Top 5 key learning trends in 2016

May every great new day

Bring you sweet surprises–A happiness buffet.

Happy New Year to you,

And when the new year’s done,

May the next year be even better,

Full of pleasure, joy and fun

As we are all geared up on the New Year’s Eve today to bid farewell to the year 2015 and welcome the New Year—2016, we all hope that the next year will be full of pleasure, joy, and fun. The year 2015 was the most exciting year and especially for learning professionals as it saw a lot of advancements. There were a lot of interesting developments that had happened during this year in the field of learning, such as micro learning and gamification. So, let us have a look at the key learning trends to watch out for in the year 2016.

Automation in learning will hold the key

Many experts believe that that the year 2016 will see the rise of automation in learning and it will be become a key aspect in the content development and processing. In a most likely scenario, next year will see utilization of increasing number of automation tools to develop new courses and learning content. This will help the organizations to save both money and time invested on conventional processes. The learning professionals will develop various courseware components such as quizzes and assignments using various automation tools that are able to effectively scan the course content and determine its most critical aspects that must be tested.

Rise of videos and gamification

With the rise of smartphones and other technological advancements, video-based learning is flourishing and will continue to rise in the year 2016 as well. According to Google, 98% of 18-24 year-olds reported watching video content on smartphones on a typical day and professionals are 2x more likely to be focused while watching video on their smartphones. Video is fast becoming a preferred medium for learning with 91% of smartphone users turning to their devices for ideas while completing a task. Furthermore, 67% of professionals believe that they can find a YouTube video for anything they want to learn. Video-based learning will also offer a great way of tracking progress. Gamification is another major trend that is bound to flourish in the year 2016. Today, it is a key trend that most of the people are still waiting to explore, in particular, on the learning scene. Experts believe that using game mechanics to non-gaming contexts brings amazing outcomes, most importantly, in motivating users to attain their goals.

Social learning is on the rise

Social learning will continue to be another powerful tool to engage the learners and shall produce great results as the learners catch on faster to information when socializing. It will be allow them to share their knowledge and experiences with others. More and more organizations are now using social media tools for easy and fast communication. Learners can ask questions, share their concerns and give advice to others on course modules or team projects, therefore creating a community of practice.

Everything will be on cloud

Cloud is already on rise in every sector, and it will also continue to grow in the field of learning. According to the eLearning market trends and forecast report, it has been predicted that the use of cloud-based authoring tools and learning platforms will grow by 9% in the US – each year counting from 2013.   

Personalized learning

Learning will going to be more personalized in the year 2016 with focus of learning will be more learner-centric and the courses will be more focused to address the needs preferences and requirements of individuals rather than groups. It is more about experience so Learners will have greater control over their learning experience, from setting the pace of instruction and choosing their own learning paths. Learning will be a much more enjoyable experience with custom options that are tailored for each individual learner, which will lead to higher engagement rates and of course better results.

It is very likely that 2016 will see a drastic change in the field of learning and we are bound to see a change in our approach to instruction, knowledge management and learning methodologies. These may not be the exhaustive list so please feel free to add your own predictions for the following year.

Wishing you all a very happy & a prosperous new year!

Intolerance is rising: Is this really true?

“Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding” --- Mahatma Gandhi

Last few days, we have seen and heard about the word, Intolerance and this has been particularly because of the statement from one of the finest actors, Aamir Khan. In one of the award ceremonies, Aamir had said, “When I chat with Kiran at home, she says ‘Should we move out of India?’ That’s a disastrous and big statement for Kiran to make. She fears for her child. She fears about what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day.”

He also said, “That does indicate that there is this sense of growing disquiet, there is growing despondency apart from alarm. You feel why this is happening, you feel low. That sense does exist in me.”

He specifically mentioned that there is growing intolerance in the nation. Before we proceed further, let us first understand the meaning of this word. Intolerance refers to unwillingness to accept views, beliefs, or behavior that differ from one’s own.

So, are we really tolerant? Are we willing to accept views and beliefs posed by others? And, the answer is, Yes, we are very tolerant people. We have been really tolerant since 1947 or 1984 or 2002 or 2008. Since so many years, there have been so many instances of riots but we have been really tolerant to even talk about it. So, why the talk about intolerance now? Kiran Kher, BJP MO from Punjab very rightly pointed out in the lok sabha yesterday that India had been tolerating misrule and corruption for 65 years under the regime of the grand old party. She also strongly reacted against the intellectuals who gave away the awards and slammed them while asking them that where were they when the Sikhs were being massacred in 1984 or when Kashmiri pundits were been thrown out of their own state that is Kashmir. She mentioned, “Intolerance is rising they say in comparison to what and when because you say something that intolerance is rising in reference to what; when we would be more tolerant than we are now.” She asked, “Do we have a reference pint in recent history?” She also stated that that incidents that occurred in Dadri and rationalists are regrettable and should not happen anywhere in a civilized society but stray incidents have been happening all over India for many years.  Well, Kiran is very right in her own sense and I would also like to ask all the writers who have protested over the so called growing intolerance that where was their conscience in all these years when so many things that should have shaken their conscience any why they didn’t wake up then. Is it that we were very tolerant then and suddenly our conscience have risen and have become intolerant?

So, coming back to what Aamir Khan and other people in the film fraternity mentioned about the growing intolerance, I would definitely agree that intolerance is rising and it has been rising many many years and we as common public have been really tolerant and patient enough. A soldier who is guarding our border against the enemies is also very tolerant. A widow of a soldier who had been killed in an encounter with the terrorist has also been tolerant and patient because if there were not tolerant then we wouldn’t have been living safely in our homes and watching the debate on growing intolerance. So, let us finish this debate on intolerance and tolerance and let us all work collaboratively to make this place a better place to live in so that our future generation would not have deal with another debate in the future about growing intolerance.