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The technological developments in education go very fast. So is e-learning, the acquisition of knowledge digitally, is now a familiar concept among many lecturers or trainers. E-learning is an example of such a technological development that has given education a huge boost.
And as with many technological developments, the function changes first, and only then the shape. Take, for example, the very first TV shows; in the beginning, these were actually just radio shows, with some footage added as an illustration. Now, of course, that is quite different.
Or what do you think about email? When email was first invented and used, people were still typing as formal letters to each other as they did on paper or with the typewriter before.
If we now look at how quickly short and concise emails fly around our ears at any time of the day, a major transformation has also taken place here. First the function (sending digital letters at a high speed) and then the form (from formal letters to direct messages - often in spoken language and with emoticons).
This was no different with e-learning. Especially in the early stages of e-learning, but also more recently during the first COVID lockdown, learning content 1-1 was converted from classroom to online, without looking too deeply into whether it was convenient and effective. On the one hand, of course, logical - we were in a hurry and we had no other choice. But on the other hand, a shame; as a result, many students have had a much less than optimal learning experience.
During these shifts, three important technological developments took place in education. We discuss these transformations in this blog and explain how you too can benefit from e-learning.
The concept of microlearning means that you divide teaching material into small pieces that can be viewed/listened/read in a few minutes. Microlearning is becoming increasingly popular because studies show that microlearning leads to better learning outcomes than, for example, traditional lectures, presentations, or longer forms of training. Microlearning also has many similarities with how we use social media today (see also point 3) and therefore often feels more natural and easier, and also removes a barrier.
An interesting one research from the University of Dresden shows that when they present the same course material to two groups, to 1 group via traditional learning (longer in terms of time and in a traditional format) and to 1 group via microlearning (in small, short pieces), the students who were offered the course material via microlearning answered the questions 28% faster and achieved a 20% better result!
So the ideal scenario is to create videos, audio clips, or texts that don't take more than 5 minutes. This makes microlearning also ideal for “Mobile First” learning, see point 2, because it takes up much less bandwidth than, for example, hours of videos.
self microlearning create? That's how you do it!
Studies show that on average, we spend between 3 and 5.5 hours a day on our phones. Now you may be thinking: “That doesn't apply to me!” But you might be surprised by that ;-)
In the past (and still by some teachers), checking your phone during class was seen as “bad” and “distracting”. After all, the information came directly from the lecturer and you didn't need a phone to do it.
Now that we are learning more and more online, it is essential that you develop it “mobile first” when developing an e-learning. This means that the learning content is ideal for consumption in small pieces (such as TikTok or Instagram reels) - so microlearning.
But learning over the phone doesn't just fall under the heading”educational trends”. No, companies and organisations are also encouraged to learn via mobile phones. Because hybrid working is becoming an increasing trend due to the pandemic, many companies are also offering their work processes in apps that can also be used on the phone. So ideal if your e-learning is also available in this way.
However, it often appears that if the content is transferred 1-1 from classroom training, this content does not meet the needs of the student because it has not yet been designed according to the principles of microlearning and Mobile First.
A few things to keep in mind when you want to develop your e-learning “mobile first”:
When we talk about trends and development in education, it's impossible to omit the role of social media. We can learn a lot from social media, but the two most important lessons we can take with us in the development of digital education are:
If you keep the above trends in mind while developing an e-learning, you will make your e-learning progressive and “future proof”!
Pluvo is the ideal platform for future-proof learning. Create a free account and discover the benefits.
As an educational expert specialising in online learning, I have been writing blogs for Pluvo for 5 years. My focus is on powerful learning solutions for organisations. Universal Design for Learning and inclusive learning are my passion; I believe that education should be accessible and fun for everyone.
I've been combining my 35 years of HR experience with copywriting for over 15 years. And even then, I learn new things over and over again. That's what makes writing blogs for Pluvo so incredibly interesting!
