In our previous blog, we discussed how onboarding training can boost efficiency and productivity in your organization. As new learning methods have grown in popularity, more and more businesses are realizing the advantages ofe-learning. Although online learningcan be costly to implement, it pays off every time an employee completes their courses. Virtual learning is not only less expensive than traditional learning, it’s efficient, and reduces instruction time significantly.
Here are 5 reasons that will help you understand how switching from traditional learning to e-learning can benefit your organization.
In traditional learning, you usually have an educator who has his teaching tools, methods, and approaches. Employees may find it hard to adjust to new learning methods while simultaneously absorbing the information educators share.
One of the advantages of e-learningis that it can provide important information in ways employees can understand easily, which results in improved retention. Content is simplified using podcasts and interactive modules. Employees can access their learning when their energy and focus are at their peak for retention. This nature makes it easier to retain the new concepts and, of course, to implement them in their work.
Providing new learning methods
Not everyone learns in the same way. Some people prefer to retain knowledge through videos, while others prefer written notes, and still, others require realistic opportunities for practice before they truly grasp a new skill. One of the most significant advantages of e-learning for employee training and development is the availability of a wide range of content formats. These new learning methods are engaging for everyone when it includes videos, notes, infographics, games, and other types of content.
An increased engagement is a sure sign that employees want to finish their course. Apart from this E-learning enables you to update the material whenever necessary. This means the online learning courses can be adapted along the way as it is relatively simple to make changes to online material, particularly textual changes, online courses are always up to date, and employees are not provided with information that is no longer relevant to them.
Some new skills require more than video notes. Active employee participation is required in learning new skills. The ultimate interactivity and practice can be provided through a powerful learning management system (LMS) that supports gamification, quizzes, branching scenarios, and surveys. Interactive e-learning courses enable employees to practice new skills in a secure place, so they are set up for success in real life. Furthermore, by using a variety of assessments such as quizzes and case studies, you can engage learners as they progress through the training.
Collaboration and community building
Learning can be solitary, but social exercise shouldn’t be so because employees learn much more by interacting with their colleagues than by reading a book. New learning methods lead to discussions and discussions lead to innovation.
Online learning benefits the community and leads to collaboration. Including activities such as forums for discussion and live tutorials can be immensely beneficial. Commitment to other employees encourages collaboration and creates a team culture that showcases its benefits beyond the educational environment.
Immediate feedback and acknowledgment
Another advantage of e-learning in the workplace is that employees have access to immediate feedback. Immediate results from online assessments assist employees in determining how well they are doing and which sections of learning material they may need to review before moving on. Furthermore, gamification features in courses such as leaderboards, badges, and certificates give employees a sense of recognition and achievement, which motivates them to learn. Timely and automated feedback is beneficial not only to employees but also to their managers and the business. This is due to the fact that it eliminates the need for manual feedback and grading.
Conclusion
Learning is an ongoing process and as time changes we all have to adapt to the new virtual learning. Online learning programs apply to every industry, business, and employee worldwide. These learning methods are convenient, easy to access, easy on the budget, and measure results while keeping a digital record for everything. E-learning is cost-effective, improves employee performance, reduces staff turnover, and boosts productivity.
Gamification encourages healthy competition, and the immediate incentives range from gift vouchers to virtual one-on-ones with the CEO for racking up a certain number of ‘karma points’
Mumbai: About four months ago, helping a colleague out or going above and beyond the call of duty only earned Sukrit Sarkar, 24, a pat on the back. Now, the associate product manager at HR platform Springworks earns points every time he does something to help a team member. Sarkar had the most points, 300, until another colleague overtook him on the leaderboard last week.
Appreciation is fuel in any organization, but while working from home, it’s often easy to miss thanking that one team member who goes the extra mile. Companies such as Proctor and Gamble and Goodera as well as startups like Springworks have turned to gamification to induct new employees, motivate existing ones, and run training modules remotely during the covid-19 pandemic. Gamification encourages healthy competition, and the immediate incentives range from gift vouchers to virtual one-on-ones with the CEO for racking up a certain number of ‘karma points’.
“When you work from home, other people on the team don’t know what you’re doing. And it’s nice when your teammates recognize your contribution,” says Sarkar. “In the physical office, we’d chat or congratulate one another. That was missing.”
Bengaluru-based Springworks built a gamified peer-to-peer recognition platform called Springengage in late April after its staff moved to working remotely. ‘Kudos’ (appreciation and gratitude for help) from a fellow employee earns the person 10 points, while a ‘shoutout’ (when someone goes beyond his or her role or does something that helps the company) brings in 100 points. The scores are displayed on a leaderboard, which creates a healthy competition.
“It has helped me keep motivated during these times. It has made us more curious about each other’s work. If someone gets a kudos or a shoutout, I want to know how the person solved the problem,” says Sarkar. Recently, he redeemed half his points for a ₹500 Amazon voucher to buy a book that was long on his wishlist.
Game-based activities are also helping companies induct new hires and interns, all of whom are rejoining work remotely now. For the first time in its history, Procter & Gamble India inducted 90 interns into a two-month stint virtually this year. To ensure learning and collaboration was engaging and interactive, a gamified module was created on its app. As the interns completed mandatory and optional training courses on the app, answered quizzes and challenges, they accumulated points. This was tallied on a leaderboard on the app with the top scorers getting gift hampers.
“We wanted to innovate and truly translate our on-ground ‘GetIn’ onboarding programme to a fully virtual experience. Gamifying the experience with deliberately planned touch-points increased the overall participation and engagement on the app. This also created a sense of community, drove engagement and motivated interns,” says PM Srinivas, head, HR, India sub-continent, Procter & Gamble.
At Goodera, gamification has worked to get its young staff to interact again, and ease work stress. Over the last few months, the tech company working in the space of CSR has rolled out a virtual volunteering facility. While employees met all their deadlines, moral seemed to be flagging during the lockdown. So, founder Abhishek Humbad introduced virtual volunteering for his team. But it really took off when employees could earn ‘karma points’ for individual and team effort, social impact of the voluntary work and more. The points, which reflect on a leaderboard on Goodera’s internal platform, earn employees gifts, ecommerce vouchers or a virtual one-on-one meeting with the CEO. “People notice what others are doing, and it also nudges them to do more,” says Humbad.
Webinars and informal Zoom meet-ups are losing novelty. “Gamified content gives a sense of micro achievement, which makes people feel good,” says Arijit Lahiri, co-founder, QuoDeck Technologies. The Mumbai-based game learning app creator has seen its turnover double since the start of the pandemic, he says, adding that clients are requesting casual games to fit into a storytelling format.
Rajib Chowdhury, founder, TGC Technologies, which helps companies create gamified activities, however, says companies should not get swept away by gamification and ignore other aspects of deeper employee engagement. “Companies have to be clear about what they want to achieve from the whole exercise. Besides uplifting morale, companies need to focus on creating purpose,” he says.
With the maturing of mobile learning, the focus shifts on how to maximize its potential. In this article, I showcase approaches that will help you enhance the impact of your mobile learning strategy in 2019.
Mobile learning is the training that is available to learners on their mobile devices. It can be consumed on the go, and it gives them the flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere, and at their own pace.
Access to learning assets is not limited to smartphones. Instead, it features “multi-device” support providing additional flexibility to the learners to move seamlessly across devices during their learning journey (between smartphones, tablets, or laptops and desktops).
Over the last 2-3 years, mobile learning has transitioned from its first avatar—the mobile-friendly format—to the mobile-first format. The initial format of mobile learning was an adaptive or a mobile-friendly format that supported all devices but wasn’t fully optimized for smartphones. But the more recent format of mobile learning is the completely responsive or mobile-first format that is fully optimized for usage on smartphones. Not only does it feature interactions that align better to the way we use smartphones but also the designs adapt fully to the viewable area of each device.
It also aligns well to the changing learner expectations and demographics. Today, mobile learning is the preferred mode of training for learners and this cuts across learner profiles (not just Millennials) and resonates well with the multi-generational workforce.
What Are The Key Benefits Of Adopting The Mobile Learning Strategy?
The mobile learning strategy offers several benefits to learners and L&D teams as it:
Aligns to the way learners want to learn (on the go, anytime, and anywhere)
Empowers learners by giving them control on the pace they want to learn
Facilitates a “pull” of learning vs “push” and this resonates better with the learners
Offers a higher engagement quotient
Can be used across learning needs (formal, informal, or social learning)
Can be used to support Instructor-Led Training
Can address the entire spectrum of corporate training needs (ranging from induction and onboarding, soft skills training, product training, sales training to compliance)
Features better completion rates
Can be used for knowledge acquisition, its application, as well as meeting specific learning needs (through instant learning aids or job aids)
Can be used to retain an ongoing connection with learners
What Is The Value That The Adoption Of Mobile Learning Strategy Offers?
The biggest strength of mobile learning is that it aligns very well with the way learners want to consume learning. For instance, you can craft your mobile learning strategy to include learner-centric formats that sync up with their lifestyle. These could include:
Podcasts that they can listen to during their commute to the office
Microlearning nuggets for learning that can be easily consumed during waiting periods (and avoid carving out specific time slots for training). You can also offer microlearning nuggets as refresher nuggets to keep the “forgetting curve” at bay
Microlearning videos for quick time learning
Interactive videos for the application of learning
Just-In-Time learning aids or job aids to address specific challenges or provide tips, ready reckoners, or learning summaries
Quizzes
Practice exercises
Personalized curated content
Furthermore, you can add dollops of fun through gamified elements or make learning more immersive by using nuggets featuring Virtual Reality (VR)
Mobile apps for learning
How Can You Enhance The Impact Of Your Mobile Learning Strategy Further In 2019?
You can enhance the impact of your mobile learning strategy by providing:
A judicious mix of learning and reinforcements to ensure that the “forgetting curve” does not set in
Adequate room to practice, hone skills, and gain proficiency or mastery
Detailed feedback and remediation or recommendations to further enhance the learning
Nudges to review, challenges, and hooks to come back for more
A channel for informal and social or collaborative learning
An avenue to contribute User-Generated Content (UGC)
Here is a ready reckoner of the strategies that you can use to enhance the impact of your mobile learning strategy.
1. You can use microlearning and video-based learning:
To create buzz or awareness prior to the formal training
For formal training
For Performance Support
For informal learning
For inclusive learning (provide room for User-Generated Content)
For social learning
2. Invest in some of the learning strategies that will deliver high-impact experiences:
Interactive video-based learning
AR/VR
Gamification
Scenario-based learning
Story-based learning
Guided exploration
3. Retain the connection with learners by pushing nuggets that:
Reinforce
Refresh prior knowledge
Provide room for practice and mastery
Encourage learning beyond the specified outcomes
As you have probably seen, if you want to enhance the impact of your mobile learning strategy, you need to adopt a multi-pronged approach (that cuts across learner profiles and across various types of training needs). I hope this article gives you the required insights on how you can use my pointers and step up your mobile learning strategy.
While gamification has been in use for corporate training for several years, there is still a lingering doubt on its impact. In this article, I share 7 gamification techniques for corporate training that work!
What Gamification Techniques For Corporate Training Still Work?
Gamification techniques use elements and principles of gaming to create an engaging learning experience. Some of the associated gains are:
Higher learner motivation (to participate and complete).
Higher engagement levels.
Gamification techniques can be effectively used to:
Have fun and learn.
Apply their learning on the job (by providing them practice zones featuring scenarios, similar to what they will handle in real life. Here, the learners can practice and hone their skills in a safe environment).
A longer-term implementation of gamification techniques can influence behavioral change.
So, How Can You Make Gamification Techniques Work In Corporate Training?
Let’s take a step back and identify what the expected gains are from any learning strategy.
Your list is likely to read that it should be:
Motivating
Engaging
Relevant and relatable (preferably personalized)
Challenging
Rewarding
It must:
Create sticky learning
Facilitate the application of learning
Provide room for practice and proficiency gain
Provide reinforcement to ensure the “forgetting curve” does not step in
Trigger behavioral change
How You Can Use Gamification Techniques For Corporate Training To Influence Each Aspect
Step 1 Identify barriers (intrinsic or extrinsic) that might be hindering the required changes and thereby improve the learners’ motivation levels.
Step 2 Generate interest in learning by providing relevant and personalized learning paths.
Step 3 Create effective learning experience using scenarios, simulations, and challenges.
Step 4 Provide feedback for performance improvement that can help learners pause and think or recalibrate their way forward.
Step 5 Use rewards and recognition to sustain the learners’ momentum and motivation, and ensure that learners walk away with a sense of accomplishment.
Step 6 Implement repetition and reiteration for successful change in behavior.
What Is the Impact You Will See If You Apply the Right Gamification Technique For Corporate Training?
Through the right gamification technique, you can:
Create a sticky learning experience
Provide reinforcement (to offset the “forgetting curve”)
Ensure the successful application of learning on the job
Influence or trigger the desired behavioral change
How Can This Value Be Delivered?
At EI Design, our gamification practice is nearly 5 years old. During these years, we have created successful corporate trainings that have leveraged on gamification techniques at several levels, including:
Partial gamification (to enhance traditional eLearning courses)
Gamified aids to support ILT
Gamified learning path
Game-based learning
Gamified portals
Our Next Gen gamification techniques build up from the success of the current approaches. For instance,
Instead of just having simple badges and leaderboards for each challenge, you can put the learner through a more complex narrative that can truly challenge him or her. The narrative is selected based on the content type, learner profile, and is aligned to the learning goals.
Personalization holds the key to the learner’s attention, engagement, and motivation. You can use mobile apps for learning to offer a personalized learning path that is aligned to the learner’s goals. Thereby, it is relevant and more engaging.
You can use a combination of learning strategies to gain higher impact. For instance, the usage of immersive techniques like a Virtual Reality (VR)-driven learning path that is gamified will surely multiply the impact and help you meet the learning goals.
You can opt for the following 7 Next Gen gamification techniques for corporate training and achieve your mandates successfully:
1. Longer-Term Gamification
Behavioral change requires the use of gamification over a long period of time. You can use this longer-term learning path to have milestones over successive weeks/months/quarters.
2. Periodic Checkpointing Of Learners’ Progress
Alongside, plan for a periodic assessment of learners’ progress (against the required outcomes) that can range from learning acquisition, its application, or a behavioral change.
3. Multiply The Impact
To make the learning journey more engaging, you can add immersive approaches like Virtual Reality or wearable tech in your fold.
4. Leverage On Microlearning-Based Gamification
Give the learners a “bite-sized” gamification experience.
5. Personalized Gamification
Offer personalized learning and gaming paths for learners.
6. Social Media-Based Gamification
Let the learners collaborate with peers or experts and address challenges or solve problems, much the same way they need to in real life.
7. Invest On Niche Gamification Portals
These can be designed to offer customized learning paths and elements of gamification, microlearning, and social learning.
This Seems To Be Too Good To Be True; Is There A Catch?
Over the years, I have seen several views (or misconceptions) associated with gamification techniques for corporate training.
I share 5 myths and contrast them with facts to highlight how you can make gamification techniques effectively work for corporate training.
Myths And Facts #1
Myth Gamification in eLearning doesn’t really help learners learn.
Fact Gamification is not just about having fun. Much like traditional eLearning, it can be used to meet specific learning outcomes.
As I have highlighted, you can map the learning goals to a gamified approach to gain better engagement. It also creates a far more sticky learning experience. The use of gamification techniques over a period of time will influence learner behavior as well.
Fact Several aspects of learning, including retention, an application on the job, as well as behavioral change can be influenced by gamification.
The Next-Gen gamification techniques for corporate training (highlighted earlier in the article) show you exactly how this can be achieved.
Myths And Facts #3
Myth Gamification doesn’t provide real value to learners and businesses.
Fact Both learners and businesses see value in this approach at several levels.
Learners love it as learning is fun, challenging, and rewarding. L&D teams find value in it on account of its wide application across varied corporate training needs. The correct gamification technique can help them deliver their goals (learning, its application, or behavioral change).
Myths And Facts #4
Myth Gamification can’t drive learning.
Fact Gamification can provide an effective approach to drive learning.
This is on account of its inherent features that resonate with learners and help them perform better.
Myths And Facts #5
Myth Gamification appeals only to Millennials.
Fact The correct usage of gamification techniques will ensure that it will be well received across the multi-generational workforce.
I hope this article will help you use gamification techniques extensively for your corporate training and my 7 gamification techniques for corporate training will help you make it work well for you.
No, you don’t have to upload it on each slide. Here’s how you can do a bulk upload ;
Step 1: Make sure you are inside your Interactive Deck Editor.
Step 2: Go to the tools tab.
Step 3: In the Voice-overs section, find an ‘Upload’ button. Via this button, you can upload all slides voice-overs at once. Keep in mind to name voice-overs as per slide numbers e.g. 1.mp3, 2.mp3, 3.mp3, 4.mp3 and so on.
Step 4: After the upload. Do, revisit the slides to confirm if the correct audio files have been uploaded.
At this time of the year, you look out for trends that can enhance your training delivery. In this article, I share the eLearning Trends in 2019 you can use to enhance, measure, and maximize the impact and returns on your learning strategies.
eLearning Trends In 2019 You Can Use To Enhance Your Learning Strategy
As I began my exercise to predict eLearning Trends in 2019, the fourth one in this series, I took a step back to see why anyone seeks upcoming trends.
The top 5 reasons why L&D teams look at trends are listed here. They prompt them to adopt new or better approaches that:
Keep the learners engaged.
Ensure knowledge acquisition happens.
Facilitate the application of the acquired learning on the job.
The desired performance gain and ROI occurs.
A positive ROI on training spend is established.
In this article, I take this need as the thread to share the eLearning Trends in 2019. I have grouped them as follows:
Section 1: I list the trends that help learners learn and, more significantly, apply this learning to show better performance or the required behavioral change.
Section 2: I list trends featuring learning strategies with a proven track record of delivering a better engagement quotient and higher training impact.
Section 3: I follow this up with a list of trends that organizations must invest on to measure, enhance, and maximize the impact of their training.
Section 4: I wrap up with trends that are clearly emerging as front runners for investment in the very near future.
With this approach, I am confident that the featured eLearning Trends in 2019 in this article will offer tremendous value in enhancing your learning strategies in the New Year.
Upcoming Release: I also have a free eBook on eLearning Trends in 2019 releasing on Jan 15th.
Designed as a guide that you can practically use, it features a typical learner journey that highlights how modern learners learn and what they wish to see in their online training delivery.
I use this backdrop to highlight how the featured eLearning Trends in 2019 can be used to add value to learning and its application plus measurement and further gains.
Without further ado, here is my list of eLearning Trends in 2019 banded logically to facilitate their impact and application.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Section 1: The Trends That Help Learners Learn And Apply This Learning To Show Better Performance Or Behavioral Change.
Mobile Learning
Digitalization of ILT (to Blended or Fully Online)
Performance Support Tools
Informal Learning
Social Learning
Self-Directed Learning
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Section 2: Learning Strategies With A Proven Track Record Of Delivering A Better Engagement Quotient And Higher Training Impact.
Microlearning
Gamification
Video-Based Learning (Videos and Interactive Videos)
Mobile Apps for Learning
Personalization
Curation and User Generated Content
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Section 3: The Trends That Organizations Must Invest On To Measure, Enhance, And Maximize The Impact Of Their Training.
Learning Engagement Platforms – LXP
Learner Analytics
Big Data-Reporting and Analytics
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Section 4: Other Notable Trends To Watch Out For—The Future Is Here!
AR/VR and MR for Immersive Learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Learning
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Section 1: The Trends That Help Learners Learn And Apply This Learning To Show Better Performance Or Behavioral Change.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #1: Mobile Learning
Over the last 4–5 years, the adoption of Mobile Learning has been on the rise. This is on account of the flexibility it provides to learners (learning on the go, multi-device support – including smartphones, tablets or laptops/desktops, and anytime and anywhere access).
From an organization’s perspective, this is clearly an approach that resonates better with learners, offers higher engagement, provides better completion rates, and can be used to support both formal and informal trainings.
What I see changing in 2019 is the maturing of Mobile Learning solutions, leading to a bifurcation into mobile friendly or adaptive designs and mobile first or fully responsive designs. The latter will align better to the way learning is expected to be consumed (notably on smartphones) and will feature learning interactions optimized for them.
Additionally, Mobile Learning will be used to offer almost the entire spectrum of corporate training needs. It will feature high-impact formats including videos, Microlearning, and apps for learning.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #2: Digitalization Of ILT (To Blended Or Fully Online)
While the ILT mode is not dying, it will soon start getting limited to niche programs. 2019 will see further increase in the Digitalization of ILT (to blended or fully online). Even the core ILT delivery will get supported by online resources including pre- and post-workshop material and assessments.
The triggers include push from learners to reduced training budgets and shorter cycles to train employees.
My assessment is that in 2019, we will see a higher percentage of programs going to the fully online format that can be consumed on the device of the learner’s choice (ranging from smartphones/tablets to laptops/desktops).
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #3: Performance Support Tools
Performance support tools or PSTs are learning aids or job aids that are designed to address a specific learning need.
They are available to the learners within their workflow and hence can be easily accessed and used without having to log on to an LMS.
Designed to support formal training (focusing on knowledge acquisition), PSTs can facilitate learning application thereby improving the training impact and learner proficiency. They can be used to support ILT as well as online training, and they effectively serve as a measure to offset the “forgetting curve.”
2019 will see further adoption of PSTs riding high on the increase in mobile learning, Microlearning, and video-based learning.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #4: Informal Learning
The fact that learning happens through multiple channels (and not just formal training) is an established one.
Many of us may be familiar with the 70-20-10 model for Learning and Development. According to this model,
70% of the learning is experiential (that is, happens on-the-job).
20% is through social or collaborative learning (that is, learning with or from others).
10% is through formal training programs.
While we may debate on the percentages shown here, the model does affirm the need of organizations to create a support system and the opportunities to promote informal learning in their workplace.
The usage of measures like performance support tools or PSTs as well as platforms to promote social learning will see significant increase in 2019.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #5: Social Learning
In our early years, our learning is purely from others and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this is true for learning at the workplace too. Over the last 3–5 years, L&D teams have seen value in adopting and promoting social learning.
With the options of platforms, next gen LMS, and learning experience platforms, social learning is finally poised for growth in 2019.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #6: Self-Directed Learning
In general terms, self-directed learning is the approach of moving the onus of learning to the learner rather than the teacher. As an extension, in the context of corporate training, it maps to empowering learners to choose how they want to learn.
Unlike training programs that are “pushed” through LMS, self-directed learning is all about giving this control to the learners. They can decide on what they want to learn, how they wish to learn, when they choose to learn, over what time frame would they want to learn and so on.
As you will note, this approach provides control to the learners and gives them the option to decide their learning path. Alongside social learning and informal learning, organizations are recognizing the value of promoting self-directed learning that can help them create learning as a continuum. This trend will continue in 2019.
eLearning Trends For 2019 – Section 2: Learning Strategies With A Proven Track Record Of Delivering A Better Engagement Quotient And Higher Training Impact.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #7: Microlearning
The debate on the value and impact of macro learning (or traditional eLearning) and microlearning (bite-sized, short learning nuggets of 2–7 mins run length each designed to meet a specific outcome) goes on.
However, the fact is that the usage of microlearning-based training has revolutionized training delivery over the last 2 years, and I see this trend accelerating further in 2019.
Today, you can opt for microlearning-based training to offer formal training and informal training and support ILT. Its flexibility to be delivered as a single, short nugget to meet a specific outcome to a learning path that can have an array of learning nuggets makes it a powerful choice for corporate training. I see an increased adoption of microlearning in 2019.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #8: Gamification
Till a few years ago, the impact of gamification-based training had a big question mark associated with it. While gamification provides fun-based learning to users, does it indeed help them achieve a specific learning outcome?
The usage of gamification for serious learning has been on the upswing in the last 2 years, and I see this trend increasing in 2019.
The application of gamification, including the game-based approach, or partial gamification will see an increased application across various corporate training needs. With the reduction in development costs and shorter time frame to develop, L&D teams will see higher value in this investment in 2019.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #9: Video-Based Learning (Videos And Interactive Videos)
Video-based learning is fast becoming a standard piece of online training. This includes its usage in traditional eLearning formats to its extensive usage in the microlearning-based trainings.
In 2019, I see this trend continuing. Equally interesting is the wider adoption of interactive videos that overcome the passivity of traditional videos and increase learner engagement manifold through interactivities and assessments.
Another usage of video-based learning in 2019 will be through the curation of public domain videos.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #10: Mobile Apps For Learning
The widespread adoption of mobile learning and its updated avatar of mobile first or responsive design leads to an important fact that the learning experiences on smartphones must be optimized to the devices. The interactions must mimic the way we use these devices.
On similar lines, similar to Apps that learners use, mobile apps for learning can provide a very effective strategy for online training. The training can be personalized and updated with ease.
The cost and longer lead time to develop mobile apps for learning have led to its limited adoption. I see this as a very powerful approach; I see it play a significant role in training formats.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #11: Personalization
Today’s learners do not have the patience or the attention span to go through learning that is generic and doesn’t map to what they are looking for.
This is where personalization of learning fits in and provides a custom learning path to learners. You can personalize learning based on the learner’s role, proficiency, area of interest and so on.
The Microlearning-based training approach provides the required granularity to draw up highly personalized learning paths for various learner profiles. Rendered over mobile devices, this approach can provide a highly relevant and personalized learning path to each learner.
This trend is worth a watch in 2019 wherein we will also see the usage of machine learning and AI to create more meaningful learning experiences.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #12: Curation And User-Generated Content
While we may be spoilt for choice on data and information that is easily accessible on the Internet, tagging it and identifying the relevant info is a time-consuming process.
Content curation addresses these pain areas and provides relevant learning resources to users. Learners have the flexibility to opt for the recommended learning path or configure their own version.
Furthermore, the exercise also promotes user participation by encouraging user-generated content to keep the knowledge base current and relevant.
This is not all. Content curation enables organizations to tap into resources that are available in the public domain, and they do not need to re-create them.
This trend has been on an upswing, and I see a similar traction in 2019. This too will benefit from emerging techniques like AI for learning, machine learning and so on, to create even more relevant learning paths to the users.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Section 3: The Trends That Organizations Must Invest On To Measure, Enhance, And Maximize The Impact Of Their Training.
Learning Engagement Platforms (LXP) provide a highly personalized learning experience to users through learning pathways. Besides this, they feature social or collaborative learning, inclusive learning, content curation and facilitation of user-generated content.
In contrast to LMS, the LXPs empower learners to define their learning path from a set of learning assets featuring varied formats. Besides facilitating self-directed learning, they encourage learner participation through user-generated content.
They feature social learning and offer recognition to active participants. They do feature assessments along with badges and certification.
They are fun, more engaging, and relevant for learners, and they will help learners meet specific learning outcomes.
In the short term, including in 2019, they will co-exist with LMS. Many existing LMS players are already offering the LXP option as an add-on. Then, there are new participants that offer AI-based recommendations and aspects like “career pathways” that resonate very well with the learners.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #14: Learner Analytics
2019 will continue to see the usage of learner analytics to review learner behavior and what additional measures can be adopted to increase engagement, motivation, and facilitate the application of acquired learning.
A wider adoption of Tin Can API will provide the relevant cues in this endeavor. Furthermore, the usage of Artificial Inteligence (AI) in learning will further facilitate the usage of this analytics to create more relevant and personalized learning experiences.
I see this trend seeing further traction in 2019, resulting in learning designs that appeal to learners and create the required value and ROI that businesses seek.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #15: Big Data-Reporting And Analytics
Big Data refers to voluminous data that is aggregated from various sources (typically, LMS, LCMS, learning portals, and surveys/polling or assessments in the context of eLearning). Given its volume, complexity, and the fact that it is dynamic, there is no tool that can manage and analyze it.
Big Data-reporting and analytics refers to the methodology to present the data in formats that are actionable. When processed right, this can give us tremendous insights on how learners learn, the impact of training on skills or behavioral change, and the impact on business and eventually ROI determination.
I see an increase in Big Data-reporting and analytics in 2019, leading to further optimization of the training delivery. This analysis can be used to understand learner behavior, the way they want to learn, the learning paths chosen, and how to update the existing training delivery. These cues can then be used to create personalized and more effective learning paths that enable learners to learn, practice, obtain feedback and remediation, and so on.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Section 4: Other Notable Trends To Watch Out For – The Future Is Here!
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #16: AR/VR And MR For Immersive Learning
L&D Teams’ hunt to evaluate immersive learning strategies is an on-going endeavor. Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) are acknowledged as superb approaches to provide highly immersive learning experiences for a few years now.
High price and substantial lead time to develop them have been two factors that have limited their wider usage. Also, the use cases that justify the investment and ROI are limited.
With main authoring tool providers like Adobe and Trivantis getting into VR solutions, the price points have dropped. Their design approach also makes it easier to author these learning experiences in a short time. I see further traction on VR solutions in 2019 as these solutions become more affordable and can be offered to supplement the formal training.
In my opinion, 2019 will see a wider adoption of AR-based training, including mobile apps that embed VR features. The use cases will expand to include soft skills training as well as learning to trigger behavioral change.
eLearning Trends In 2019 – Trend #17: Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Learning
The usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in learning is one trend in 2019 that you should watch out for.
AI can facilitate the creation of highly customized learning paths by analyzing the data it collects. This data can then be used to understand the learner’s interest, proficiency, and recommend further learning assets that they may not be aware of. Potentially, personalized learning will not only engage the learner better but also help L&D teams gain the impact they seek.
I hope this article helps demystify the value and impact of each eLearning trend I have listed and provides the context of why you should use them.
Training used to mean boring, but what if you play a game and get trained on a particular niche! Technology has revolutionized our daily lives and so the training. Now with the help of engaging contents, you can provide training to your employees or learn a new technology.
QuoDeck developed a game-based platform to train employees in a fun manner. We spoke to Arijit Lahiri, Co-Founder, QuoDeck Technologies to understand their vision and how it can be helpful for enterprises.
What’s the idea and How you began this journey?
When we started off in 2013, we were looking for a bunch of potential learning games but there was no software. So, we plan to create an engine which will allow us to develop games, specifically for learning. We wanted to pick up this space because most of the learning is fairly boring in the Enterprises, even today. As we have worked in that environment for our careers in Enterprises, we found that learning is very monotonous. We thought that games would make it interesting.
We thought to build a software microservice architecture and over the course of time, we developed a platform kind of web version like Netflix, Amazon kind of approach. Instead of having like one Central Core, we decided to have multiple small services which kind of aggregate the entire API level. So microservices on the API and micro apps on packages on the front-end side, where we are using just for context for backend.
Some of the backends will be on Ruby on Rails, so basically, some of rails APIs are actually Phoenix and Alex API. Also, some backend parts are on PostgreSQL and some are on MongoDB.
For the front end, we earlier used jQuery and all without using the frontend framework. Later on, we migrated most of it to React. Apart from that anything which is created on the QuoDeck framework can also be consumed through Augmented reality apps like Euphoria, Unity or Virtual Reality which is unity based, so it connects to the API.
What sort of API integration has been done?
This is cloud-hosted, some of the microservices can actually iterate what we call Omprem, behind the firewall. So, let’s say there is end number of services which are there in the app. So, they adapted in the firewall which communicates with the client systems with the clouds.
What kind of mechanism you have designed?
We have done a bit of inspiration from On the TV shows Silicon Valley. They had this concept of they were talking about this concept of mobile internet, so what we realize that lot of the calculation, a lot of the analytic which have been done on the server, doesn’t need to be done on the server so.
What we have done! Let’s say there are hundred thousand learners in a particular company he if I aggregate all the data on the server and calculate, it becomes a fairly complex affair. Instead of what that R code does the whole set of calculation and caching and storing at the mobile level.
What is aggregated needs to who goes to the server now again this is not on one single server, we have a set of app servers, which are serving out to do shading calculation by the Mongo app. Basically, we shed out the Analytics so that it allows us to do the whole bunch of real-time otherwise it would take like three days to calculate.
Why would enterprise adopt your solution?
Either they are looking for something which is free, very simple, low maintenance and can deploy easily for Speed. Because it’s a microservices app architecture the entire thing is very modular. You can launch the customized app as we have just launched QuoDeck Express. It is a variant which is built it on the context of speed. What would otherwise it will take maybe like two or three months to setup up and deploy, that can effectively now be done in just 10 minutes. That’s the hyper-speed version of the QuoDeck.
Everything is like merging Google Drive with all the powers of the learning management system. So, ability to start with a very fast system & and scale it up to a very powerful system is what really works for the Enterprises, and it works for most of the companies.
People don’t likely to come out to buy tech, they come out to solve a problem. So, when we try and cater to that this express kind of offering as You take it and get ready and go. Once that is done then are saying like OK this is interesting can we do a little bit more of this. And then you say ok so how this you can scale up the system till you can go to. Its largest we have a deployment which is a group company level deployment which has about 15 companies within it and each, so there is one common app and somebody comes in, they get to see their own branding.
At the most powerful level, there is mobility, there is engagement which is all the game-based learning techniques, and the third is fairly deep and complex analytics. Learning should be measurable, it should be treated more like a Marketing activity and not just as a charity activity for people in-house.
QuoDeck 