“The future of work” has become one of those buzzwords that sounds exciting but is quite hard to pin down. AI, automation, data and digital transformation seem to be cropping up everywhere, but they all present a slighting different hoop for teams (and your workplace training) to jump through.
So how do you know who’s ready, who’s unsure, and who still needs to call IT every time they change their password? That’s where Assessment for Learning (AfL) comes in. It’s a term I’ve borrowed from my days teaching in the classroom, but it’s definitely applicable to the workplace too.
AfL isn’t about catching people out or making them raise their hands during cringe-worthy pop quizzes. It’s about gathering useful, low-pressure insights into where your team stands right now, so you can spend your time, energy and budget wisely.
AfL Strategies Worth Stealing
Here are a few AfL strategies worth stealing (lovingly, of course) from the classroom:
Low-Stakes Quizzes
What it is:
A short, no-pressure quiz to test basic understanding. For example, five quick questions on AI concepts or data privacy dos and don’ts. This could be as simple as a Google form sent via email.
Why it works:
People are more honest when they know there’s nothing riding on the results. It’s also easy to spot patterns and common misconceptions, so you know where your budget can be spent most effectively.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Quick and scalable | Only tests knowledge, not confidence or attitudes |
| Anonymity makes it feel safe | Dry and uninspiring - not the best start to any workplace training |
| The same quiz can be used after training to measure impact | Dependent on busy people actually submitting the quiz |
KWL Grids (Know / Want to Know / Learned)
What it is:
A simple three-column tool: What do you know already? What do you want to know? What have you learned from the training? If you have a communal space, stick it on the wall with some marker pens. Otherwise, Padlet works well as a digital representation.
Why it works:
It’s reflective and personal. It fosters curiosity from the offset and builds confidence if learners are able to identify some things that they already know about a new skill.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Encourages ownership of learning | Works best in-person, within a team environment |
| Promotes curiosity about a new subject | Requires follow-up (the L column is often forgotten) |
| Collaborative approach to learning (whilst no one in your team will know everything, the K column often shows how strong your starting point is as a team) |
Informal Chats
What it is:
The water cooler moment: have an open chat with team members. Ask how they feel about AI, data, or the digital skills they think they’ll need.
Why it works:
Not everything shows up in a quiz. Confidence, curiosity, and fear are often hidden under the surface, and a casual chat can bring them out.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Builds trust | Time-consuming |
| Uncovers attitudes, not just knowledge | Hard to scale without structure |
| Great for spotting early-adopters (and potential blockers) |
Cold Tasks
What it is:
Give people a challenge before any formal training. For example: “Use a chatbot to draft an email to a client” or “Interpret this dataset”. You might ask them to explain how they went about it too, or what prevented them from completing it.
Why it works:
It shows what people can do, not just what they think they know. It’s also a fun way to surface natural problem-solvers.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| People are more likely to engage with a practical task that they can see linking to their current role. | Some may feel exposed or disillusioned if not set-up in a low stakes environment. |
| Highlights hidden soft skills: problem-solving, curiosity, resilience. | Needs thoughtful debriefing that highlights strengths in all attempts. |
| Could be sent ahead of a workshop |
The Bottom Line?
You can’t plan for the future if you don’t know where you’re starting from. AfL strategies help you tune into the current reality, not just the best-case scenario. It’s good to be excited about the future of work, but it’s important to have a clear picture of the present before jumping in head-first.
Our platform’s chatbot, Dotly, allows your employees to chat about their existing knowledge before choosing the right learning journey for them. Our workshops are also tailored specifically to your workplace, building data and AI confident teams, no matter your starting point.