To understand the Axis Academy Social Learning Platform, let’s take an example of a self-directed learner in an informal setting who wants to learn how to play the guitar. There are many online resources such as Wikipedia and YouTube to begin learning the basic guitar cords. She may download apps or try Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and decide whether she needs formal instruction. In this process the learner reflects on her own learning to make the next decisions. This next decision may or may not be to enter into a formal training program, but it’s most definitely not going to lead to a decision of taking a single class and expecting to perform in a concert the next week.

One avenue that our learner can explore is to join a group of people who are also beginning to learn a new instrument. In doing this, she can learn alongside her peers, get real-time feedback, and ultimately master her instrument more quickly. When she is in a social environment and comfortable with the people around her, she is free to learn at her own pace, but incentivized by friendly competition to learn quickly. If we were to introduce a few master musicians into her social group, she would learn even faster having high-level resources to tap into.

This is exactly the approach we take with the Axis Academy's Social Learning Platform. The Platform is designed based on combining application of concepts with practical, real-world experiences. With the Axis Academy Platform, learners will be able to connect with other members of the community and freely explore their data. Sharing ideas and questions will be encouraged by both peers and mentors on the Platform.

Learners need to trust a source of truth, which is why eMentors will coordinate and moderate community discussion boards, as well as participate in conversations and validate answers. Learners know where to start since they always have a trusted advisor available to them. Having multiple ways of interactive communication with mentors (eMentors and onsite mentors), who have access to repositories of knowledge from Axis Group’s 20+ years of data and analytics work, saves time and build confidence in experimenting.

While the components that make up the Axis Academy Social Learning Platform are nothing new, the advantage is in bringing all the required pieces together to build a complete Data Literacy program. Focusing on one or two components does not make an organization Data Literate; all of the components are required.