10 key trends in Digital Learning for 2019 and beyond - what you need to know!

We have just released our latest research into learning technology and our insights into corporate digital learning partners. So, after a year of research and surveys, what do you need to know.

The quickest way to find out is to download our Fosway 9-Grid Reports for Digital Learning

But as a taster - here is what we are seeing in digital learning solutions.

1. Video is becoming the new norm

Video in learning is rapidly becoming the media of choice in digital learning.

Whether it’s for performance support, learning nuggets, or user generated content, video is set to grow even further during 2019 and is going to become core to what people view as microlearning.

Potentially low cost and quick to develop, its only weakness is the ability for learners to search to a frame level, but this is already being addressed by some next gen solutions.

For some late corporate adopters of e-learning, video is a way of leap frogging the market, from being an e-laggard to becoming a digital leader.

2. "Value Add" is the most important measure of success for corporate learning

As organisations evolve at ever increasing speed, it’s the speed of learning, and its "value add" that is the most important measure of success for learning programmes.

Whilst many still talk about adoption and engagement, savvy buyers will look at maximising business value and contribution.

This drives the need for more effective measurement, and for better integration of learning data with real business performance data (sales, customer satisfaction, growth, profitability).

Data driven approaches are on the rise, but sadly, this is still far from mainstream and technical barriers still appear to be high.

3. Microlearning builds more momentum in 2019

Whilst the adoption of bite-sized learning has been a trend for over 15 years, its latest incarnation under the label ‘microlearning’ is inevitably going to be a feature for 2019 – especially when combined with video.

Whilst there are many positives to this approach, buyers also need to look at how they build real proficiency and capability in the workforce. That means building true learning experiences which include purposeful practice and learning cycles in the work place.

Beware the trap of relying on another e-learning content type as the total answer.

Learning is a process and a journey; content alone, is only one part of the answer.

4. Creativity from providers means building solutions beyond traditional e-learning course formats

Creativity and design are still critical for buyers. But great learning design has become more important than instructional design, as learning becomes more continuous and embedded in the flow of work.

Buyers are now looking for a new breed of engaging learning experiences, but much of what is offered by the traditional e-learning market still lacks an edge.

Despite all the hype, gamification has still to break through to the mainstream, and techniques for increasing learner engagement are less frequently used than one might assume.

But being increasingly creative with traditional e-learning courses is not where the market is going. Rather, it is diversifying. Newer entrants/next gen providers are seeing increasing demand from buyers looking for new learning formats based on design thinking and focused needs.

5. 70:20:10 is in decline in corporate learning strategy

70:20:10 is still a concept talked about more (at least in learning teams) than it is acted upon.

But this will decline even further as organisations leave the number behind and think more about how they accelerate personal engagement, operational performance and strategic talent/capability.

L&D is realising that time to value, business impact, and agility are more important than focusing on ratios for learning delivery.

Whilst 70:20:10 has helped move learning into the 21st century, its time as a lead strategy seems to be waning.

6. Personalised learning is becoming a key differentiator, but is still not the norm

‘One size fits all’ learning is the bane of most learners, whose experience of corporate sheep-dip learning is hugely wasteful of their time.

As a result, there is increasing attention on personalised learning to reduce waste, increase relevance filter based on learner needs, and create a more personalised learning journey.

The ‘learner as a consumer’ is a trend that will shape learning to and beyond 2020.

L&D should adopt more consumer psychology and techniques to facilitate more effective engagement, underpinned by better use of data to profile and support the learner.

7. Next gen searchable content is a core part of effective learning in the flow of work

The ability of users to quickly find the right content at the right time continues to be one of the biggest barriers to workplace learning. But buyers are increasingly ditching closed content approaches to make content visible to search outside of their LMS.

The importance of this cannot be understated. Better tagging and deeper search is essential to enable learning in the flow of work.

If learning is to be commonplace through social media or workplace tools like Slack, then intelligent bots will need to be able to interrogate the sub-detail and surface what is relevant, at the point of need. 

8. Mobile learning an entry-level requirement for buyers, whether they use it or not!

Whilst smart phones are still not the primary destination for content delivery for the majority of learners, buyers want to know that learning content will work on all screen formats without republishing or additional design costs.

Mobile compatibility is no longer optional, and resources and content must work on all devices.

Providers that have geared up to produce multi-format content have an advantage, as re-programming for different devices is simply not a sustainable option.

9. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are still niche, but making real inroads

AR and VR are starting to deliver some compelling niche learning solutions, but they are unlikely to go mainstream, at least not yet.

Some use-cases for practical and situational skills training, especially in high risk environments, are impressive, but they are yet to find the rationale for broader adoption and barriers to entry are not insignificant.

The emergence of VR glove-based controllers may add the next level of fidelity to the learner experience. Time will tell how market adoption evolves, but mostly, they remain ‘ones to watch’.

10. The rise of Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Intelligence and Intelligent Assistants

Of all the promises behind the next wave of technology, those promised by AI are potentially the most transformational.

As well as AI and machine learning for personalisation and analytics, the opportunities for intelligent assistants is significant, especially for corporate process and systems support, and for enabling learning in the flow of work.

Corporate adoption is currently still rare, but expect this is to change fast as providers embed more AI into their solutions.

The other use case for AI is for accelerating content creation and content curation. AI curated channels automatically generate a wider range of content themes faster than is feasible through manual methods, and also allows user personalisation.

Given the rate of change of content and content formats, this may be the only way L&D groups can ensure their content stays relevant and up to date.

WANT TO FIND OUT MORE>>>

Come along to our session T2S2 - Learning technology landscape at the Learning Technologies Show a the Excel in London. We'll be exploring the hottest market trends and our latest survey results from over 800 respondents!

As always - arrive early to avoid the crush...

 13-Feb-2019  13:55 - 15:05 Platinum Room 2 – Track 2