None of us know what is going to happen tomorrow, yet alone in a few years time, but there are trends that are gaining momentum which can give us a glimpse into what the future might hold. 

Technology is moving at its fastest ever pace and the speed of adoption of new innovations is whiplash inducing. What are we doing with all of this technological innovation? How can we apply it for the greater good? These are questions I hear weekly, if not daily in the business world. 

One area that is making the most of innovation is learning and development and this is happening is 3 distinct ways. 

Options

Even just a few years ago, the way you learned was you sat in a classroom and listened to an expert talk about the topic, you may have read part of a textbook and then you probably did an exam. 

The future of learning is going to be different. The tools available to us which speak to a more creative and innovative method of learning will excite and enthral us, while at the same time give us meaningful experiences which make learning more sticky. 

Serious Games, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are going to become more prevalent as a way of disseminating information to a wide audience. Often used remotely, these tools will no longer require physical classrooms as the primary centre of learning, they are played at the users pace, at a time convenient to the learner and best of all they can be repeated and practiced with as much as a learner needs. 

Design

The design of our learning is going to change. The traditional top down model of sage of the stage just doesn’t cut it for the modern learner, who is seeking a more personalised, and Just In Time (JIT) approach to content. This will force designers to innovate in how they break down learning objectives and structure content. Content will need to be personalised and it will likely become adaptive based on our choices. 

Outcomes

With our innovative options and revised design approaches the data we can capture from these experiences will be enriched, varied and vast. We’ll be able to assess people's individual skill levels on particular KPI’s. We’ll no longer be tethered to the restrictions of the LMS, recording only one single score, but a myriad of behavioural and competency results giving us a multi-dimensional view of an individual. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence will play a role in how we gather the data, but also in how we adapt our learning design and how we personalise experiences to ensure learners are kept in the optimal state of flow and therefore the ideal state for learning. 

At Totem we believe the future is incredibly exciting and it’s our mission to make learning as engaging and impactful as possible. If you would like to talk to Totem Learning you can connect directly with Helen on helen@totemlearning.com, give her a call on 02476 555904 or follow us on twitter @teamtotem and @helenroutledge