Geschreven door Peter van der Reijden | January 27, 2012
This week we visited the Learning Technologies Conference in London. It was great to be there and it gave us a good glimpse of the training market in the UK and learning technologies in general. While at the conference, we found 5 topics to repeat itself in several workshops. Here they are in no particular order.
1. Doing more with less
We wrote about this efficiency trend earlier, but it's clearly a major theme for many training companies and learning technologies suppliers. This was reflected in workshops such as "The power of 90 minute training", "Video for any budget" and most telling "Cost or benefit". The efficiency question has two sides:
a. Measuring the effectiveness of the programme (focus on benefit)
b. Make the programme shorter and cheaper (focus on cost)
2. Blended, please
Blended learning is clearly becoming the status quo. Although many 'blends' can be invented, offering blended programs is clearly a no-brainer for the participants of this conference.
3. Mobile learning
A lot of workshops emphasized the possibilities of mobile learning. Especially being able to reflect on a situation just after it happened is, rightly, seen as a major benefit of mobile learning. Many believe it is the most important trend towards real workplace learning (aided by remote coaching and training modules).
4. Social, fun and games to engage the unwilling learners
Unwilling participants is a big problem in e-learning programmes. And to be honest, who can blame 'them' if we look at the amount of compulsatory but mind numbing compliance modules that are being offered? Luckily there is a clear call for more creative learning experiences. The participants of the conference believe the solution is to be found in social learning and gamification. We agree.
5. The burden of complex learning architectures and LMS'es
It seems that many large companies have invested heavily in their learning architecture, with the LMS as its most notable proponent. Learning how to deal with these, often proprietary, systems is becoming a topic in itself. This is obviously not a good thing. Delivering an all-in-one learning system that serves all needs is not something we believe in. Let's strive for easier integration of the best-of-breed tools.
Have you been to the conference? We'd love to hear how you feel about it.