From Connection to Culture: How CONNECT Shapes Meaningful Learning
- Lisa
- Oct 17
- 4 min read
Creating and maintaining a supportive learning culture is essential for any organization that values growth and engagement.
In the past, human connection happened naturally, in classroom training, shared experiences, and informal conversations over coffee. But as learning moves increasingly online, through e-learnings and virtual instructor-led sessions, that sense of togetherness can easily fade.
The good news is that this is not the end of the story. In educational research, a different future is taking shape, one that is far more human-centered, collaborative, and dynamic than most of us have experienced.
In 2024, a research was published, CONNECT: a framework to enhance student connection to their course content, peers, and teaching staff in online learning environments. While the study focused on nursing students, its principles can be applied far beyond education: to workplace learning, organizational culture, and leadership development.
CONNECT stands for:
Communication is Responsive and Supportive
Optimal Online Presence
Nurture Educational and Professional Growth
Networking Opportunities Fostered
Engaging Communities of Learning
Contemporary and Authentic Content
Timely and Effective Feedback for Learning
Each dimension offers practical inspiration for L&D teams and managers aiming to strengthen connections across regions, languages, or time zones.
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Communication is responsive & supportive.
In this research, the focus is on teachers responding promptly to emails. It emphasizes the importance of compassion and mutual respect.
When applying this to an organizational learning culture, the same principles apply. As the Learning Team, do you ensure that you are: 1. reachable, 2. responsive, and 3. operating from a place of mutual respect?
Is there a way for your employees to contact you with questions?
You could almost vouch for an online learning community manager!
Optimal Online Presence
Students are offered a wide range of tools to connect with peers, teachers and the learning content.
You can transfer this almost 1:1 to organisational development. The keyword is enablement. It’s not just about giving employees access to learning platforms; it’s also about fostering an environment where they can connect with their colleagues, their leaders, and the purpose behind their learning.
Could you provide scheduled asynchronous meetings to address questions and transform learning into a community experience?
Nurture Educational and Professional Growth
Real-life examples, high-quality learning materials, and working towards professional goals.
While written for nursing students, this also directly applies to organizational learning. The whole structure should be designed to interlock. Learning goals based on real life and professional growth, leading to learning materials followed up by assessments that help them showcase their personal professional growth.
Is your learning ecosystem designed to connect learning goals, real-world practice, and measurable growth?
Networking Opportunities Fostered
Facilitate orientation, online chatrooms with peers. Motivate them to network with industry experts and attend classroom training.
The same principle applies within organizations. By intentionally creating spaces for people to meet, share, and exchange ideas, learning becomes collective rather than individual. Encourage employees to join live sessions, attend masterclasses, or simply connect with colleagues across locations.
Do you offer networking opportunities or masterclasses?
Engaging Communities of Learning
In education, engagement thrives when learners feel guided, connected, and mentally stimulated — when there’s a balance between clear instruction, social interaction, and personal reflection.
The same is true in organizations. Designing an engaging learning ecosystem means thinking beyond courses. It’s about connecting people, context, and content through design that’s inclusive, interactive, and collaborative. When subject matter experts and learning designers co-create content, it becomes more relevant, accessible, and reflective of real-world challenges.
Contemporary and Authentic Content
Content is reviewed often and reflects industry trends. Learning materials and assessments also help students apply their knowledge to real-life.
The same applies to organizational learning. (E-)learning is not made to "set and forget" and should be reviewed often. If the student runs into outdated content, that is a huge demotivator.
Authenticity is equally important. Learning shouldn’t feel like an abstract exercise, but a reflection of real-world work. When learners are invited to apply new knowledge through realistic scenarios, on-the-job challenges, or collaborative projects, engagement naturally rises.
How do you encourage your learners to apply what they've learned?
How often do you review your content?
Timely and Effective Feedback for Learning
In education, feedback often comes in the form of returning grades. Giving the grades back in time with clear feedback was a great way to improve engagement.
The same principle holds true in organizational learning. Feedback that arrives too late to act on is a missed opportunity; feedback that’s timely, specific, and supportive builds momentum and confidence.
Part of learning culture design is feedback culture design. By creating space for both constructive feedback and commendation, you enable learners to understand where they can improve and what their strengths are.
Feedback shouldn't be a once-a-year must, but a continuous loop. Leaders and peers trained for effective delivery and what do do with feedback.
How often do you invite and encourage leaders to give feedback?
From Framework to Practice
The CONNECT framework shows us that effective learning isn’t just about delivering content; it’s about designing for connection. Whether in classrooms or corporate learning ecosystems, people thrive when they feel seen, supported, and part of something bigger.
By translating these six elements into organizational practice, we move from one-off courses to a strong learning culture rooted in continuous development. We design systems where communication is responsive, presence is intentional, growth is nurtured, networking is encouraged, communities are engaged, and content stays authentic and relevant.
At its core, this is what a human-centered learning culture looks like: one where people connect to learn, and learn to connect.
TLDR; Questions to ask yourself.
Is there a way for your employees to contact you with questions?
Could you provide scheduled asynchronous meetings to address questions and transform learning into a community experience?
Do you offer networking opportunities or masterclasses?
How do you encourage your learners to apply what they've learned?
How often do you review your content?
How often do you invite and encourage leaders to give feedback?
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