L&D in 2024
Dig in as we share where we think the biggest opportunities and challenges are for L&D as we head into the new year
As we surge rapidly towards the end of 2023 it’s always an important time for reflection, about what you have achieved over the past 12 months, but also on what hasn’t worked, where you’ve had to pivot and what you’ve learned. What are you most proud of this year? What have been your biggest accomplishments? Take a moment to think about them as we reflect back on the year.
At the end of 2022 we took a look forward and predicted that social learning, data storytelling, inclusivity, skills and coaching would be the focal points of 2023, and our first webinar of 17 across the year put these topics into core focus. As we look ahead into 2024 we are doubling down on these trends and adding two new focus areas to the list. It’s no surprise to see Ai make the cut, but we’ve also got our eye on what’s happening with learning content as we head into the new year.?
So this is it, you heard it here first. Our modern L&D predictions for 2024 and beyond are:
To bring this to life, let’s take a look at some of the real-world problems and questions we’ve been hearing this year, and think about some of the core topics underpinning each area. We’ll dig into the details of each area on the first of our 2024? webinars, so if you’re interested then join our webinar on January 17th 2-3pm GMT: Modern L&D predictions for 2024 & beyond.
Impact storytelling
One of the problems we’ve heard many of our customers come to us with is how they quantify and communicate the impact of the learning initiatives they’re running on driving business outcomes. There are two core problems here. L&D teams are still battling with how to communicate value beyond completions, engagement statistics and compliance rates. Even though we’re seeing an upward trend in customers prepared to tackle the tougher questions, outside in the wider world we are very conscious that this is still something being worked through. Secondly, even when L&D teams successfully move the needle outside vanity metrics, it’s still really difficult to know how to communicate success to the wider business. In other words, L&D needs to get better at storytelling and marketing themselves.?
Problem: Difficulty in quantifying the impact of learning initiatives on business outcomes.
Key question:? How can we measure the effectiveness of our training programs in terms of real-world impact?
Where we might see AI helping: Natural Language Processing (NLP) could be used for sentiment analysis and to analyse data to measure behaviour change and tie it to tangible business results.
Inclusive design
Inclusion is such a large topic and covers the breadth and depth of everything L&D teams and businesses do. From the way they operate and communicate, to the way content is created and disseminated. Inclusive design is a nuanced topic. Our focus here is drawing attention to our own bias and the bias that is evident in Ai to build better experiences for everyone. In many conversations over this year the topic of how to cater to multiple different audiences has been on the tip of tongues, and it’s always worth remembering that not everyone thinks or behaves in the same way as you. Additionally, if you’re going to leverage Ai for content creation you need to be in a position to think critically about the outputs. We’ve seen numerous times where Ai has fabricated content or presented biased views of the world. Of course
Problem: Creating learning experiences that cater to diverse learner demographics and needs.
Key question: What strategies can we employ to make learning experiences inclusive and equitable for everyone?
Where we might see AI helping: Create personalized learning pathways and accessibility tools like voice recognition to create more accessible solutions.
Community focus
As workforces continue to remain dispersed collaboration and communication are vital to the way business is run. There has been an intense focus on meaningful messaging since COVID, but with a return to office working and a thriving debate around hybrid working, it’s no surprise to see that people are craving community in learning experiences in a way they haven’t done before. There’s been a huge upsurge in blended learning and face-to-face events over the course of 2023, and although often more costly they are considered more beneficial. As we head into 2024 this trend is set to continue, and this means L&D teams need to think smartly about how communities can be utilised within their initiatives.
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Problem: Fostering engagement and collaboration among dispersed learners.
Key question: How can we build a sense of community and connection among remote or globally dispersed learners?
Where we might see AI helping: AI-powered chatbots for instant learner support, recommendation systems for connecting people with similar interests, and virtual collaboration platforms enhanced by AI for group activities.
Skills coaching
One of the goals of coaching is to help you upskill. Given the key focus on coaching many L&D teams had over the course of 2023, it seems natural that this should progress into specific skills coaching. We’ve seen huge possibilities in Ai defining and creating goals for people, and being able to match that with task creation and a plan of action. For L&D teams this means that there’s a chance people will be able to upskill more rapidly in both individual and organisational-wide skills. Taking a view of skills development as something that is worked towards in small increments, rather than shifting skills from one end of the scale to the next over a defined period could arguably help demystify the complexity of skills development.?
Problem: Identifying individual skill gaps and providing targeted coaching at scale.
Key question: How do we assess the specific skills gaps of each learner within a large cohort?
Where we might see AI helping: Machine Learning algorithms for adaptive assessments, AI-driven skill gap analysis, and personalized learning paths tailored to each learner's needs.
Intentional content creation
Content creation has been the number one focus of L&D teams when it comes to Ai. It’s easy to see why because it’s within easy reach and feels much safer than many of the unknowns and technical complexities of other advances. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come without risk. This ties into some of the points shared previously around thinking critically about outputs but also stretches into the question of whether we should be creating more content just because it’s become easier. But what is clear is that more personalised experiences that can be built around the needs of individuals are important, and as a result, more intentionality emerges about how learning experiences are constructed.
Problem: Ensuring the creation, curation and relevancy of learning content amidst information overload.
Key question: How can we curate and deliver content that aligns with specific needs and has a direct and measurable impact on performance?
Where we might see AI helping: AI-based content recommendation systems, content tagging and metadata enrichment using AI, and adaptive content delivery and creation tools based on learner preferences.
What do you think?
How do the problems and questions we’ve highlighted here relate to your own work, organisation or wider circles??
As we quickly head towards the end of the year it’s a great time to reflect on what’s happened over this year, which has been particularly fast-paced alongside the developments in Ai. What trends are you seeing and more importantly, what are you hoping 2024 will bring?
If you are interested in any of the topics covered here, book a chat with us to see how we can help you.?