Online Training Evolution or Online Training Revolution?
As someone who runs an online training company looking to challenge the norm and disrupt an industry for the better, my answer might surprise you. First, lets look at a few facts:
- 84.2% of Enterprises use eLearning for training and development. - Kineo
- The top 20 LMS providers have over 250M users. – Capterra
- $56B is allocated each year to eLearning. – ASTD
- 93% of CEOs plan to increase or maintain their training budgets. – SkillSoft
These stats are staggering. To further the point, think of areas that would be tough for an organization to even think about making revolutionary changes: compliance training, per user intellectual property licenses, online learner history, eLearning courseware, etc. They prove to me that organizations currently don’t have the appetite for a revolution. Instead, they have to be evolution-minded. There’s a need to ensure current systems and content align with learners and has a place in the future. There are 5 major trends that organizations should follow to EVOLVE their online training.
5 Major Online Training Trends
- Mobile.
It’s a no-brainer. The important factor is learning platforms and learning content need to be built around and for mobile devices. It’s not good enough just to be able to say it’s accessible on mobile, learning should be build for the best possible mobile experiences first. - Measuring Results with Action.
Mobile now allows us all to have a high-end camera in our pocket. Learners have to be able to show they are able to execute what you are asking them to learn. Every piece of learning content doesn’t require this ability but content creators have to think about this prior to ever building another piece of content. - Pull not Push.
The first thing most learners think is, “They are making me take this course”. The future is creating an environment where people want to go to learn or get the content they need to do their jobs better. People check their social accounts every day because they want to go there, not because they are forced. Think about ways to get your learning platform and content to do the same. - Video-Based.
People LOVE video. Video creates a human connection to content that can often be lost in other types of online learning. It’s also easier and cheaper to create high quality video than ever before. - Microlearning.
Microlearning is defined as quick and short educational experiences driven by the learner. Have you seen the show “House Hunters” on HGTV? For those who haven’t seen this 30-minute show, it follows prospective homebuyers as they check out three properties to find the best match to their their pre-set requirements. You can certainly sit through the entire 30-minute show and see every detail or you can tune in to the last 5 minutes and a summary of the show. The summary shows the most important details of the episode and the homebuyers’ final decision. You get essentially the same content in 5 minutes as you do in the entire show. Which would you prefer? Microlearning is about creating experiences exactly like the last 5 minutes of House Hunters: visual, to the point, and engaging.
Many established online training companies have made major strides in one or more of these online training evolution trends, so no need to scrap what you have. If there are gaps in these areas, you can evolve over time. Just don’t wait too long or you could end up extinct.
