Online training is booming! Expanding from simple text-based courses to an industry focused on interactivity and learners’ engagement the eLearning market is expected to exceed $240 billion by 2023. In line with this, here are some of the trends we think could mark 2018.
Really effective mobile learning
The smartphone is part of the daily lives of more than half of the humanity, and this omnipresent object has evolved at lightning speed in recent years. More powerful (in speed or storage capacity) and more ergonomic (larger touch screens, better resolution, etc.), this “personal computer” represents now an important training medium (for content that renders itself better for this type of format).
Being perfectly adapted to micro-learning – short informative video sessions, quizzes, or gamified content – mobile learning should continue to rise throughout 2018.
Keeping an eye on:
- Content explicitly designed for mobile learning.
- Authoring tools offering more options for mobile content.
- More and more diverse and fun content.
More affordable virtual and augmented reality tools
Not so long ago mostly linked to sci-fi, Virtual and Augmented Reality is now part of the arsenal that many advanced industries use to train their workers. Since the equipment required for these technologies (goggles, helmets, gloves) will become more affordable, companies are more likely to leverage this tools for their training programs.
The virtual environment lends itself well to the integration of gamified elements, and we can expect a rise in the use of this medium, in training programs.
Keeping an eye on:
- The adoption of virtual and augmented reality to more and more diversified industries where practice, exposure to varied situations and rapid decision-making prove crucial.
- Training tools using this technology becoming more diversified and refined.
Interactive videos
The popularity of online video continues its phenomenal growth; as a result, this medium is expected to generate 80% of web traffic by the end of the year.
In eLearning, the interactive possibilities of video are unfolding, be it through captivating examples that combine scenarios with questions, snippets that include different calls to action, or different exercises.
The widespread use of smartphones and social networks has also allowed the rise of new ways of knowledge diffusion through video. For example, explanatory videos of different operations could be pushed to any mobile device in the range of a specific machine, through a Wi-Fi.
Keeping an eye on:
- More effective video content presentations: shorter, more captivating videos, better integrated into the whole training program, etc.
- Design of complementary tools that highlight the interactive possibilities of video.
High Tech Customized Training: Adaptive Learning
Improvements in artificial intelligence and the rise of big data are giving a second boost to the personalized training through adaptive approaches.
While “first-generation” personalized training focused on what the learner should learn, the adaptive learning helps them achieve their goals by focusing on less mastered content, adapting it accordingly.
Keeping an eye on:
- Designing more sophisticated tests to identify properly the profile and needs of learners.
- Development of increasingly refined data analysis methods to produce evaluations, keeping the pace with this type of training.
The death of “Death by PowerPoint”
One can always hope…
To be effective, online training must at least be designed with a proven pedagogical approach and engage the learner. For the latter, specific ingredients are critical, in particular, interactive learning support that could favor the trainer-learner and learner-learner exchanges. Moreover, an online course could link several media by improving the strengths of each one, creating an engaging, personalized education.
In this era when we are all connected to our mega sophisticated devices, where virtual reality and gamification are revolutionizing online training, creating boring slides in PowerPoint and copy-pasting them online is probably not the best way to create a proper learning medium.
