2020 eLearning Drift: 7 Things To Keep An Eye On

7 Focus Points For eLearning Professionals In 2020

The new decade is just around the corner, and the countdown for new eLearning trends coming into the picture has already started.

• A report from Research and Markets suggests that the global eLearning industry is expected to grow from $176.12 billion in 2017 to reach $398.15 billion by 2026 with a CAGR of 9.5%.
• In 2017, approximately 77% of American companies used online learning [1].
• According to a survey conducted by Towards Maturity in the year 2011, 72% of the 600 companies that were surveyed said that learning technology such as mobile learning, eLearning, etc. helped their business adapt more quickly to the change—an increase of 11% in last year [2].
• In 2016, the self-paced eLearning product market amounted to 46.67 billion U.S. dollars and is projected to decrease to 33.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.
• A report from Edgepoint Learning shows that 39% of millennials want to see more virtual education in the workforce by 2025 [3].

It’s evident from this growing number that one needs to know the industry trends to stay ahead of the competitors and enhance their existing offerings. So let’s have a look at these major game-changing drifts:

1. LXPs Will Play A Crucial Role

The next-level Learning Management Systems (i.e, Learning Experience Platforms) have already created a hype in terms of offering a customized, social, online learning experience for users. These AI-powered learning mediums are expected to be adopted in an extensive manner especially by large enterprises. World-renowned industry analyst Josh Bersin researched more than 20 different vendors and concluded that the LXP market has passed the $350 million mark.

2. Learner Analysis And Reporting Will Be A Popular Functionality

Student behavior is an important facet when it comes to eLearning. It’s important for companies to find out which courses are popular, what is the completion rate, who are proactive learners, where the learners are facing troubles, etc. Learner analytics finds out the answers to these questions and improves training. LMS platforms embedded with Experience API (xAPI), which registers learner activity and stores the data, will be on high demand from the start of next year.

3. User-Generated Content Will Be Prevalent

As per a report from Towards Maturity, the year 2017 witnessed a 38% rise in User-Generated Content [4]. With this huge leap, it’s evident that companies are inclining toward a more democratic approach to learning and knowledge sharing. In addition to this, the same report states that usage of bespoke content from external suppliers has decreased from 64% in 2014 to 52% in 2017 [4]. This fact clearly indicates that businesses will prefer User-Generated Content to be shared in eLearning solutions rather than sourcing them from elsewhere.

4. Video Content Will Thrive

Videos have become the most popular element on the internet today. Data from Insivia suggests that the video content uploaded in an average month is higher than the number of videos created by all 3 major US TV networks combined in 30 years [6]. Hence, we’re predicting that this integrative and engaging content format will be a fundamental part of workplace learning in 2020. Be it live streaming, video assignments, expert tips or practice demos, videos will be able to create an immersive simulating learning experience.

5. AR, VR, And MR Will Be Adopted

Visual learning has become common today. Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and mixed reality are slowly paving their way into eLearning platforms. Several Fortune 500 companies, such as Boeing, UPS, and Walmart, have already introduced VR into worker education programs on a massive scale [7]. Although embedding these modes of technology is quite expensive, they produce enhanced learning experience and performance support.

6. Work-Life Skills Will Be The Highlight

Companies like Towards Maturity, Deloitte, and LinkedIn Learning are focusing on concepts such as problem-solving, communication skills, collaboration, and leadership management for digital learning. These are commonly referred to as work-life skills that empower people to succeed across different roles and adapt to changes. These work-life skills will continue to be a highlight for the coming year in the eLearning world, especially by companies who wish to retain staff and ensure future success.

7. Effective Mobile Learning Will Be Encouraged

Data shows that 600 million people worldwide subscribe to mobile learning applications. The market for mobile learning products and services is projected to grow by $70 billion by the year 2020. These figures clearly showcase why the eLearning industry prefers mobile learning which assures on-demand and enormous potential. Moreover, it’s very easy to create a piece of content that functions across all smart devices automatically.

To sum these trends up, in the coming year, eLearning is expected to become sophisticated and effective. Be it workforce training or online learning for students, traditional means of classroom teaching will slowly fade away. It’s important to become proactive and learn about these changes in order to be well-positioned in this cut-throat competitive market. However, it will be interesting to witness these new industry developments at the dawn of 2020.