How to Design an Effective Learning Path

Imagine driving to an important destination for the first time. You could ask for directions and hope you eventually get there, but let’s be honest, who has time for that? Thankfully, with a GPS, the whole route is mapped out—no wrong turns, efficient fuel use, and less time spent on the road.

In the workplace, skill development is no different. Without a clear roadmap, the journey can become chaotic, and employees may struggle to figure out where to start or what direction to take next. That’s where learning paths come in, acting as a GPS that guides them efficiently toward their development goals.

What is a learning path?

A learning path, sometimes referred to as a learning pathway, provides a step-by-step guide that helps employees build skills and knowledge in a logical, progressive order. It typically consists of a mix of courses or training modules, carefully curated to guide learners through a structured sequence.

But what’s the purpose of spending time designing such journeys?

Rather than overwhelming learners with too much information at once or leaving them to figure things out on their own, learning paths break down complex skill sets into manageable stages. Each step builds on the previous one, allowing employees to develop their expertise gradually, with a clear sense of direction.

Training your employees in such a way can lead to what every learning and development (L&D) pro is looking to achieve:

• Better alignment: Learning paths can be customized to align with your organization’s goals, ensuring that employees are developing the exact skills needed to support business objectives.
• Better engagement: Employees are more motivated when they have a clear, structured path to follow. Knowing their next steps and tracking progress increases engagement and the likelihood of completing their training.
• Better performance: A well-designed learning path helps employees close skill gaps more efficiently, leading to stronger job performance and better preparation for future challenges.

How to build effective learning paths for your employees

So, what makes a learning path truly effective? And what’s the step-by-step process for designing one that works?

While there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for a learning path—since every learner’s journey is unique—the most successful ones tend to share five key features:

• Tailored to individual roles and learning needs: Like any personalized learning strategy, learning pathways should be designed around the specific job roles and learning needs of the individual or team.
• Clear objectives: Your learning path should clearly state what learners will achieve by the end. Is the goal to onboard new employees successfully? Or perhaps to master a specific skill set that drives key business outcomes? Defining clear goals makes it easier to align learning activities and track progress.
• Focus on one skill or set of related skills at a time: The purpose of a learning path is to build skills and knowledge progressively. Mixing too many unrelated topics can distract learners and pull them away from the primary goal. A focused path allows learners to develop one skill or a set of related skills at a time, ensuring steady, manageable progress.
• Easy to digest: While the length of a learning path might vary depending on your goals, it’s important to break the content into bite-sized chunks. Using microlearning content helps reduce the perceived workload, keeping learners from feeling overwhelmed.
• Motivating and rewarding: To keep learners engaged, it's crucial to motivate them along the way. Gamification features like badges, coins, and status tiers can help boost engagement as employees progress through the path. Additionally, offering rewards—whether it’s a certificate of completion or a custom incentive—will give them a clear reason to reach the finish line.

With those key features in mind, let’s explore the steps to creating an effective learning path—and even better, how you can do it for free using the GoSkills learning management system (LMS).

5 steps in designing an effective learning path

As with designing any course, creating a learning path requires strategic planning. The following five steps are key to ensuring its effectiveness:

1. Conduct a training needs analysis
2. Define the learning objectives
3. Sequence courses for a logical flow
4. Set due dates for completion
5. Personalize the learning experience

1. Conduct a training needs analysis

Who are your learners? What skills do they currently possess, and which ones do they need to develop? If these questions sound familiar, that’s a good sign! A training needs analysis is the foundation of every successful course, and it’s just as crucial when designing a learning path. These questions help you pinpoint the gaps between where your learners are now and where they want to be. With this clarity, you’ll be ready for the next step: defining the learning objectives.

2. Define the learning objectives

Learning objectives set the scope for the learning path and give learners a clear understanding of what they’ll achieve by the end. This clarity can be a big motivator, helping them stay focused and committed throughout their journey. Just like when creating objectives for a course, you can use frameworks like Bloom’s Taxonomy to define objectives for your learning path.

Make sure your objectives are specific, measurable, and aligned with both learners’ needs and your organization’s goals. For example, if your learning path is designed to improve financial literacy in the workplace, an objective might be:

• “By the end of this path, employees will be able to analyze a company's financial statements and identify areas for cost savings.”

For example, if you’re using the GoSkills course builder to create your learning path, the first step would be to set the title and add an overview where you can clearly define the learning objectives.

3. Sequence courses for a logical flow

Now comes the fun part! Organize the necessary skills and knowledge into a logical sequence that guides learners from foundational concepts to more advanced ones. This approach helps learners gradually build their understanding.

For example, learners may need to complete a basic course before tackling an advanced one or master one subject before moving on to another. With GoSkills Learning Paths, you can easily include courses from the GoSkills course library or your custom training library—courses you’ve created using the Course Builder.

In the Essential Office Tools learning path example, shown in the image above, we want to include the following courses:

• Microsoft Excel 365 - Basic & Advanced
• Introduction to PowerPoint
• Microsoft Outlook 365

To do this, simply click on Add courses and select the desired courses.

Locking courses until prior ones are completed can be an effective way to maintain this flow, guiding learners through a progressive learning journey.

4. Set due dates for completion

In workplace settings, where competing priorities can easily distract from training, setting due dates for completing courses or learning paths can be especially effective. Due dates create a sense of urgency and accountability, helping learners manage their time and increasing the likelihood of course completion.

Automated reminders or notifications can further support this by keeping learners aware of upcoming deadlines and encouraging them to stay engaged throughout their learning journey.

5. Personalize the learning experience

When designing a learning path, consider ways to tailor the experience to meet the varied needs and interests of your learners. This could include offering optional courses that align with different career goals or skill levels, allowing learners to explore topics that interest them while still following a structured core path.

You can also provide access to extra resources, such as case studies, tutorials, or related articles, to deepen learners’ understanding. With the GoSkills course builder, you can create various types of courses, like resource-based or single-lesson courses, which are ideal for adding these materials as part of your learning path.

This level of personalization keeps the learning path engaging and relevant, ensuring it not only meets organizational goals but also resonates with individual learner needs.

Want to see learning paths on GoSkills in action? Check out this step-by-step tutorial by Missi from our support team.

Learning paths examples

So far, we’ve focused on learning paths for employee training, but they can be just as valuable for other stakeholders in your organization, such as partners and customers. A well-designed learning path offers structured guidance, helping each group reach specific goals—whether it’s enhancing job performance, deepening their understanding of your products, or strengthening collaboration. Here are some examples of how learning paths can be applied effectively.

1. Learning paths for employees

Learning paths for employees often focus on onboarding, upskilling, or reskilling, ensuring that employees have the resources they need to enhance skills, knowledge, and productivity within their roles. Here are a few examples:

• Onboarding path: This guides new hires through key training modules, such as company policies, product knowledge, and essential workplace skills. It could also include courses on cybersecurity basics and workplace safety. The GoSkills course template gallery offers ready-made courses on these topics, making it easy to set up a comprehensive onboarding experience.
• Leadership development path: Designed for both current and aspiring managers, this path might include leadership and management courses that focus on essential skills such as communication, team management, conflict resolution, and strategic planning.
• Technical skills path: This can benefit a wide range of employees by helping them master essential tools and software. It could include courses like Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, or project management basics to build foundational skills. For more advanced learning, consider adding courses in Python, SQL, or data visualization to develop deeper technical expertise.

2. Learning paths for partners

Learning paths for partners are a great way to ensure that your external partners, such as vendors, distributors, or resellers, are aligned with your business processes and understand your products or services. This can lead to stronger partnerships and better outcomes for both parties. Examples include:

• Product training path: A path that equips partners with in-depth knowledge of your products, helping them better promote and support these offerings. This might include product demos, use cases, and troubleshooting guides.
• Sales enablement path: Focused on training partners to sell your products or services effectively. It might include courses on sales techniques, competitive positioning, and how to address customer objections.
• Compliance and legal path: Ensures that partners understand relevant industry regulations, compliance requirements, and your organization’s legal standards. This can help mitigate risks and ensure consistent practices across partnerships.

3. Learning paths for customers

Learning paths for customers can be an effective way to support customer success and increase engagement with your products or services. They help customers get the most out of what you offer and can enhance their overall experience. Examples include:

• Product onboarding path: A step-by-step guide that helps new customers get started with your product, from basic setup to more advanced features. This can include video tutorials, FAQs, and interactive walkthroughs.
• Advanced user path: For customers who want to become power users, this path could cover deeper functionalities, customization options, and best practices. It helps them gain mastery and make the most out of your product.
• Industry-specific training path: Tailored to the unique needs of customers in specific industries, this path could include courses on industry trends, best practices, and how your product solves particular challenges within their sector.

Getting to that final destination

Just like a reliable GPS, a well-designed learning path ensures that no one in your organization is left wandering in their development journey. It offers clear directions, highlights key milestones, and keeps learners on track—whether they're employees building new skills, partners getting up to speed, or customers exploring your products.

With a thoughtful approach and an intuitive tool like the GoSkills course builder, you can guide everyone in your organization—from employees to customers—toward their goals, making the journey as smooth and efficient as possible. Why leave development to chance when you can provide a roadmap to success? Create a free account on GoSkills and start building that path today!

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