With the Pandemic in place, almost everything and everyone has been affected significantly. Although it had a very severe impact in the beginning, the situation has mellowed down a little at present. Pre-pandemic normalcy is yet to return.
The impacts on industries varied, from businesses shutting down to employees getting fired. The cycle of unemployment, recession, inflation, and many other consequences has caused a humongous hue and cry. But the industry this pandemic has hit very hard is learning and development.
Within these two years, every sector has witnessed different forms and different types of recovery. Online mode appeared to be the most suitable option for working and has been optimized accordingly. The same worked for the learning industry as well, and as a result, eLearning gained the utmost popularity in this period.
Usually, eLearning in the corporate sector is mostly in the form of training. There can be multiple forms of training: employee training, customer training, partner training, sales training, compliance training, product training, etc., to name a few.
Many companies shifted to work from home, online hiring, online onboarding, and online training. This switch however would not have been possible without an LMS (Learning Management System). LMS has made this shift much easier and smooth.
The Pandemic has enabled businesses to realize the benefits that an LMS provides. With a significant reduction in costs without compromising the quality of work, LMS has become the new normal.
Some businesses are looking for improvements in the existing training and onboarding mechanisms and then some are looking to adapt to LMS. In both cases, it becomes necessary to know the eLearning trends before coming to any conclusion.
Latest trends in eLearning
1. Hybrid Working
There are a few companies where employees have started to work from the office, but some are still working from home due to the prevailing circumstances. These constraints might continue when people have to work remotely.
Considering this, it is better to switch from ILT (instructor-led training) to online training. The COVID norms are still in place, so ILT can be a risky option. At the same time, LMS is a long-term solution that can continue to work efficiently even after the pandemic. It accommodates the hybrid working culture, so training several employees at different locations can be an easy task. Employees would not have to relocate, lowering the company’s infrastructure costs.
2. Learning within the work environment
There are instances where employees are put to training for a particular period. The exhaustive training that they go through is mostly theoretical. It lacks the practical knowledge that plays an important role in learning. Thus the efficiency doesn’t increase even after learning the skills because it is not put to use.
To overcome this, companies have shifted to the individual mode of training mostly known as KT (knowledge transfer). Here the employees learn or get trained by their colleagues but this also couldn’t help in getting desired results.
Now, when we look at LMS, it is an integration of both of the issues mentioned above. Here, the employees can attend their training from their workspace or any other place of their choice. They can apply their learning in their day-to-day work and, at the same time, discuss things with their colleagues in the discussion groups.
3. Personalized learning
Who doesn’t like personalization? Most of us do consider this to be the best option. The same holds true for a working professional. A paradigm shift has been brought about by the LMS in this regard. Employees can get relief from weeks of mandatory training with personalized training. This has given them the flexibility to attend courses at their own pace and time. This flexibility accommodates their routine work and thus improves their efficiency.
These are the trends that are prevalent in learning and training. Any company should analyze these trends and then look for solutions that will help them achieve their objectives. However, given the circumstances and the benefits that an LMS offers, it would be a wise decision to switch to an LMS.
