What are the trends most likely to mark 2020 in elearning? Here’s our top 10!

The learner in a different light

The perception of the learners and their relationship to learning and the teacher has changed significantly over the past few decades. This basic trend of putting the learner at the centre of learning has allowed other trends to emerge. This is particularly the case with Universal Design for Learning (see Creating inclusive online training courses: follow the guide!, Universal design for learning), which aims to include all learners by maximizing the chances of success for everyone and reducing inequalities along the way; social or collaborative learning, which recognizes and harnesses the importance of the social dimension in learning (see Does a sense of community matter in online training?); informal learning, which decompartmentalizes learning and relies on the recognition and spontaneous sharing of each individual’s personal experience (see 7 thoughts on informal learning and Informal Learning 101); and self-training, which relies on the motivating potential and the capacity of the individuals to become an agent, author and actor in their own learning project (see Self-training 101 and Self-Training: The Evolution of a Fundamental Concept).

Adapted learning methods

The adult learners of 2020 expect online training to meet their need for autonomy and flexibility. Perfectly in tune with these contemporary imperatives, microlearning and mobile learning are two learning modalities that continue to evolve and whose popularity will not wane in 2020 (see 4 reasons to opt for microlearning). Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) will also bring more personalized training. In its most high-tech version, this type of training offers learners a learning path that adapts in real time notably to their interests, needs, progress, in order to maximize their chances of achieving their goals (see Intelligent Adaptive Learning: Everyone’s Training! and Mini Glossary of Artificial Intelligence).

Content Curation

Content curation is basically collecting (searching and sorting) relevant information on a given topic on different web platforms in order to share it in an “editorialized” form. By “editorialized”, we mean: by enriching it with a title, a brief commentary, an in-depth point of view, etc., the information is made available to the public. This practice, which is becoming increasingly popular as a way of revitalising and complementing formal elearning, can be undertaken by the teacher or trainer, or by the learners themselves. The very process that underlies content curation — being able to find relevant information, sort it and put it into context — has pedagogical virtues in itself!

Live an immersive experience

The coming decade promises great technological transformations, and the world of education will not be spared (see 4 challenges for education in the digital revolution era). The marriage of learning, game and technology will continue to impress us as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) become both more affordable and more ergonomic — long live autonomous headsets!; Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to evolve; and 5G, which is being deployed this year, will optimize the performance of these technologies, with the network promising download speeds of up to 200 times faster than current LTE technology. In short, the stars are aligning to make the immersive experience in online learning more expanding than ever! (see Virtual Reality 101, Virtual Reality in Learning as seen by a Ubisoft expert, We discuss comfort and performance in virtual reality with a Ubisoft expert, Is virtual reality accessible? We’re discussing it with a Ubisoft expert and Mini glossary of artificial intelligence).

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What trends do you see in e-learning for the coming year and decade?

Catherine Meilleur

Author:
Catherine Meilleur

Creative Content Writer @KnowledgeOne. Questioner of questions. Hyperflexible stubborn. Contemplative yogi.