As global talent shortages are creating unprecedented demand for in house-skill development, learning management systems are taking center stage in talent development strategies. According to a CareerBuilder study, 49 percent of employers hired under-qualified staff last year with a precedent to training them, a 10 percent rise from the previous year.
Demand for learning has never been greater and e-learning programs delivered via learning management systems (LMS) have never been placed to respond to this challenge. This has led to a constantly evolving and exciting LMS environment. Below are some key trends in LMS that learning and development professionals should be aware of.
MOOCS. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS) have been gathering momentum for some time. Although it was expected to significantly expand in 2014, it didn’t quite create the predicted tsunami. However, with prestigious universities like Stanford, Harvard, MIT and Berkeley offering free courses, it won’t be long before the world realizes that this is the greatest, learning giveaway.
Social Learning. Today’s workforce is comprised mainly of digital natives who have been born or schooled into social media. As the demand for social learning increases, there will be an expected surge in demand and supply of LMS environments that facilitate communication and enable social knowledge sharing and collaboration with others.
Micro-learning. Countless studies show that bite-size learning is one of the most effective ways to engage and educate the distracted, time-pressurized modern learner. Expect a surge in demand and supply of LMS environments that can deliver bite-size, micro-learning programs ranging from a few minutes to perhaps an hour in an easy, stop-start format. To facilitate this, LMS will deliver a broad range of content including learning games, podcasts, online slide-shows, simulators, quizzes, assessments, instructional videos, blogs and wiki posts.
Situation-based learning. For many years, situation-based learning has been one of the most effective forms of training. It is used in emergency services and the armed forces to help teach decision making and ingrain effective behavioral responses to specific challenges. The functionality of the LMS environment means that this resource is intensive and expensive, but it is also a highly effective form of training that can be delivered to the masses. Expect huge demand and supply for LMS environments that can effectively deliver situation-based learning.
Greater need for ROI. As LMS becomes more popular and investment increases, there will be a greater emphasis on ROI. Budget holders will expect learning management systems to be able to report on the actual learning that has taken place and how that links to productivity.
Training Connoisseur 