7 Hot eLearning Trends for 2021

This year has really been a year like no other, but for the eLearning industry, the year has attributed to some major exponential growth thanks to the pandemic. With organizations, schools, and education providers operating remotely this year, many opportunities have presented themselves for education technology and eLearning.

Global Market Insights suggests that, by 2026, the industry is expected to be worth $375 billion—that’s a whole lot of opportunities for businesses and education providers to optimize their eLearning initiatives. 

These are our predictions for 2021’s eLearning trends.

1. Artificial Intelligence Tools

Artificial intelligence (AI) has opened up an immense amount of potential for bringing customization into eLearning without the need for manual intervention. AI really is the “hot topic” in the education tech industry. It’s predicted that, by 2021, AI could be the trend that grows by more than 45%.

AI can automate your basic repetitive day-to-day activities in your eLearning—for example, multiple choice quizzes could have the grading automated for educators, producing learner outcomes immediately with real-time learner progress.

Today, some education providers use AI systems and tools to monitor all learner journeys to alert educators when a learner's performance is lagging behind and needs support.

Furthermore, AI can give valuable insights into analytics on real-time interactions and user patterns within a learning management system (LMS). This abolishes the need to work across static data sets that don’t reflect the true nature of user activities in a dynamic learning platform.

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2. Richer Data Analytics Drives Decisions

Better data leads to better decisions. Many organizations are turning to deeper and more abundant data sets to gain an understanding of their remote workforce while tracking contrasting metrics determining productivity and development.

Being able to track interactions and various sources of data at a granular level not only assists in understanding the effectiveness of course delivery; it also helps identify areas for optimization based on preferences, interests, and circumstances. This helps highlight where changes can be made in delivery for maximized engagement.

3. Video-Based Learning

This isn’t a new one but video content is a significant eLearning trend that continues to play a massive role in the industry. Can you think of anything that has been used more in 2020 than video? Because of the pandemic, most of education all over the world was delivered through video and virtual classrooms.

Video supports quick learning made easier with increased retention rates—animated videos are enriching lessons and shift content to be more comprehensible.

Video-based learning will remain a hot trend that has received some of the most attention. It successfully solved the gap between the theory and practice of a concept. Live streaming, online video assignments, expert sessions, and more can be seamlessly achieved with video-based learning.

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4. Immersive Technology

Immersive technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) have pushed the door right open for new possibilities in eLearning. The rise in demand for experiential learning is moving to become more immersive and interactive than ever before.

Immersive tech helps explain complex concepts that plain images or even a lab’s hands-on experiments couldn’t show learners. Whether it’s human anatomy, interior design, machinery operations, or architecture, it can be used to improve education in a variety of industries. Immersive tech allows learners to experience real-world occupational tasks that hold a lot of danger and risk in a controlled and low-risk environment.

5. Massive Rollout Of Upskilling Opportunities

Due to the push for virtual training options throughout 2020, there has been a rapid growth in the need for upskilling in-person education professionals to be successful in an online environment.

Traditional education delivery in classrooms, seminars, or lectures doesn’t always equip educators with the skills and tools they need to succeed online. Delivering course content through a screen is a very different reality and requires a specific skill set.

Providing development opportunities for the educators themselves will help them become more effective in training across a variety of virtual platforms to achieve better engagement and learner outcomes.

6. Content Curation & Creation Tools

2020 brought a lot of rapid changes, with so many frequent quick changes in policy, safety protocols, compliance training, and work processes.

With very little notice to put these changes into action, a common trend for organizations was finding pre-made training materials fast or opting to do some course creation in-house.

Our partners at Go1 have an amazing content hub. It’s the largest curated eLearning library from the world’s top training providers and is available for a single subscription within your existing learning platform.

There are some brilliant eLearning content development tools out there that can take your course-making efforts to the next level and make it a breeze.

7. Mobile Learning

There were almost 6.8 billion mobile users worldwide in 2019 and that number is predicted to reach 7 billion by 2021. With this growth in mobile usage and many advancements in mobility solutions, mobile learners are growing at an especially rapid rate.

A strong need for flexibility, anytime learning, performance tracking, and accessibility is on the rise and learning made mobile-friendly can tap into this phenomenon.

91% of global internet users access the internet on their mobile devices. Learners from different age groups and demographics actually prefer using applications on their mobile rather than sitting in front of a screen accessing the web. The mobile interface is continuously evolving to provide better learning experiences and outcomes.

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New industry demands, trends, and growth areas are changing often and at Open LMS, our team will continue to stay ahead of the curve with new solutions, tools, and tech to ensure our clients get the best end-to-end eLearning.