Personalization
2016 is another big year for eLearning, the growth of the shows, conferences and businesses turning to eLearning is phenomenal. However it is key to keep up with the growth just like any other technology before it goes stale.
Mobile learning, gamification and badging/ award systems are all very new on the scene and proving to be extremely successful. However before we get ahead of ourselves we should really take learning back to basics. Throughout traditional classroom learning, one of the crucial parts is the personal teaching that a tutor/ instructor or trainer can give to the individual. After all we are all different and learn in very unique ways, what works for one doesn't always work for another. This is why one of the biggest movements in eLearning is personalization.
Personalization feeds into all of the other trends that work so well. Gamification - you can choose your own avatar or character and input your name, awards and badging systems and linked directly to you and your colleague or friends leader-board, again including a chosen avatar and name and mobile learning is literally on your own personal device. Which is why it's so popular! All of these concepts are not new, they have been in the gaming and computing industry for decades and even before that, board games have always given you the personal choice of a coloured button or shape that represents you. This idea of giving the learner the choice has proved successful since, well, forever.
It's that choice that can engage the learner and make them feel special. Our mobile phones and laptops all work with this concept in mind, you input your name on the first day you get the device and for the rest of your time with it, it greets you and now even has little voices inside that literally speak to you.
However the personalization movement in eLearning is slightly bigger than just an avatar and inserting your name at the beginning of a course. Although these are key to engagement of the learners interest it isn't personalization's full potential. As data gets bigger and as we are able to read and analyze it more effectively it will change the learning from being targeted to a group of employees or people of the same age group or gender to a more personal level. Targeting the learning to the individual. Meeting specific requirements and understanding how people learn is something that the eLearning industry will incorporate.
Much like classroom learning, a tutor can see where a student might have made mistakes or struggled in areas. This is the same concept with 'Big Data', by analyzing a courses success rate, the organisation can see what their employees failed on. This will transform into much more of a unique analysis. Being able to detect and group individuals more specifically will mean that eLearning will be able to help in the right areas. Providing the best possible resources especially for them.
This will be revolutionary for learning, as if we haven't already come far enough, this will take an eLearning course and transform it into a tutor. Personal, and there to guide, motivate and engage.
