If you recall the training sessions conducted in 1990’s, it was a classroom training wherein a meeting was held in a conference hall in a hotel and the trainer used to come with a print out material where he distributes it to the learners along with the notebook and pen. The trainer used to explain all the concepts and learner used to take down the notes and ask questions during the Q & A session. Normally the training session will last from Morning till Evening.

If you compare the situation now, a lot has changed the learner can be trained anywhere, anytime by using various tools and technology. With the help of e-learning modules, we can deliver the content across the globe and with the help of tablets, laptops, and smartphones learning can happen anywhere and at any time.

In my blog, I would like you to present the six factors shaping the future of learning technology :

1. Internet Penetration (Connectivity)

According to Hosting Facts, in January 2018 approximately there were 3.81 billion users accessing internet across the globe when compared with 3.42 billion users in 2017. With the penetration of internet learning is reaching to the farthest of the corners both in the underdeveloped and developing economies. By far the penetration of internet is one of the biggest game changers that is shaping the future of learning technology. This has led to the emergence of educational platforms such as MOOCs, Coursera, Udemy, Lynda, which has changed the way of learning. Learning has become ubiquitous with “anywhere, anytime” and its no longer restricted to specific domains.

2. Mobile Usage

Every year we can see the number of smartphone users across the globe is increasing. In the year 2015, it was around 1.86 billion and in the year 2018, it is expected to be 2.53 million. As a result, we can see smartphones almost in each and every employee’s pockets and they are using it to do various tasks such as

• Making a video call
• Editing and sharing of reports and documents
• Virtual meeting and so on.

Usage of mobile is just not restricted to communication but is being used for socialising, ordering, listening to music, fitness etc And this extensive usage of mobile has led technology experts to use this device to facilitate learning. Organizations are now designing their learning strategies around mobile first approach because of the immense flexibility and personalization it offers to the learners.

3. Big Data Analysis

While browsing for restaurants, the google search will show you recommendations of popular food joints around you. Based on the search preference, it will suggest the dish that you were looking out for. With the help of data, technology is now predicting what is the next outcome or future course of action of the user.

In, Learning space, data can be extracted from various sources such as :

• LMS (Learning Management System)
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
• Work Systems
• Social Learning Apps

The organization is collecting users data from multiple sources in order to personalize the learning content for the audience. The data tells us what are the weak points or in where all situations the learner is facing difficulty while accessing the module thus helping the organization in closing the knowledge gaps and helping the learners to meet the organizational goals.

4. Information Overload

If we check out our surrounding environment, we could see a lot of changes around us. From restaurants to the manufactures most of them are switching on from catering to the universal needs to personal needs of the audience. In learning space as well, when there is too much information, with the help of Microlearning we can cater to the specific learning needs of the learner wherein the content can be delivered in chunks with precise information. Thus personalizing the content in order to cater to the learning requirements of the learner.

5. Demographic profiles

The Millennials will constitute about 60% of the workforce in upcoming years and they prefer to be trained in a different way. Millennials love the content to be around them and they love to access the modules anytime, anywhere. According to a Survey, Millennials love to be trained when compared with other job perks such as flexible working hours, vacation leaves, increment and so on. So the organization has transformed the training department into learning and development division in order to identify the millennial needs and to cater to their learning requirements.

6 Next-generation computing architecture

Cloud computing can be defined as how and when the computing, storage, and networking resources should be allocated, managed and consumed. From the past couple of years, cloud computing has been evolved to cloud-based and dedicated servers wherein they can provide blazing fast access to the user’s requirement thus improving the users experience while accessing the modules. This hardware can be extensively used to generate, analyze and to store the user’s data where it will be further processed to extract the real-time data, facts, and information in order to create a personalized learning experience which finally creates a delightful learning experience.

The emergence of new technologies like AI (Artificial Intelligence) Machine Learning isn’t changing the field for the learners, they are also creating disruption in the learning methodologies and transforming the Learning way.

As days pass, we can see more progress and changes in the field of learning and these factors will certainly shape up the future of learning technology.