Looking on to the fast-paced changes in technology we need to look forward that which of the emerging innovations are most likely to lay an impact on the eLearning landscape.
E-learning is a global phenomenon which is set to grow year on year as more people are accessing the internet and connected devices.
Here are the some of the advanced trends that will drive e-learning in upcoming years:
1.Offline Enabled Mode
It’s true. Offline enabled mode of eLearning is not new, but still it in demand. In Africa, poor and no networks are yet primarily experienced by Internet users, subsequently user goes offline every other moment. As a result, a learning process is always disrupted, delayed or terminated.
Offline learning is making content available offline or setting-up content ahead of time when the internet connection is available.
2. Micro learning
Micro learning will be one of the biggest trend for the year 2018, it has become the buzzword in eLearning industry. Studies have displayed that human brain performs better with smaller piece of information as attention span of the healthy human is estimated maximum of 20 mins after that attention starts to droop. Hence,an ideal way to learn is by grasping information in small chunks at a time rather than 2 hours lectures.
Micro learning is a way of teaching and delivering content to learners in small, bite-sized chunks.It offers short burst of learning, typically comprising 3-5 minute videos, quick quizzes and short scenarios.
3. AR/VR
AR/VR is gaining popularity with online learning sphere and will be on trend list fornext couple of years. Augment reality and virtual reality are actually cutting edge technology which provides ability to learn in more engaging and interactive environment, thereby enhancing deeper learning.
AR/VRpromotes learning in simulated and immersive environment instead of watching videos about the scenarios.
4. Social and collaborative Learning
With the boom in Social Media and the urge for continually connecting with communities, social learning has become more than a jargon. As per the Social Learning theories “social learning is learning with and from others”. This can happen either with direct contact through face to face group discussions or online through various social media platforms.
Social learning fosters collaborative learning, all the communication and collaborative features like comments, posts, instant messaging, group discussion boards, forums, wikis, video chats and others make the learning experience live.
We expect the demand for collaborative learning platforms to increase further in 2018 and in the coming years.
5. Personalized/adaptive learning
Personalization is not new for eLearning sphere but still it has maintained its position in emerging trend list for the upcoming year.
The traditional approach of “One-size-fits-all” no longer applies. Every individual is different having diverse needs. Now, personalization is not justgiving one off course training but it is much more than that.
Personalized learning refers to creating learning journey for each and every individual. It’s all about customizing thetraining, curriculum and learning environments to meet the needs and learning styles of individual learners. Personalization provides learner the liberty to choose what, when and how to learn.
6. xAPI way to more open and flexible platform
eLearning industry is now looking for more open and flexible learning management systems rather than overly priced proprietary solutions. When talking about flexibility, xAPI is the solution that facilitates easy integration and reporting between various systems.
xAPI’s learning record store feature provides organizations more control on learning and enables tracking learning experiences, including traditional records, such as scores or completion. Also, tracks and records the learner activities like completing a task online, attending a live session, or conversation with the mentor.
Hence, we predict that xAPI will be the talk of the town for upcoming years.