Here we offer a guide to social learning, including a definition, its benefits, tips on how to facilitate it in the workplace, and elearning solutions to enable it at scale.
Article Contents
What is social learning?
Social learning is learning that happens through people – by observing, asking, sharing, discussing and solving problems together. In modern workplaces it appears as communities of practice, peer review, mentoring, collaborative projects, Q&A forums and real-time chat. Social learning complements formal training by capturing tacit know-how and spreading it quickly across teams.
Benefits for organisational performance
Examples of social learning
- Communities of practice: Open groups (e.g., data, product, compliance) sharing patterns, templates and “gotchas”.
- Peer review & galleries: Learners upload artefacts (call recordings, Figma files) for critique; top examples pinned.
- AMA with experts: Short live or async “ask-me-anything”; answers summarised and searchable.
- Mentoring & buddying: Time-boxed micro-mentoring aligned to onboarding or cohort programmes.
- Workplace Q&A: Upvoted questions with accepted answers to crowdsource fixes and capture tacit knowledge.
Using eLearning to enable social learning
Blend formal + social
Pair short modules with discussions, reflections and polls. Add a peer-feedback rubric so learners respond to one another with intent, not just “nice job”.
Cohort journeys
Run time-boxed programmes where learners submit artefacts, review peers and meet in small groups. Use light facilitation prompts and weekly “show-your-work” threads.
User-generated content (UGC)
Invite SMEs and high performers to record “how I do it” clips, screenshares and checklists; curate into playlists linked from SOPs and onboarding.
Integrate with flow of work
Surface communities and Q&A in Microsoft Teams/365 or Slack; mirror threads in your LMS/LXP so knowledge stays discoverable.
Tips on how to facilitate social learning
- Start where energy exists. Formalise active Teams/Slack channels with light rules and recognition.
- Give every programme a community. Add a space, reflection prompts and a simple peer-feedback rubric.
- Prime the pump with SMEs. Seed 10–15 “north-star” posts (templates, war stories, checklists).
- Make it safe. Publish etiquette; allow “draft” posts and anonymous questions where appropriate.
- Nudge, don’t nag. Weekly prompts, polls and shout-outs beat long announcements.
- Close the loop. Pin best answers; summarise threads into one-pagers; link from onboarding/SOPs.
- Measure what matters. Track time-to-answer, % issues solved by community posts and reuse of pinned items.
- Reward contribution. Recognise top helpers publicly; include community leadership in progression.
- Design for cohorts. Time-box into sprints with deliverables and peer interactions.
- Keep friction low. Single sign-on, mobile-friendly posts, and templates for “ask/answer/share”.
10 leading providers of social learning solutions
| Provider | Region | Type | Notable social features | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day One Technologies | UK | Bespoke eLearning & simulations | Scenario-based learning that prompts discussion, reflection and peer coaching; cohort-ready assets. | dayonetech.com |
| Aleido Learning UK (formerly Walkgrove) | UK | Custom learning & platform services | Campaign-style programmes, community enablement around courses, mentoring integrations. | aleido.com |
| Learning Pool | UK | LMS/LXP & content | Playlists, UGC, social feeds and gamification; analytics on engagement and knowledge reuse. | learningpool.com |
| Hive Learning | UK | Social learning platform | Nudges, sprints, peer discussion, action check-ins; strong mobile experience. | hivelearning.com |
| Filtered | UK | LXP / content intelligence | Curated playlists, sharing and communities of practice with content routing. | filtered.com |
| Degreed | US | Skills platform / LXP | Communities, pathways, UGC and social signals; skills data to surface peer-recommended learning. | degreed.com |
| Cornerstone (Connect/Galaxy) | US | Enterprise LMS/LXP | Social collaboration, knowledge sharing, communities and expert search. | cornerstoneondemand.com |
| NovoEd | US | Cohort-based learning | Peer review, artefact galleries, mentoring and team projects at scale. | novoed.com |
| Microsoft Viva Engage | US | Enterprise communities | Q&A with upvoting and best answers; communities integrated into Microsoft 365/Teams. | microsoft.com/viva/engage |
| 360Learning | Global | Collaborative LMS/LXP | Crowdsourced course creation, discussion threads, reactions and peer feedback. | 360learning.com |
FAQs
How is social learning different from traditional eLearning?
Traditional eLearning is largely self-paced content consumption. Social learning adds structured interaction—discussion, peer review, mentoring and shared artefacts—so people learn by doing and reflecting with others.
Which metrics should we track to prove impact?
Track time-to-answer in communities, percentage of issues solved by community posts, reuse of pinned items, participation in peer reviews and subsequent performance indicators (e.g., win rates, safety incidents, resolution times).
How do we encourage contributions from busy SMEs?
Make it easy (templates, quick screen-recorders), time-box expectations (e.g., 15-minute “office hours”), recognise contributions publicly and include community leadership in progression frameworks.
Do we need a new platform to start?
Not always. You can pilot with Microsoft Teams or Slack channels plus structured prompts and a simple rubric, then integrate with your LMS/LXP once behaviours are established.
If you’re looking to leverage social learning within your organisation, then we hope this article on what it is, how to do it well, and leading solution providers will prove helpful.
