“ Online Learning unites people. It can be a lifeline to those who have any sort of obstacles be it geographical or physical limitations. ”
Now with massive digitalization taking place the whole world is turning virtual. Even the most dedicated educator may find it difficult to keep up with the latest online learning trends. However, as a brief refresher, eLearning is shifting toward more inclusive and collaborative ways. Current digital education trends are also favoring more engaging forms, with a heavy reliance on AR/VR and gamification to pique and maintain learners’ attention. In addition, there are a few surprising advancements in online learning.
It’s safe to say that online learning is here to stay. Many people’s educational experiences sound like dusty blackboards, dirty overhead projectors, and over-saturated photocopies. But take comfort in the fact that, in many schools, those issues are no longer an issue.
Here are some of the hottest online learning trends to keep an eye on.
1. Adaptive Learning
Adaptive learning is a method of teaching in which materials, activities, projects, and assignments are adapted to the specific needs of each student. Adaptive learning is frequently implemented in the context of online learning using standardized algorithms and assessments, rather than by the possibly arbitrary decisions of teachers themselves.
Adaptive learning has so far been mostly experimental, with corporations and competitors spending the last few years ironing out the wrinkles and conducting small-scale trials. Experiments will come to an end as online learning develops, and broad adoption will commence. Adaptive learning services are already available on major online learning platforms, and there’s no reason why this trend won’t continue in the near future.
2. Social Learning
The basic components of human interaction and group dynamics are applied to the present technological age in social learning. Collaboration has never been more productive, efficient, or smooth than it is now, thanks to social learning in the electronic domain, which includes online forums, class-wide chat rooms, and file-sharing platforms. Now, teammates may offer advice and support from anywhere, including their classrooms, homes, and local coffee shops.
As social learning applications grow, additional collaborative solutions will undoubtedly enter the market to compete for market share. Furthermore, social learning as a whole, outside of particular classrooms and group project settings, has the potential to become the backbone of school-wide syllabus around the world.
3. Video Learning
It is said that when faced with films, vocals, and practical demonstrations, three categories of learners — visual, auditory, and kinesthetic – thrive best in education. Despite this paradox, auditory learners were the only group that the traditional lecture/note-taking classroom model adequately serviced for many years. That is no longer the case with the emergence of eLearning, with video learning becoming more and more common in schools around the world.
Video learning has come a long way from the shared-classroom televisions of the past, with video-based lectures and instructive DVDs. There isn’t a single application that can’t be improved with video learning today and in the future.
4. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence has overcome its original reputation as the wicked driving force behind HAL 9000 and the Y2K hoaxes. Today, AI has at-home integration all over the world, thanks to Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, and your everyday text-based chatbots.
AI has found a place in eLearning, in addition to basic smartphone commands. AI can not only assist students through courses, but it can also help inform learning forecasts and on-the-fly personalization, proving the concepts of adaptive learning. Given the prevalence of AI in various areas outside of education, the potential applications for this appear to be unlimited at the moment. Consumers and educators should expect more sophistication on the inside, as well as more flexibility when it comes to alternate learning approaches.
5. Micro learning
The notion of massive, multi-phase projects may intimidate many students, regardless of their age. Breaking up projects, classes, and other learning materials into manageable portions has proven to be a huge success for those kids, as well as collaborative classrooms all over the world. These “chunks” can take the form of video lectures, readable text, or interactive games, to name a few examples.
Instructors have discovered that breaking up a 2-hour class into four 30-minute sessions, in addition to online modules, results in stronger and faster memory. Micro learning is an example of a trend that extends beyond eLearning and into traditional classroom settings. As a result, it’s evident that micro learning’s widespread adoption isn’t yet complete.
6. Gamification
It doesn’t matter if you’re five or fifty, learning is always more interesting when it’s enjoyable. Gamification is a type of online learning that aims to make learning more fun.
It isn’t all fun and games though, as there are numerous studies that show the benefits of introducing games after the introduction of lessons. For starters, it can give instant material application and contact. Engagement, retention, grades, and overall classroom pleasure all improve when knowledge improves.
Given the favourable outcomes, there’s no reason why game-based learning solutions won’t continue to be used in classrooms, both virtual and physical, in the near future.
7. Mobile Learning
Although not technically speaking a part of ‘conventional’ online learning, the emergence of mobile learning is an important topic to keep in mind. It wasn’t long ago that the idea of doing anything on your phone other than making phone calls and playing 8-bit games was a pipe dream. In today’s world, almost anything is possible, and everyone loves the opportunity to do things on the go.
8. Augmented & Virtual Reality
360-degree images, graphical overlays, and an explorable interface are just a few of the online learning uses for augmented and virtual reality. The old paradigm of a teacher scribbling on a blackboard has already been thrown out the window, and there’s nowhere to go but up.
In practice, augmented and virtual reality enable online learning instructors to thoroughly immerse their students in the subject matter, whether it’s mathematics, physics, history, or literature.
