If you influence, or are responsible for learning and development in your organisation, you may want to keep an eye on the eLearning trends that are likely to make an impact in 2017.
We’ve also designed a handy 10 eLearning Trends for 2017 infographic for you that also shows whether each trend predicted is a design or tech trend, and a rating in terms of affordability.
1. Microlearning
There is constant pressure in eLearning to do things quicker and shorter, but there is also limit to how far you can push that in the context of learning. Typically online learning courses are delivered in one complete scorm module. Microlearning goes against this, it isn’t however just very short learning, but a longer course broken into chunks or shorter sessions, typically less than 5 minutes. As online learning courses develop, we can expect to see more microlearning over time with one learning outcome per activity and linked typically to a pathway in a coherent way.
2: Interactive Video
Interactive video is more popular than ever and when applied well in eLearning it has great benefits for learners. However, video is changing and becoming interactive. The use of interactive video is a great way for a user to learn and reflect on learning content, and we can expect to see more of this.
3: Games and Gamification
This trend has made the shortlist again as it is still yet again, an emerging theme. Like most new trends, this one has been slow to adopt, with cost playing a big factor in that part as adding these elements can be a costly approach, but illustrations can be a lot more affordable.
Gamification is adding game-like elements to learning, things like points, badges and challenges to the content to increase motivation and encourage completion. As we get to understand games and gamification, you can assume to see more of these elements appearing in content as it is a great way of learning.
4: Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
This is one of the hottest topics at the moment, just look at the Pokemon Go craze! Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are two technologies which are rapidly changing. Many organisations are adopting these technologies, in particular, virtual reality to facilitate the creation of real-life scenarios to create an immersive experience for the learner as they interact with the digital environment.
We are already seeing green shoots of this emerging trend, right here on our own doorstep, pupils from Pupils at Edmund Rice College near Belfast are one of the first schools in Northern Ireland taking part in a Google project to bring VR to one million pupils across the UK. Although you can pick up a VR headset at a relatively cheap cost, the actual expense is in the designing and building of the content.
5: Responsive Design
Responsive design has largely been driven by the uptake of the mobile device. Client organisations are increasingly asking for content that works across all mobile devices. To solve the multi-device issue eLearning is doing what most websites have already done….gone responsive. Responsive design is an approach to ensure that we can have the same content on all our devices and demand for this is only set to grow.
6: Adaptive and Personalised
Personalised learning has proven that learning outcomes are improved when applied. Adaptive and personalised learning makes content dynamic and interactive, placing the student at the centre of his or her individual learning experience, whilst the platform uses data and analytics to continuously updated the learning pathway by adapting the content in real time. As more research is done on this type of instructional strategy, more of this approach is likely to be adopted.
7: Brain-Friendly
There is a lot more research emerging about how our brain actually works and how it processes information. Instructional Designers and learning experts now applying this neuroscience evidence and applying these ‘brain-friendly’ principles and approaches to design learning.
8: Learning Analytics
As more and more learning activities are taking place digitally, more data is being gathered about learner progress. The growing interest in learning analytics reflects wider interests in ‘Big Data’ a trend that has been popping up for the past few years. Learning analytics will play an increasingly bigger part to support learners as there will be the opportunities to be more evidence-based in how we support learners.
9: Learning Experience Design
Organisations are now acknowledging something that Instructional Designers have known for quite some time that design thinking can positively impact workplace learning. Learning experience design has been on the radar for some time now, but over the next year, we can expect to see more organisations integrating learning across all disciples and job functions.
10: Articulate 360
The authoring tool, Articulate released Articulate 360, a brand-new subscription offering that provides everything required to develop an eLearning course. As we increasingly see more and more organisations developing their own eLearning in-house, course creators using Articulate 360 will have everything they need in one place to create eLearning quickly and easily.
So what do you think will be big in 2017?
