Every year around this time, we discuss the eLearning trends for the next year. What’s hot? What’s not? What are we all going to be talking about next year?
These are the eLearning trends for 2018.
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VR/AR
While VR and AR have been talked about in recent years, we think the excitement will grow. As costs have come down, and the technology has improved, the old problems have been going away. The ability to learn while doing, virtually, is promising for millennials. Like gamification, it will take some time for these technologies to change from novelty to must have. Read more about VR and AR for training.
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Gamification
Gamification has been a talking point for a few years. Now continuing education and training providers are trying to motivate and engage millennial learners. Badges and leaderboards provide competition and excitement for a job well done. Game-based learning is also on the rise, as organizations seek to engage and challenge learners. Research shows that learners retain up to 9% more using game mechanics in courses. If you missed our recent webinar on this topic, check out the recording for great information on the use of story and games.
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Flexible LMS
The LMS is dead! No, it isn’t! Yes, it is! No, it isn’t, but it is changing. Thus, today organizations are putting together different kinds of systems to meet their learners needs. Now the LMS is only one piece in the puzzle of platforms designed to give learners and administrators the best experience possible. Therefore, an LMS needs to integrate with those systems, whether it’s an AMS or a webinar platform.
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xAPI
Speaking of flexibility, xAPI is an important part of that process. xAPI helps with integrations and reporting between various platforms. It gives organizations more control over the learning content too. With xAPI, administrators don’t need to worry about losing any data between platforms. For example, a learner can start a course in the LMS, continue on a mobile app, and then finish it on a tablet.
The Learning Record Store (LRS) is an important feature in xAPI. The LRS is meant to track activity both on and off the LMS. This way whether a learner completes a task online, attends a live session, or even has a conversation with a mentor or supervisor, the tasks can all be recorded as activity statements, and tracked. This is important since personalization is becoming more popular in L&D.
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Personalization
Personalization refers to career support and development, rather than just taking one off training courses. The key to personalization is creating a development plan or learning journey for each person. Competencies gauge what the learner already knows and what the learner needs to know to advance on their path. In addition, activities like meeting with their mentor, reading related articles, and completing in person tasks all need to be tracked within the LMS. As previously stated, xAPI is an important part of tracking offline activities.
The issue of how to share professional information across the organization creates a lot of discussion. Organizations ask whether they simply need a messaging system like Slack or Skype. Or does the LMS needs to integrate with social media? Should there be message boards or live group discussions in courses? The answer tends to be: all of the above. The LMS has shifted from the only tool an organization needs, to being a piece of the puzzle.
Microlearning is the industry buzzword that has everyone talking. In fact, some are stirring up trouble. For example, is this a technology feature or a means of teaching content? The industry definition is: microlearning is a way of teaching and delivering content to learners in small, bite-sized chunks. With attention spans getting shorter and people’s preference for video learning content, microlearning just makes sense. Studies show that learners retain more when they learn in bite-sized pieces. Learners can take a day long course. Or they can watch a five-minute video that teaches one or two things that they’ll remember. One thing is certain, however, microlearning will be everywhere as one of the biggest eLearning trends for 2018.
Did we miss any eLearning trends that you think are important?
Read more about eLearning trends:
Top 5 eLearning Trends Happening Now
eLearning Trends for 2015: Here to Stay or Go Away?
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