The global e-learning market is anticipated to reach approximately $325 billion by 2025, demonstrating e-learning’s expanding usefulness to organizations of all kinds and sizes. As more organizations begin adopting e-learning technology, it gets less and less expensive, and demand for it continues to increase.
To meet the increasing demand for e-learning technology, innovators are creating and marketing different types of e-learning technology at rapid rates. This makes it difficult for organizations to sift through all the different technologies to determine what they really need at any given moment. Luckily, however, there are a few overarching trends you should be aware of for 2018 as you sift through e-learning technology options for your organization.
Here are the e-learning trends you need to know about in 2018.
Microlearning
Microlearning should be a part of a larger mobile and e-learning strategy. It entails delivering short bursts of learning on a more frequent basis. Learning content is typically fewer than 5 minutes in length and is designed to be memorable. Content consists of short videos, quick quizzes, and brief scenarios. Microlearning allows learners to examine information in smaller snippets that are spaced out from one lesson to the next. This can lead to better, long-term results and better employee engagement with training material. However, it should not be used on its own. Microlearning should be perceived as a bridge between more expansive learning and development (L&D) programs and as supporting employees’ performance inside the workflow of their everyday activities.
Content Curation
You should strive to create original training content that’s unique to your own organization. However, there will be times you may not have the bandwidth to create certain types of training material on your own. By curating learning content that covers standardized subjects such as regulatory trainings, general leadership and development skills, or professional certifications, you won’t have to continually start from scratch. With more general training content, you can curate content libraries inside your Learning Management System (LMS) of material that you can personalize and adapt to suit your organization’s needs instead of always having to start from scratch with every training program.
Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR)
While VR and AR have been on many e-learning trends lists in previous years, in 2018, businesses will finally be able to take full advantage of these technologies for their training programs. Using VR and AR has become much cheaper (you can get a headset for around $200 or less now) and more readily available (more vendors are offering headsets and developing software now than in previous years).
Instead of merely thinking about it, in 2018, employers will actually be able to place their trainees in simulated environments for training that is hands-on and free of hazards.
Look for more trends in Part 2 of this article, appearing in tomorrow’s Advisor.