7 Workplace Learning Trends Expected in 2016
Each year, technology changes more quickly than the last. Learning leaders who are able to discern fads from transformative trends and quickly adapt will be able to deliver greater value to their learners and to their business. Many of the trends that will come into focus in 2016 may already exist today, but their significance is expected to grow and will have more far-reaching effects in the year to come.
1. Learners in the Workforce Are More Diverse
Never before has the workplace experienced such a varied population of employees. For the first time in modern history, organizations are tasked with addressing the needs of four generations of employees in increasingly distributed, global enterprises. Adults are staying in the workforce longer and technology is changing faster. The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics has indicated that the percentage of workers aged 65 to 74 rose 32% from 2002 to 2012 and continues to grow. By 2022, it is expected that 31.9% of workers will be within that range. And, on the flip side, young professionals born in the '80s and '90s will make up nearly 50% of the workforce by 2020.
As a result, it is becoming increasingly necessary for organizations to provide options for learning that deliver a more personalized learning experience and meet the technological expectations of a more diverse workforce. As an example, in an advanced learning solution, some learners may choose to log responses to knowledge checks by texting, while others may choose to type in responses on a PC keyboard.
2. Learners Are Increasingly Embracing Mobile Technology
Today, all age groups are spending more time on mobile devices. The average amount of time is an astounding 162 minutes. Of all the time that consumers spend online, 52% is from smartphones and tablets. This trend is changing learners’ expectations about the availability of the information they need, how quickly they can access information and how quickly they can get answers to questions.
Adults over the age of 50 are closing the gaps in terms of mobile and smartphone usage; however, how they’re using the technology, the applications they choose and the frequency with which they use various applications still tend to differ from younger workers. This is important because a user experience that may be comfortable and familiar to one group may not be appropriate to others. Studies have found that those over age 50 are significantly less likely than other Internet users to use banking applications and visit social networking sites.
Taking a mobile-first approach to development is increasingly desirable. This is due in part to the technical constraints related to mobile vs. PC Web-based training development and usage of web-based training across deliverable types, but also because mobile devices have become the primary tool for learners. Responsive design is also a critical user-experience element that learning organizations must consider when selecting content and learning solutions.
3. Micro-Learning Is on the Rise
Market constraints and the external demands of clients, users, patients, etc., are influencing the pace of work. As a result, timely on-the-job education is more important than it’s ever been. According to a 2014 study published by Bersin and Associates, today’s workers and “modern learners” can devote only 1% of their workweek to professional development and learning. This equates to 24 minutes per week, assuming a 40-hour work week, or just 4.8 minutes per day to focus on learning.
Micro-Learning addresses this need by typically focusing on a single learning objective that can be accomplished in under four minutes and preferably within 90 seconds. These short, bite-sized units that include videos, blogs, games, podcasts, micro-courses and brief experiences are aligned with cognitive shifts—decreases in attention span and increased multi-tasking.
Mobile learning makes it possible to get to content quickly, anytime and anywhere. To get the full value of an on-demand experience, however, learners have to be able to access exactly what they need and at the right time.
Micro-learning benefits learners who must quickly ramp up on technology, products and related processes.
Learning organizations that are able to harness the power of micro-learning in their curriculum design are also able to deliver value to learners (and to the business) much more quickly. The Tin Can API (aka Experience API or xAPI) allows organizations to deliver learning as a broad array of experiences, while recording and tracking those experiences wherever they reside in a SCORM-based LMS or other informal repository.
4. Digital Video Content Holds a More Significant Role in Learning
Video is becoming a preferred presentation medium over images, and static presentations are quickly being replaced by motion graphics.
Video is playing a significant role in mobile learning and the rise of micro-learning for both learners and content creators. Smartphones and tablets with embedded cameras have made it much easier for users to share their knowledge and help build the skills of others. Today, more than 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.8 In just one year, the number of videos per person posted to Facebook increased 75% globally and 94% in the U.S.9 People are not just posting, they are viewing more online video content each day. The average person (i.e., those between the ages of 18 to 64) spends around 23 minutes a day watching internet video – that's 12% of a person’s average day.
Although video consumption is on the rise, viewers are willing to spend very little time per video. Research of millions of videos between 2009 and 2012 indicates that shorter videos are best for getting people to view the entire video. 80% of a 30-second video will be viewed, but only 25% of a 60 minute video will be consumed.
A key takeaway for learning organizations is to deliver learning objectives in shorter videos where they are more likely to be fully consumed. Additionally, given that some learners may still prefer instructor-led training to digital learning, short videos can be integrated into instructor-led training to provide more robust, personalized learning options.
5. Learning Is Social and Pervasive
Today, children teach tens of thousands of others how to play Minecraft using YouTube: Teenagers use the instructables.com site to teach others how to create science fair projects. Grandmothers teach a new generation how to make their special family recipes. Experts within organizations also rapidly deliver learning to help their colleagues succeed.
Learning is more social than ever with people sharing what they know with their family, friends, peers and professional colleagues. Learners, given the right context and opportunity, are also sharers of digital knowledge and skills. Learning organizations that can harness the power of social connections, collaboration and sharing throughout the organization for both top-down and bottom-up enablement will have a competitive advantage. Learning in 2016 is pervasive!
6. Data and Analytics Enable Organizations to Inspect and Adapt Quickly
According to the Human Capital Institute’s annual report, 2015 Talent Pulse - Learning Unbound: Agile Employee Development, U.S. companies spend $164 billion on training and development annually, but only 21% regularly measure how learning is used on the job. This is a startling fact in light of the learner experience shifting to digital media, where a wealth of data is being generated and measured to drive business in every other division of global organizations on a daily basis. IDC estimates that the digital universe is growing by 40% a year into the next decade.
Organizations are in a better position to adapt and thrive when they design their data collection approach by first focusing on how they are going to measure end-business results. Once that’s determined, they can work backward through Kirkpatrick’s levels of evaluation to ensure they are collecting data that will help them to measure results at each learning level. Just as metrics are considered to be central to your marketing and sales departments, analytics should be used by Learning and Organizational development teams to:
- Unlock actionable metrics that can guide not just talent strategy but business strategy
- Develop an outcome-based learning culture to harness 'big data' within your workforce
- Uncover opportunities to truly catapult performance
- Secure new budgets through greater visibility
- Elevate your leadership role in the organization
Last, consider how to collect the more commonly exploited data related to accesses and demographics. With this framework, organizations focus on more valuable data that they can use to predict results and adapt early.
7. Make the Most of the Opportunities
These trends have created a greater opportunity for learning leaders to deliver increased business value. Mobile adoption has changed expectations regarding availability of learning. Today, learning is pervasive and it is a social experience. Everyone expects to be able to share what they know. Additionally, micro-learning is on the rise and is part of the shift away from monolithic courses to integrated packages of shorter, tailored learning experiences. Knowledge of these trends can be used to improve learning design, development, delivery and measurement.
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