5 of 2021's Biggest Learning Management Trends

Gone are the days when employee development took the form of dry, unmotivating coursework. New advancements in how learning management programs are implemented allow companies to embrace increasingly sophisticated methods of training. This lets businesses develop new and more effective ways to keep their employees engaged and at the top of their game.

Discover 5 learning management trends that could make your employee training more effective in 2021.

5 Learning Management Trends You Need to Know About

#1: Augmented and Virtual Reality

Augmented and virtual reality have gone from the stuff of SciFi to a daily reality for many businesses. These technologies allow you to train your employees on how to navigate challenges before they ever interact with a customer.

Augmented reality (AR) works by adding virtual details to the real world to enrich your experience. Virtual reality (VR) goes even further, creating a completely virtual environment.

These technologies have exciting potential applications to aid in employee training. For example, augmented reality is great for providing point-of-work content. For example, new team members could use AR to scan a specific product that they have questions about and learn more about it. VR, on the other hand, allows employees to explore simulated situations before they encounter them in the real world. A company could use VR to simulate specific field situations to allow employees to prepare for them.

#2: User-Generated Learning

Companies have embraced user-generated learning as a dynamic way to get team members engaged. 98% of organizations seek to support the sharing and surfacing of user-generated knowledge.

User-generated content creates a more personable learning experience and adds a human element to your training. For a business, this could look like:

• Allowing team members to submit their questions to forums to seek help from their peers.
• The submission of content like videos or audio recordings for feedback from team members.

#3: Blended Instruction Approaches

During the pandemic, learning and development departments at corporations around the world were forced to take their training curriculums online. Now, as we move back to in-person work, many companies are seeking out more blended approaches to instruction, with both online and in-person offerings.

A 2019 survey of undergraduate students found that 56% prefer blended learning, with preferences ranging from mostly face-to-face instruction to mostly online instruction. Preferences include mostly face-to-face instruction to mostly online instruction. Online-only and blended instruction was especially popular with students working forty or more hours per week.

#4: Social Features

2020 saw many employees working from home, isolated. The effects of this isolation show in LinkedIn’s survey – the use of social features exploded over the last year.

• Course shares were up 225%
• Contributions to course Q&A were up 121%

Learners who use social features watch 30 times more hours of learning content than learners who don’t, according to LinkedIn’s 2021 Workplace Learning Survey.

Social features can include options like:

• Q&A sections
• Course sharing
• Learning groups
• Chat software
• Course recommendations from managers or admins

#5: Gamification

Gamification can be an excellent way to make learning content more engaging and rewarding. A whopping 95% of employees say they enjoy using gamified systems.

Gamification can include elements like leaderboards and badges that encourage learners to engage with the course material. These features add a competitive feeling to learning and help keep coursework entertaining.

Game mechanics can also make training more effective by providing instant feedback, making online learning easier and more interactive.

Does your learning and development program need a refresh? Learn how you can develop an engaging, effective learning management system with Simple. Schedule a demo.