Top 5 eLearning Trends to Watch for 2019

3 Jul ‘19

In: Technology, / By: Ripe Media

Are you an educational manager searching for the latest learning trends? Maybe you’re a business owner seeking new ideas for your company’s eLearning program? Whatever the case, you can’t ignore the latent opportunities presented by eLearning.

eLearning has enjoyed unparalleled growth over the last few years. This growth comes in the backdrop of technology-enabled teaching and innovative training techniques.

A 2018 Market Report indicated the global eLearning market was valued at around USD 190 billion. The same report says the industry will grow at a CAGR of 7% from 2019 to 2025.

A similar report by Research and Markets says the global eLearning market will reach $325 billion by 2025. These statistics portray an explosion in online learning.

Organizations can now leverage this growth to boost their employees’ skill range. To do this, they’ve to learn the latest eLearning trends. As an educational manager, learning these trends helps you to upgrade your eLearning programs.

Governments, businesses, associations, and other organizations now have at their disposal innovative learning tools. These will boost their capacity to perform and offer better services.

It all starts with learning about these new eLearning trends.

Top eLearning Trends Shaping the Industry in 2019

The eLearning platform offers a plethora of benefits. It’s cost-effective, convenient and flexible. This allows organizations to expand their employees’ skill base and gain a competitive edge in the market.

Institutions of learning can now reach a global platform, thus expanding their footprint. If you’ve chosen eLearning, you need to understand the direction the industry has taken in 2019.

Here are some key eLearning trends in 2019 shaping the industry:

1. Microlearning

   The Microlearning trend started in 2018, but it has gained more traction in 2019. Bite-sized learning is flexible and practical for organizations that want to improve skills among employees quickly.

   It was one of the top custom eLearning trends that started picking in 2018. Today, Microlearning is at the center of revolutionizing the eLearning industry.

   The idea is to deliver unbiased and purposeful knowledge in short practical and focused units.  The learner-centric programs allow faster and just in time learning.

   Every program is in small blocks which are easier to administer and complete. This means learners can tackle more learning within a shorter time.

   There’s a test after every burst of learning to complete that chapter. Students learn step by step, and this promotes more retention.

   The learning content is innovative and entertaining. It includes videos, infographics and other easy to understand materials.

   If you have an interest in eLearning; this is one of the eLearning trends to watch for in 2019.

2. AR & VR Technology

   Augmented reality (AR) and Virtual reality (VR) are no longer buzzwords but reality. The global augmented reality market is expected to grow to about 198 billion U.S. dollars by 2025.

   A recent industry report projected revenues from the global virtual reality market will reach 21.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2020.

   The same report says augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) market forecasts for 2023 eclipse 160 billion U.S. dollars.
   These technologies looked unrealistic a few years back, but they’re now creating waves in eLearning. They enrich the learning experience and make it easier to understand complex concepts.

   Virtual reality bridges the gap between theory and practice by leveraging the learner’s experience.  For instance, when training a team of contractors on safety, a trainer can use AR technology to create accident scenarios. These look real, and it is easier for trainees to understand the material.

   This technology also blocks distractions to promote faster learning. Blocking visual distractions also increases interest in the subject.

3. Big Data is a Reality

   There has been a lot of buzz around big data for years. Big data is now big business and one of the trends in eLearning.   Students generate a lot of data when taking eLearning courses.

   Learners’ interaction with modules gives invaluable insight into their progress.  Some of the data from a training module can include social sharing, comments and assessment results.

   Big data allows a better understanding of learners and their learning experience. It helps eLearning professionals to analyze different modules and fine-tune them for effective learning.

   Trainers can see which modules attract more attention in terms of visits and shares. Using patterns, trainers can also predict where learners will excel or struggle.

   Big data will help get invaluable feedback, fine-tune eLearning programs, help in the creation of custom eLearning solutions, tracking of learner patterns, among other things.

   Big data is not only big in 2019, but will most likely be one of the top learning trends 2020.

4. Adaptive Learning

   Adaptive learning is now a trend in eLearning. This entails delivery of custom learning experiences to address a learner’s individual needs.

   It works through just-in-time personalized feedback. It goes against the traditional one-size-fits-all learning experience.

   In eLearning, adaptive learning helps learners enjoy the experience, improves competition rates and gives better results.

   Learners get to see only the material they need, which leads to better outcomes of the learning process. It also shortens training time which saves resources.

   For an organization, adaptive learning increases your ROI as employees take shorter time training.

5. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

   72% of business leaders in a PWC survey say they believe AI is fundamental in the future. AI is one of the upcoming eLearning trends and among the most revolutionary.

   AI-powered chatbots are now part of some eLearningprograms. There are even fears they might take over from trainers and coaches. This hasn’t happened yet, but the impact of AI in eLearning is now obvious.

   AI has impacted on the eLearning process. For instance, learning assistants can predict learner’s behavior. This helps to create personalized content that suits the level of the learner.

   Voice search helps find information faster and improve the learning process. People with special needs can also benefit from virtual assistants to complete their eLearning modules.

Final Thoughts

eLearning is a fast-paced industry with new technologies bringing rapid changes. To leverage the benefits of this innovative learning model, you’ve to stay abreast of the latest eLearning trends. These trends change fast, as new enabling technologies and ideas emerge.

To unlock your organization’s potential, you need to develop a custom eLearning program. At Ripe Media, we can help you do this.

We’ve years of experience in creating custom eLearning solutions, and we invite you to try our services. Our goal is to make your eLearning project a success.

Contact us today, and let’s build the best eLearning platform to suit your needs.

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