The Twenty-twenty was such a dramatic year for everyone from all walks of life. Nobody thought that a pandemic would strike so hard on every walk of life, let alone businesses and Learning & Development (L&D). The events unfolded were hardly anyone could dream of even in their wild dreams, except in a Hollywood sci-fi.
Though most of the businesses and the L&D came to a grinding halt, but not the eLearning industry. With Covid-19, online learning has become indispensable and has grown at an exponential rate.
Earlier there were surveys that predicted and projected eLearning trends for the next five or ten years. But all those estimations were smashed in one stroke due to this pandemic. That’s the reason almost every organization embraced Learning and development technologies.
In this post, we’ll explore the top 7 eLearning trends in 2021, which are the most useful across the organizations to implement their eLearning initiatives. Without giving a break to your L&D in spite of the existence-threatening Covid-19.
Let’s move on.
7 eLearning Trends 2021
Some of these were there even before this pandemic had struck the world. Peoples across the fields simply overlooked their importance. Now, it’s a Hobson choice – this or nothing. They have to adapt to the changes brought in by the Covid-19 crisis.
#1. Mobile Learning
Mobile Learning is certainly the most underestimated and underexplored eLearning trend by Corporates, Higher Edu organizations, and other agencies. Because over the nearly 8 billion population, about 4 billion people use smartphones as per the latest stats.
Most of the time organizations have failed to create a mobile-friendly platform for eLearning for their personnel (or wards). What a missed opportunity it is!
Since a mobile paves a way for a personalized and convenient learning opportunity for your employees/students. Thankfully, this pandemic has forced many an organization to adapt mobile learning to continue their L&D strategies further on.
Learning Management Systems (LMSs) such as Moodle has already had their Moodle Mobile App. And the App can be branded and customized according to your organization’s requirements.
If you employ Moodle LMS and are looking for a custom/branded Moodle App, just explore eAbyas Info Solutions which is a Moodle Partner.
#2. Micro Learning
If they say ‘small is beautiful,’ then ‘short is simple, effective and productive too, especially regarding anything learning.’ Micro learning delivers out the results that which Marco learning doesn’t. However, the point Micro learning is mutually inclusive with Macro learning. This learning method shows itself as a viable one to accomplish the goals of Macro learning/training.
Though the significant outcomes Micro learning brings out to the table, the L&D managers show repeated signs of step-motherly treatment to it. When compared to the long-winding, unanimated files of Macro learning, short chunks of training knowledge help and are easy to digest for your folks.
The LMSs and mobile applications such as custom Moodle mobile (or any Moodle mobile app) do the needful thing.
The best example for a Micro learning is the Duolingo application. There may be other such good ones, but this application rocks on as far as I see.
Severin Hacker and Luis von Ahn’s language learning platform make things perfect for any kind of learners with their bite-sized content topics. In addition, a learner won’t be able to open another such topic until and unless he finishes the first one. And they’ve added to the learning playful gamifications which really engages learners across all walks of life.
In a nutshell, Duolingo represents Micro learning (= topic-wise/story-wise learning) at its best to fulfil Macro learning (= learning a new language = new skill).
Therefore, Micro learning will be one of my favourite Learning and Development trends in 2021 and beyond. And the corporates need to retake a look at this method of learning and explore incorporating Micro learning into their L&D must-strategies for sure results and optimum ROI.
#3. Video-based Learning
After the Covid-19 breakout, it’s tacit that Video-based learning tops the list of learning means and methods. Take a look at the forecast of Cisco through its Virtual Network Index (VNI) 2021, about internet video:
“Globally, 3 trillion minutes (5 million years) of video content will cross the internet each month in 2021. That’s 1 million minutes of video content streamed or downloaded every second.”
You see that? There is a lot of untapped opportunity to channelize your online learning and development.
With the pandemic, organizations, small or big, have taken to technology to support their learning completely through eLearning tools. Consequently, Video-based learning has gained immense prominence.
In fact, there are 27.1 billion networked devices in 2021 as per the same report.
The point here is the organizations have been moving to Video-based learning exponentially since the Covid-19. If you are using the Moodle platform, there are video-streaming tools available to do the job. And you stay tuned to us for more exciting news from us in this regard.
Therefore, Video-based learning is gonna be the top 3 eLearning trends in 2021 and beyond. And you will surely say, ‘seeing is learning now’!
#4. Gamification
One of the dumbest thing you never like to do, but do somehow for survival, is going through monotonous files of learning material. Thanks to the Gamification that addresses the un-engagement of learning contents. For that reason, it makes into the list of the eLearning trends 2021 and beyond.
Gamification allures learners into engaging in their training by showcasing it as a ‘play thing.’ And who doesn’t like playing? Man, you become a child once more and learn as a child does! That motivates L&D managers of eLearning and corporate organization to take up gamification in learning platforms.
Again, in the Gamification aspect, Duolingo fares far better than many eLearning applications. Be it with instant grading, animos (characters including the Owl), leader board, challenges and achievement, and many more.
What fun it is to learn when learning/training is a ‘play’!
Thankfully, Moodle LMS applications have started incorporating the ‘gaming dynamics’ into their learning and development. Though it takes a bit more time and requires your resources, Gamification is worth its salt and will be a good thing to be on your plate as a viable option of eLearning trends 2021.
And it should be your significant L&D strategy to get more out of your training and from your equipped employees for the desired ROI.
#5. Interactive Content
Hand over large chunks of training text to your learners and see what they do with it? Not just the text but it can be visual, audio or any other content form? At the beginning of the training, it all seems well and good. But as the days of training/learning pass-by, your learners lose the ‘first love’ for learning and have to fight hard within against their disengagement.
But how about making your learner interact to learn at every step of learning?
That’s the Interactive Content Creation has been one of the significant strategies of eLearning trends 2021. And it will be part of your eLearning deliverables during this season.
If you’re a budding L&D manager and have no idea how the Interactive Content Creation works, just check out Duolingo learning platform or H5P. If you have come across these Interactive Content applications, you’ll see how effective they are/ they will be in equipping your folks with new skillsets.
Thankfully, Moodle LMS has started integrating the Interactive Content Creation tool, the H5P. It will be a super good thing for those content creators on Moodle LMS.
With the pandemic still making news here and there, to continue your learning and development during and after this crisis season, providing interactive eLearning deliverables will surely make you reap rich benefits along the way.
#6. Social Learning
The Homo Sapiens become two groups when it comes to learning. The first group are those who learn by themselves. But the second ones are those who need someone to help or study along with them.
If you ignore the second type of learners when you design your learning platform or L&D strategies, you will put aside the needs of half of your learners. That’s when Social Learning steps in to make a holistic learning platform.
Social Learning includes things such as Forums, Chatrooms, and File-sharing options among learners and trainers. In situations such as the Covid-19, this eLearning trend is the most useful as it becomes the need of the hour.
The LMSs such as Moodle has improvised Forums in their latest versions. Plus, they have added a Forum Report to understand how a student has engaged himself by asking questions, raising questions, sharing his knowledge with his peers, etc.
If you use Moodle and BigBlueButton (BBB) integration for online classes, then you can see the chatrooms there on the BBB.
That way, students learn effectively fast from their peers and or teachers.
#7. Learning Analytics
The eLearning without Learning Analytics is likened to a game without a scoreboard and a cup. And your investment in the L&D simply goes down the drain. If you want to utilize and cash in on by upskilling your folks, you must measure their learning experiences. Sometimes, the makeshift reports, which come along with your LMS, will throw at you some static learning analytics.
Will such reporting accelerate your L&D by making you take informed decisions?
The year 2020 has taught a lesson to every type of business across the fields by suddenly turning the tables. And the folks are learning things and are getting trained online. Consequently, the learning analytics will do the needful by providing the learning analytics to chalk out the course of your L&D.
If you are using the Moodle platform, then explore LearnerScript, the Moodle reporting tool. Available as a Moodle plugin, this tool offers advanced learning analytics for plain Moodle platforms and for IOMAD LMS.
That’s all with the eLearning trends in 2021.
Epilogue
Well, there are other eLearning trends in 2021 such as Adaptive Learning, Artificial Intelligence, AR & VR, etc. But they are still in the budding stage though there is much ado about them.
Incorporating such state-of-the-art technology into your eLearning may break your bank in this survival-challenging Covid crisis. It’s better to wait until these technologies are available widespread and easy on the pocket.
Interesting in having a custom Moodle platform/mobile learning platform/Moodle reporting needs? Explore us –eAbyas Info Solutions – who are the Moodle Partners, by shooting an email or reaching us over a call.