ADAPTIVE LEARNING TRENDS

Training methods have changed a lot over the years. With the rise of high-tech methods using Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality we’re moving away from traditional classrooms to adaptive online learning. However certain methods are less cost-effective than others and more complicated to implement for larger groups. Let’s take a look at some emerging adaptive learning trends!

In recent years many adaptive learning trends have emerged to better engage and educate learners. Adaptive learning is when the courses and the learning process are customized for specific learning needs. This means that a student’s difficulty and pace of learning can be changed in real-time based on how they perform, using regular knowledge checks to asses performance and retention. Technology-based adaptive learning is already widely used in order to help students learn better based on their performance. For example, in a quiz exam, the difficulty of the questions can be increased or decreased based on the student’s previous answers. A student who constantly performs well can skip topics while taking a course or questions in the case of a quiz.

Last week we discussed the advantages of adaptive learning which include making for a better learning experience, generating data that can be used to learn about students, focusing on specific aspects based on the collected data and helping students learn at their own pace. Adaptive learning is supported by confidence-based assessments, strong analytics, and measurement of training effectiveness. Now, let’s take a look at some emerging adaptive learning trends.

Online Mentorship Programs

Most successful people have had a mentor at some point along the way. In the digital age, we can now take this method and convert it to online mentorship programs. These programs are a great way to connect students with industry experts as well as provide students with first-hand knowledge, creating a personalized experience.

Methods of implementation for online mentorship programs range from having a live chat widget that can connect students with subject experts to hosting live video sessions, helping students connect to mentors. Live video technology makes it easier to host webinars with experts talking about the subject through readily available mediums such as social media platforms. The transition from traditional seminars to webinars has made valuable information accessible to knowledge seekers across the globe at a low cost because you don’t have to be physically present. Interactive webinars can also be hosted through e-learning websites, allowing students to ask questions comfortably, compared to seminars involving large groups. Webinars can also be used to present online workshops, host meetings, conferences, lectures, and presentations. Hosting webinars with relevant content is a good way to keep learners engaged and provide them with additional wisdom.

The advantages to these programs are that they provide a quality learning experience and connect students with industry experts. They allow students to stay motivated, focused and make it easy for students to ask questions, ensuring greater knowledge retention. They can be accessed at a low cost or free of charge, downloaded and re-watched for better understanding and create discussion forums for students to post their questions online and connect with fellow students.

Self-Directed Learning

Self-directed learning (SDL) is an approach where the students take on the responsibility of learning at their own time and pace with or without the help of a teacher or a mentor. They have access to a course catalog at any time, in any place, and through any means. This approach to learning gives students the freedom to control their learning process, starting and stopping at their own convenience. Students can select, manage, and assess their own learning activities.

Self-directed learning also creates data about the student while they are taking e-learning courses or training modules. Learning Management Systems (LMS) can then be modified or improved based on this data. Analytics can make a huge difference in e-learning by helping to improve content delivery and create a personalized e-learning experience. With traditional methods, it is hard to keep track of every student and their performance. With the help of data and analytics, a students performance can be tracked online and personalized to their learning experience. Students can even unknowingly be in the driver’s seat throughout the entire process, which will have a huge positive impact on the course completion rates. Implementing regular knowledge checks also allows a students performance and knowledge retention to be tested and assessed to determine continuation or remediation.

Flexible learning processes give students maximum control over their education so they don’t feel restricted, helping them manage time effectively and learn at a pace they’re comfortable with. The most important thing is the execution, so if a student is given too much freedom they’ll end up getting lost in the process. It also helps to understand an individual student’s performance and needs. As well as predict the student’s future performance and show improvement.

e-Learning Mobile Apps

Getting a good mobile app developed is the need of the hour for educators. Having a responsive website is more of a necessity than a ‘trend’ at this point, but still don’t address specific needs such as providing bite-sized information on the go. Allowing students to use devices of their choice can help them learn more effectively. With ever-changing technology, apps are becoming affordable and proving to be an invaluable tool to engage your students.

These days most people generally own multiple devices, it is important to make the content adaptive to any device, so the student can seamlessly move from one device to the next and easily share course materials among their friends. e-Learning mobile apps are easily available for students to download, enable a better understanding of concepts, and can be accessed anywhere at any time from a mobile phone.

With the increase of e-learning platforms and especially corporate training LMS comes the need to invest in technology that can adapt to any device. The implementation of the Bring Your Own Device policy provides students or trainees with a seamless experience across any device, such as a mobile, a tablet or a desktop screen. A student’s participation is bound to increase when you allow them to learn on a device they’re comfortable with. Students feel comfortable learning from their own device and will be more involved, making better use of technology.

While platforms like Moodle and WordPress have plugins that transform the website content into an app-like experience, apps built specifically for the platform prove to be a better option as they have optimized layouts and can be customized to suit requirements.

Blended Learning

Blended learning or ‘hybrid learning’ are the terms used to describe an education program that combines both e-learning aspects and traditional classroom methods. You can divide course content into instructor lead courses and online courses to make the learning experience more effective. For example, a traditional classroom lecture can be recorded and shared with the students, so that they can go to a lecture video to recall the lesson if they happen to miss a class, allowing them to stay on track.

The advantages of this are that it incorporates both traditional learning methods with self-directed learning methods. Hybrid learning gives students access to course material and lecture videos at any time, saving money and increasing the reach of course content for better information retention.

Technology

Gamification And Game-Based Learning

Organizations are increasingly looking to improve the effectiveness of their training methods by creating game-based learning to empower and engage their learners. It has been observed that gamification improves retention rates and better application of the subject matter at work. Companies are looking to implement more game-based solutions, as they see them as value adders for organization-wide learning. Games that are relevant to the work, well thought out, well designed and address the needs of learners to engage them more effectively. It has been proven through numerous implementations that gamification also helps in releasing happy hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin, increasing job satisfaction rates.

Gamification creates a long-term adherence to the task at hand and has proven an excellent application in education and training to improve performance and retention.

Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality

Virtual reality and augmented reality are both growing rapidly as important modes of displaying learning content. These forms of display create 3D simulations that allow viewers to interact and visualize the display from different angles as if it were really there.

Augmented reality (AR) describes the augmentation of content through interesting overlays of graphics and images making them pop out, thrilling the viewers with 3D visuals. The experience helps learners connect to the content better and enhancing the retention of the material.

Virtual reality (VR) continues to grow in its use for teaching various safety-related procedures. Organizations are now looking at virtual reality as an important training solution, as e-learning companies use effective Instructional Design strategies to enhance the VR experience. Using a mixture of 360-degree photographs, interactions, and many more elements, VR is becoming a truly engaging experience. Organizations are also investing in cognitive learning products that are augmented by VR especially for children and people with special needs.

In addition to AR and VR, there is Mixed Reality (MR) which merges real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualizations where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time.

AR, VR, and MR modernize and revitalize content, making the transmission of information more efficient, safer and more intuitive. These emerging technologies are excellent training solutions for today’s workforce. They can also be used to create eye-catching presentations the audience can visualize and comprehend fully.

Conclusion

From school to workforce adaptive learning trends are taking over the way we engage and teach students. We’ll one day have a world where these methods are commonplace and through this observe a rise in attendance, excitement, and retention of the knowledge being transferred.