Top eLearning Trends For 2022
Based on a report from ManpowerGroup, talent shortages doubled a decade ago for 54% of businesses. This is where upgrading technology and staying updated with eLearning trends becomes essential. It is important to take initiatives for staff at the head of their field. For example, when admin doesn't upgrade their skills and stay updated with technology and training strategies, they fail to match the eLearning trends of 2022, and this can cost the company a lot.
As technology grows, eLearning acclimates, making training more effortless and useful. In this article, we will discuss eLearning trends for 2022 that will have a huge impact on the future. Let's see the cutting-edge trends that will bear savvy organizations through 2022.
1. The Changing Role Of Learning And Development
According to the 2021 Workplace Learning Report, 64% of Learning and Development (L&D) specialists feel that L&D has advanced from a "good to have" to a "need to have." The learning sessions were always crucial to enterprises, and now it has become essential because of remote working and changing business processes. L&D should transform from being mere order-takers to becoming impact-makers, and that would need L&D to:
- Evolve more in sync with the business vision and goals.
- Ensure that training programs are organized and in sync with company objectives.
- Present training's significance.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
An AI-based eLearning platform is a system that can accomplish various tasks demanding human intelligence. The source of AI dates back to the mid-1950s, and the term AI was first forged by John McCarthy at the Dartmouth Conference. AI is one of the top buzzwords in the market, regardless of the industry. According to market research, by the year 2025, the AI market will grow to a $190 billion industry.
Artificial Intelligence is specially used to make learning more accessible and holistic. Users find learning more empathic and engaging with AI as it increases the focus on facts. Various learners have diverse needs. An AI-based system offers a personalized experience, with learning examples included, helping to better understand concepts. Through bots, AI creates the space for businesses to offer a better experience to users by generating the courses easily. AI will help determine the skills learners need to master for their job requirements.
3. Physical To Virtual Space
As businesses progress to having virtual teams and remote workers, learning has moved to the virtual environment. Many companies are shifting their budgets from ILT (classroom training) to online learning, as online training has been confirmed to be more effective in providing ongoing training and preparing employees to deal with modification. Widespread online learning formats include:
- Videos
- Immersive eLearning
- Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT)
- Microlearning and knowledge databases
- Performance support
Some Key eLearning Strategies
Let’s see some key eLearning strategies and how you can implement them in your training.
1. Storytelling
Storytelling is a popular and effective way that works for almost every learner. It is widely used and implemented by most organizations for better eLearning. You can implement it by designing your courses with:
- Techniques to help learners take on real-life situations in a risk-free setting.
- Case studies to help bolster learners' decision-making and situation-solving skills.
- Comic strips to add in as a transition.
2. Personalization
Engage learners in the course to help them with online learning. Some tried-and-tested ideas include:
- Welcoming the learner by name and addressing them personally throughout the course and during feedback.
- Offering learners various characters and selecting their guide to take them through the system.
- Providing learners with role-based training, letting them choose their learning paths.
3. Virtual Training For Remote Employees
Virtual training is not new in the market. The hybrid working model is new, as employees choose to work remotely after the pandemic, but it will continue to grow or be a mainstay of training in 2022.
Virtual training is the go-to model for work from home employees to access training from talented and skilled faculty. It is predicted that virtual training will continue to be a significant presence in 2022 and beyond. It has the following advantages:
- It can help connect people worldwide.
- Virtual training is interactive, as apps and games are integrated into the sessions.
- It provides tangible results via quick polls and exciting quizzes.
- It can be used to engage audiences and connect them effectively.
4. Microlearning Platforms
Microlearning platforms have grown during the pandemic and will continue to grow as a vital tool for learners. This will offer easy access to impactful bite-sized learning. The emphasis here has been on performance, helping organizations take in rich rewards.
Several microlearning platforms currently strive to support learners engage with subjects quickly and learn effectively. Some eLearning platforms use courses and gamification to make learning enjoyable. For immediate feedback and remediation, one can use spaced repeats, analysis, intuitive reports, gamification, and more. Businesses are more favorably inclined toward executing microlearning platforms in 2022 and beyond for educators, frontline staff, sales teams, and the customer-facing workforce.
- Microlearning platforms are easy to deploy.
- They help you deliver actionable data points to get more out of microlearning interventions.
- They help in tracking and reporting to enhance learning experiences.
5. Mobile-First Learning
Learners in the digital and smartphone era are mobile and agile. Should learning not also be mobile? We adopt new technology quickly with changing times, and online studies are part of the adaptation. Users use their mobiles more often for learning now, as smart devices are easy and accessible for executing various tasks. From studying to shopping for groceries and paying bills, playing games, or watching Netflix, mobile learning is endless and entertaining at the same time. Given this fact, learners enjoy easy access to study materials and better learning experiences.
Learners don't want long training sessions, but they are attracted to digital learning experiences. With the decrease in focus and attention spans, eLearning needs a more engaging medium, and to offer a better learning experience with entertainment mobile-first is the best option. Businesses are now getting more interested in a mobile-first strategy to provide personalized learning experiences with mobile-friendly features.
6. Content Curation And Creation
With more and more information and content around us, it is challenging to find relevance in training. The content must be user-friendly and easily accessible. The information on the eLearning platform sticks better if it is engaging and relevant to the subject. For example, Airbus was able to save millions of dollars by creating an extensive library with over 6900 shareable pieces.
How To Create Materials To Improve The Process
1. Video
When it comes to content, it is not limited to text. The content must be wide-ranging and educate learners in various ways. Video is one of the most influential content formats that impresses the audience. According to an article in The Economist, webcasting and virtual classrooms were used by 88% of large companies. The majority of businesses are launching videos and demo presentations to help their users understand services and products. The fact is any information sticks better when multimedia features are incorporated.
Using video allows learners and audiences to use assignments and classes from the platform conveniently and still find it relevant and exciting like a live classroom. Further applications of video include:
- Microlearning
Bite-sized pieces of intel, indicated to solve specific problems. - Quizzes
For better built-in retention checks, learners can pause a video to answer questions, and then continue through the lesson. This offers better understanding while they learn. - Situational questions
Videos can help through a scenario with branching answers. So, managers can see how employees react to job-related questions.
2. Analytics And Data Management
Data drives the major decisions in the market. Businesses consist of lots of data, and there is no difference when it comes to eLearning systems. Leadership can analyze the data to design more effective plans after measuring different analytics. This helps keep an eye on areas where there is a skill gap in an organization. Determining the potential talent required for the future is all about data management and how the business uses that data. Data administrators can track:
- Learner improvement (overall progress)
- Surveys and other feedback forms
- Course completion rates
- Use of information within the workflow
- Favored lessons
- Customized learning paths
- Worker strengths and weaknesses
- Learner engagement and social learning
Conclusion: The Future Of eLearning
As technology develops, Learning Management Systems will be more sophisticated, effective, and focused on engaging audiences. Institutions are evolving to offer online studies with the help of eLearning software solutions.
- Faculties and content creators focus on designing engaging material using gamification, microlearning, videos, and presentation to make content easier to digest.
- It is easy to engage learners with the mobile-first aspect, and implementing online education with better analytics offers a better learning experience.
- Businesses are now executing eLearning with the latest trends to gain effective ROI.
It's apparent that online learning is evolving quickly, and following eLearning trends is more necessary than ever for organizations looking to upgrade.
