E-learning has seen a broad positive shift in the last couple of years. The new E-learning technologies keep on evolving, and a lot of companies are investing in it to yield efficient employees. Furthermore, universities and school are also inclined towards diversifying their facilities through online courses.
Let’s take a look at the some of the innovation in E-learning industry in the last 10 years:
The Usage of Smartphones
Using mobile for educational purposes is a slightly new concept. However, it has taken the e-learning industry by storm. The material that is available for e-learning on a mobile device is specifically designed by expert instructional designers to make it compatible with a small screen. Due to increasing demand, e-learning is now a consumer-driven business wherein the content focuses on serving the client.
Smartphones have become an essential part of our lives. According to a Google report, almost 80% people don’t exit their homes sans smartphones. This is the level of vitality of smartphones which makes it necessary for the e-learning industry to introduce mLearning, i.e., mobile learning on a large scale.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)
MOOC is not a new concept in the e-learning industry. It offers a large number of students access to study high-quality courses online through video streaming. Many prestigious universities such as Harvard offers MOOC at minimal or no cost. However, some courses are chargeable. MOOC also offers group collaboration and feedback through online evaluation. Anyone can access these courses and there is no minimum qualification to take them.
Gamification in the Learning Process
Gamification means integrating game mechanics and learning content together to retain and improve skills of a person using it. If correctly implemented, it can make e-learning an extensive new way of education and provide an all-around scope. Millenials are inclined towards using a mobile device which gives support to gamification as an e-learning innovation.
Learning Management System (LMS)
It is a software application that helps you create, track, and report training programme or educational courses anywhere using any device. During the last ten years, many corporate giants and schools have started using Learning Management System to train employees, students or customers. The technology is a driving force for the consultation industry wherein they specialize in training and staffing.
Interactive Audio-Video Learning
Streaming videos online are now an everyday affair for many people. YouTube is the 2nd major search engine for creating and showcasing videos. It is a powerful way to educate and train yourself or others. Many industries are embracing the online video learning platform for e-learning.
Wearable E-Learning Gadgets
Wearable gadgets such as Google Glass and Apple watch is the new trend that has innovated the e-learning industry in the last ten years. The Google Glass offers features such as Head-Up Display (HUD) which gives users the opportunity to access high-quality content from the comfort of your home. The use of Virtual reality and Augmented reality has changed the face of e-learning industry.
Personalized E-Learning Courses
Personalization of e-learning gives users the option to select a course and finish it at their own pace and comfort. It is customizable and compatible with the current generation as the traditional techniques do not provide such flexibility.
Automation
Automation holds the key to progressive e-learning programs. Automation in e-learning is a process that reduces or completely removes human interaction. The ability to automate courses through algorithms (a set of instruction and codes) gave rise to innovation and high-quality e-learning content. E-learning automation helps to automatically create online content and assessments for a course. It saves time and effort, while also providing a better learning experience for users.
Open Education Resources (OER)
Open Education Resources are accessible courses available online which can be viewed by anyone. These are documents written by subject matter experts from across the globe on any sector and subject. These resources are available even for the toughest examinations like UPSC, CAT, GMAT etc.
The information can be used effectively and creatively by anyone to learn outside the traditional form of learning such as classrooms etc. A good example of this would be the usage of OERs by Sky Customer Service to train their employees.
E-learning has seen a great rise over the past decade, and it will only continue to improve with new methods and concepts. The e-learning industry has generated new tools to achieve constructive progress, and one can choose any of the strategies that best suits them.
Author Bio: Anish Passi is the director at Neostencil, an Ed-Tech startup funded by the Times Group.
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