly influence the cohesion and value driven by a cohort of this nature. Thus, it can provide a different perspective, share experience and skillsets and fairly swiftly evolve a group of people into a state of teaming. This bond encourages strong engagement with the course content, better use of learning back in real life, and the creation or development of a network. Unfortunately, running training through cohorts in person is expensive, time-consuming and relies on high-quality facilitation. It is not for every situation but can make a significant difference when used well.
If you have interest in this theme, see the following TED Talk about Teaming and keep updated to find out soon about the ETEE project results!
