Introduction

The things that occurred in the twenty-twenty were enough to shake the world. Nobody would have thought that a pandemic could spread so rapidly and get so bad in such a short period. But unfortunately, when it comes to businesses, hardly anyone was prepared for the events that unfolded. Even L&D departments had to make drastic changes to keep the business running and keep all employees happy. Damn! It was a crazy time.

With the world becoming more and more connected, it’s essential to find ways to cater to those who learn in different ways. In this article, we’ll be shedding some light on how including the right mix of technology and traditional teaching methods is the solution for creating an effective learning environment for work and learning.

An overview of the eLearning industry today

With the pandemic now ending, the world is slowly returning to normalcy. The eLearning industry has also grown exponentially during this time.
With the advent of Covid-19, online learning is now an integral part of training and education. Due to the new technology, businesses and L&D professionals are now more focused on improving the workforce’s skill sets instead of simply hiring better talent.

However, many experts believe that the old training and education practices were antiquated and lacked creativity. Covid-19 has encouraged the world to look at learning in a new light.

Top eLearning Trends for 2022

The top L&D trends for this year are a reflection of the impact on working habits and technology advancements that 2021 offered. They concentrate on new skills, training delivery techniques, and a new perspective on the workplace. So let’s look at the cutting-edge technologies that will benefit savvy businesses through 2022.

1 Mobile Learning

Mobile learning is one of the most unexploited trends in business today. However, based on data from Statista, over 4 billion people globally use a smartphone, meaning that companies could be missing out on potentially huge amounts of revenue by not creating mobilefriendly platforms for eLearning for their employees. This flawed L&D strategy has forced many companies to jump on the bandwagon and create some incredibly useful resources for mobiles. Also, learning opportunities, especially ones that involve education, are usually best when they build upon what students have learned in a highly interactive and conversational way. Mobile Learning allows learners to access content and engage with it anytime, anywhere from their favorite device!

2. Micro-Learning

When they say “Right size fits all,” they got it wrong. However, short is simple when it comes to learning and training. Long-format learning is not the best way of acquiring new skills or updating your existing ones. Short chunks of information are absorbed better by everyone.

The challenge of today’s eLearning platforms is catering to the needs of both long-format learners and those who prefer shorter instructional formats like Microlearning. Micro learning delivers results that Macro Learning doesn’t. This eLearning trend shows itself as a viable one to accomplish the goals of Macro learning. Duolingo application is the best example as it fulfils all the aspects of Macro Learning.

Microlearning reaffirms its importance for enabling businesses to attain their goals when there is too much noise about new technologies, often eliding what works!

3. Video-Based Learning

After the Covid-19 phase, we can say that video-based learning has topped the learning means and methods list. Studies have found that technological advances give us the flexibility of learning at any time. Furthermore, there will be 29.3 billion networked devices by 2023, and organizations are moving to videobased learning to meet those demands and expectations.

Experts agree that video learning is quickly becoming the number one learning method worldwide. As a result, companies are now implementing classroom lectures into their internal training platforms. It has become notable with the spread of technology and the growth of cloud computing. An example of video-based learning is Moodle. Moodle offers features such as Video Streaming to create engaging video courses with ease when developing eLearning content.

4. Content Curation

Content curation is so hot right now among the most forward-thinking organizations. They know that their Intranets and other knowledge bases have a huge content repository. Still, they don’t realize that while they certainly give their users options of relevant information, they cannot streamline the way people learn. True Content Curators will be smarter than that, delivering a customized approach to learning to use unique processes that enable learners to create their paths.

Now, we see this working in so many ways regarding eLearning, specifically how learners could take deeper dives into certain content after being given basic information about the subject. It creates new opportunities for teaching and learning. Content curation is one of the significant trends to create high learner engagement.

5. Social Learning

As you may have already heard, e-learning takes a new meaning with the boom of social learning. Social learning is implemented by facilitating basic capabilities like Voice of Customer or forums, Chatrooms, and Filesharing options among learners and trainers. In addition, it helps remove challenges, and difficulties often encountered while designing traditional eLearning platforms.

Human learners and trainers come in two groups: those who learn by themselves and those who need to be guided. Traditional LMSs are not designed to include the needs of the second group, but the Social Learning trend has never been on a better rise. It is a platform that allows you to take your learning experience beyond an LMS.

6. Artificial Intelligence

AI is one of the trends that is going to be a big part of our future. We have witnessed remarkable growth in the implementation of artificial intelligence in automating numerous mundane activities over the last few years. As much as we want to put AI in every part of our life, L&D professionals need to make sure it will truly benefit their users first.

Artificial intelligence in learning has taken huge strides in recent years. It can be attributed to the fast growth of machine learning and techniques that let computers learn and predict user behaviour. In addition, the growing use of AI in customer service has made young professionals more comfortable with AI. Additionally, if you’re going to use AI, you should also ensure that your users understand it and how it works. Explain it to them thoroughly and show them how it benefits them personally.

Also, internet search engine giants like Google and Microsoft have invested a lot into AI’s potential. Previously, intelligent personal assistants like Siri
weren’t so impressive – they didn’t speak or interact very well with other people, much less serve as an assistant in day-to-day activities. However, thanks to those investments made by companies such as Apple and Google (who both develop the latest Apple and Android operating systems), this trend is pretty much here to stay!

7. Learning Analytics

eLearning without Learning Analytics is akin to a game without a scoreboard; you might as well be running it blindfolded. You can’t see if your efforts are paying off, and you may not get to know the actual ROI. It will end up in what is called “boiling the ocean.” If you want to utilize your investment in L&D, use LMS metrics such as standard reports, quizzes, and other things to help you through different measurement steps.

As more people learn about it, this data can be used to define processes that better assess and develop skills needed to enrich interactions with customers and work together. Learning analytics is a relatively new addition to the learning and development department. While it’s still commonly associated with a marketing term, the true value of learning analytics lies in the patterns established from the data being produced.

8. Human-Centred Experiences

We see a significant trend shaping the learning space in human-centred design and learning experiences. For many years, training was merely a transactional experience. Organizations created training calendars and allocated training time that was not oriented to the needs of the learners. Instead, it pushed learners to complete mandatory exercises to meet numbers.

While this is a harsh assessment of how once most organizations saw learning concepts, the fundamentals have changed today. Many businesses are adopting a new approach to training in which organization-specific goals are linked to learning resources, which is excellent news for both organizations and learners. This trend is expected to become a key driving force in 2022.

9. Gamification

Creating engaging and effective eLearning is no longer as difficult as it used to be. Gamification is a relatively new term in the online learning game that describes the process of turning your training course into an interactive game format that allows you to earn points, badges, and even “streaks” to validate accomplishments, which are especially useful for reinforcing compliance information or industry regulations.

Boring topics become tremendously enjoyable by mixing flashy visuals and engaging dynamics that offer learners a burst of dopamine. After all, who doesn’t like to learn when learning is a play. Hence, it has become one of the most popular trends in eLearning and will remain so for many years to come.

10. Virtual Reality

Learners are constantly seeking better engagement in their learning experiences. So what’s better than VR, which transports students into an alternate universe where they get a chance to immerse themselves deeply in anything from lifestyle to the arts, sports, and beyond? VR provides an all-encompassing experience that makes the learner want to stay on rather than move on to something else after a few minutes. It sticks with them for long periods and helps create memories that draw people back again.

The one thing missing from traditional virtual learning simulations is immersion, the feeling of being physically present in a virtual world. It’s times like these when Virtual Reality comes into play to fulfil this missing need by transporting learners to fantasy environments more engaging than any basic simulation could ever hope to provide.

11. Catalogue Courses

Learners tend to be demanding and often like to go off the beaten path when it comes to learning new things. To keep learners abreast of new trends and developments in this digital age, more organizations contribute to the low-budget trend by going digital and publishing catalogue content online over distributing hard copy books. They also use YouTube and platforms like Udemy to teach learners some specific skills or subjects whenever they please.

Still, many more organizations now understand there is a demand for the sort of courses that come ready-made and are digitally delivered to reach out to as many people as possible with these learning resources. Unlike before, they don’t need to wait a while between chapters as everything happens at once; in most cases, without extra effort on their part! It helps deliver more educational materials to more people through a single source where learners can go at their own pace to find what they need instead of scouring the web looking for the best options.

Final Verdict

Every year brings about new trends in the eLearning industry. In 2022, learning trends would change, keeping in mind the changing times, changes in technology, and the demand for skills. Organizations are now looking for employees who are well-versed with various digital tools and techniques. Learning in this digital age is fastpaced, and organizations are looking for skilled employees who can keep up with the changing technology.