E-learning, or electronic learning, has come a long way in recent years and has become an integral part of education and training. With the advent of new technologies and the growing demand for online learning, e-learning has seen significant growth and is expected to continue to do so in the future.

Based on Januszewski and Molenda’s definition of Educational Technology, e-learning is defined here as the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance through the appropriate use of different technologies. The mode of delivery is online, and it targets a variety of audiences ranging from K-12, corporate, higher education, and other organizations. Particular focus on the ethical practice of e-learning: a practice that considers your learners, the environments for learning, the needs of the society, and the “good” of society (think who is included, who is empowered, and who has authority are new issues in the design and development of learning solutions) (Januszewski & Molenda, 2008).

As we start a new year, it seems relevant to explore the latest trends and frameworks in e-learning and how they are shaping the future of education and training. So, whether you're a student, a teacher, or a professional educator, keep reading to learn more about the future of e-learning and how it is shaping the way we learn and interact with others.

1. Virtual Learning Communities

Learning communities are the keystone of learning together. We will see a greater emphasis on collaboration and community-building to help fight feelings of isolation common among online learners and teachers in virtual learning communities. Learner-generated content is valued and rewarded, leading to online learning and teaching democratization (Correia et al., 2019). For example, addressing social challenges while learning contributes to a pedagogy of engagement.

E-Learning platforms are being developed to allow learners and teachers to collaborate and connect in virtual learning environments, creating a sense of community and belonging and making learning more social and democratic.

2. Microlearning

There is a significant emphasis on microlearning and bite-sized learning content. With people’s increasingly busy schedules, shorter and more focused learning sessions are becoming more popular. This trend is particularly relevant for online learners, who can learn at their own pace and schedule and want to learn in bite-size chunks (Sharma, 2022). Microlearning also allows learners to consume content on demand and at their own pace, making it a highly effective and flexible way to learn.

Bite-size content, sometimes called snack content, is a concept borrowed from the fast food industry with easily “digestible” content nuggets as fast learning. The popularity of learning podcasts, whose average duration is between 20 and 40 minutes, is due to their compatibility with fast learning. With the launch of Clubhouse in March 2020, training rediscovered the interest in audio. Learning podcasts are revolutionizing the use of audio from a pedagogical perspective.

Mobile devices rapidly deploy snack content, leading e-learning to adopt mobile learning fully. This trend is making traditional forms of e-learning through computer-based and instructor/facilitator-based learning more an alternative to training than the norm. E-Learning platforms and course materials are optimized for mobile devices to make them more accessible to learners.

3. Immersive Learning

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) enhance learners’ interactive experience and make online learning more immersive. VR and AR can create realistic simulations and scenarios, allowing learners to experience a subject in a way that would not be possible in traditional online classes. They are particularly impactful for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects.

So far, the cost of developing training for VR/AR devices has been prohibitive. Though, with the advances in these technologies, the development will become less costly and accessible to education budgets. For example, Meta has proposed a significant advancement, particularly with avatars and the ability to transmit the micro-signals of each participant through Meta Quest Pro headsets in real time. The photorealistic avatar built with a simple smartphone completely changes the quality of the relationship. Teachers and trainers can increase and maintain their teaching presence and support learners in all steps of the learning journey.

The future promises many improvements with haptic feedback and olfactory impressions. What remains to be built is an ecosystem that easily allows for content production and has enough learners to make it a somewhat profitable business model.

4. Artificial Intelligence

Education has been mostly untouched by the hands of Artificial Intelligence (AI) (Aamir, 2022), but this is changing too. 2022 was the year of breaking new frontiers in AI (The Economist, 2022) thanks to the Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3) launched by OpenAI. This deep learning algorithm generates more than 175 billion parameters simultaneously and is capable of building texts out of nothing without supervision. MidJourney, another version of GPT-3, proposes creating artistic images in sophisticated styles. Content creation is being developed with a quality never seen before.

The uses still need to be established, but the potentials are enormous. AI can personalize learning experiences, provide real-time feedback, and analyze student data to improve learning outcomes. Producing on demand allows for creating custom-made content live. And on the same principle, there is nothing to prevent thinking that the same technology could also generate podcasts and videos on demand. In the long term, each learner could build their own training; they just have to learn how to make well-formulated requests and prompts to artificial intelligence.

5. Online Learner Satisfaction

Learner satisfaction is an essential indicator of success when teaching online. AI ensures massive data processing and a multifaceted understanding of learners. E-Learning platforms use data and analytics to create personalized learning experiences for learners, tailoring the content and pace of the content to the individual’s needs and preferences.

The AI permits personalization at a granular level, can measure and consider prior existing knowledge, track learner progress and boost confidence while learning online (Bernhardt, 2022). E-learning platforms will use AI to adapt to the learner, their pace of progress, and their individual learning needs and preferences. Personalization not only increases learner satisfaction but also improves the quality of the learning experience for the individual.

6. Peer Pedagogy

Peer-to-peer learning — **Peer Pedagogy**

A peer-to-peer pedagogy that gives the power back to learners and puts the learner at the center of the learning.

Peer pedagogy or peeragogy was developed by Howard Rheingold in 2012. A peer-to-peer pedagogy that gives the power back to learners and puts the learner at the center of the learning.

The trend is for learners to have autonomy and become the creators of learning and story makers. This requires an agile and operable pedagogy based on real-world issues and societal challenges (Diebold, 2023). To a certain degree, AI will add to this make-your-own training movement.

Summary

These are some of the trends expected to continue in e-learning in the following years, but it is worth noting that e-learning is a rapidly evolving field, and new trends and technologies are likely to emerge. The promise of online learning and teaching of learning anywhere, anytime, and anything … and the excitement of this promise is being fulfilled with several new technologies and emerging trends transforming how we learn and interact with others. Whether through microlearning, peer-to-peer learning, virtual and augmented reality, or artificial intelligence, the future of e-learning will be exciting and one to watch for.

References

Aamir, R. (October 20, 2022). Top 24 eLearning Trends you must know in 2023. Resourcifi.

Bernhardt, M. (April 28, 2022). The AI Learning Revolution and the End of One-Size-Fits-All Learning. Forbes.

Correia, A.-P., North, C. A., Korkmaz, C., Simmerman, V. E., & Bruce Wallace, K. A. (2019). Authentic online discussions: A narrative inquiry into sharing leadership & facilitation among teachers and students. International Journal on E-Learning, 18(2), 165-189.

Diebold, S. (10 Janvier, 2023). E-learning 2023 : 10 tendances à surveiller. AFFEN.

Januszewski, A. & Molenda, M. (2008). Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary. Routledge.

Rheingold, H. (January 23, 2012). Toward peeragogy. Connected Learning Alliance.

Sharma, M. (July 30, 2022). Top New eLearning Trends to Watch in 2022. eLearning Industry.

The Economist (June 9, 2022). Artificial intelligence’s new frontier.

-- Please cite the content of this blog as: Correia, A.-P. (2023, January 17). E-learning 2023: Six Trends to Watch. Ana-Paula Correia’s Blog. https://www.ana-paulacorreia.com/anapaula-correias-blog/2023/1/17/e-learning-2023-six-trends-to-watch