5 E-Learning Trends That Benefit the Workplace

Key takeaways

E-learning in formal educational settings and through massive open online courses allows students to build skills and broaden their knowledge.

• The e-learning market is expected to reach $1 trillion globally by 2032 [1].

• Benefits of e-learning include its accessibility, flexibility, and lower costs.

• You can incorporate various e-learning strategies, such as microlearning, mobile learning, and adaptive learning, to allow your students to develop personalized learning paths.

Learn more about e-learning, including its growth and benefits, as well as specific types of e-learning strategies. Then, consider Coursera for Campus, which gives your students access to more than 10,000 courses from 350+ leading university and industry partners.

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What is e-learning?

E-learning includes formal online courses and m that students can use for continuing education, professional development, and in conjunction with traditional, in-person learning methods. E-learning can also include any time you share educational material electronically or digitally, such as pre-recorded videos, articles, discussion forums, and more.

E-learning, or using electronic or digital methods to deliver learning experiences, continues to rise in the United States. One place we can see the rising use of e-learning is in formal educational settings, as well as through massive open online courses, or MOOCs, which are also growing in popularity. In 2021, more than 220 million learners had signed up for a MOOC. Today, over 250,000 courses are available online [2]. Additionally, by 2032, the e-learning market is expected to be worth $1 trillion globally, up from $399.3 billion in 2022 [1]. 

E-learning and distance learning are sometimes used interchangeably since e-learning is a crucial component of distance learning. E-learning strategies allow students to access material remotely from a different location or time than their instructors, but the resources are not exclusive to distance learning.

Benefits of e-learning

E-learning offers a variety of benefits to all students, whether it involves earning a degree, gaining a new certification, or improving workplace and technical skills. These include:

• Accessibility: E-learning allows students to learn new skills from anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection.

• Flexibility: Learners can complete many e-learning opportunities at their own pace, allowing them to fit learning into their lives with the time available.

• Lower cost: E-learning programs can be less expensive than their on-campus counterparts. Plus, learners save money on commuting costs.

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5 e-learning trends

As technology continues to change and adapt, so do e-learning strategies. A few e-learning trends to be aware of include the use of artificial intelligence for chatbots, as well as adaptive learning, microlearning, gamification, and mobile learning.

1. Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) and its e-learning applications will likely shape conversations about learning and development programs in the coming years. You can use chatbots in connection with online courses to act as a virtual tutor by answering learners’ questions, providing additional information, or helping overcome language barriers with students who are not native speakers of the class language. These virtual tutors can help your institution’s educational initiatives by providing 24/7 support for learners and assisting multiple students simultaneously, which would usually take an entire team of educational professionals to accomplish.

One example of how you can use chatbots for e-learning is the language learning app Duolingo, which uses chatbots to provide students with natural conversation practice in the language they are learning. Chatbots are also used to provide training programs that feel more like a natural conversation than a lecture.

Read more: Chatbot for Higher Education: Enhancing Learning Experiences

2. Microlearning

Microlearning, or learning larger concepts in small, digestible sections, is an increasingly relevant aspect of e-learning. Microlearning can include infographics, interactive ebooks, whiteboard animation, podcasts, articles, videos, short games, quizzes, or other interactive media to help engage learners in novel ways.

3. Gamification

Gamification means taking something traditionally not considered a game, such as an online course, and adding elements to make it feel more like a game. Gamification can make learning more engaging and fun for students, and it can be as simple as adding buttons and making the information feel more interactive. It can also include more competitive elements, such as a scoreboard or prizes. If you’d like to learn more about bringing gamification into your projects, consider the Gamification course offered by the University of Pennsylvania on Coursera. This course can help you learn about the motivation and psychology of games and how to apply gamification to other areas of life.

4. Adaptive learning

Adaptive learning is a trend emerging from artificial intelligence, where AI adapts the material to the student’s progress and needs as a student progresses through the material. Adaptive learning analyzes where students are competent and need more work, presenting materials personalized to their learning needs. This is a more efficient learning method because students spend time on the concepts they need to study instead of losing time to concepts they do not need to review. Using adaptive learning, students can engage in personalized learning experiences that suit their preferred learning style.

5. Mobile learning

According to Pew Research Center, 97 percent of American adults under age 50 and 90 percent of adults ages 50 to 64 own a smartphone [3].. Learning on a mobile device, such as a tablet or smartphone, is a trend supported by the other trends we’ve already mentioned. For example, microlearning allows students more flexibility about when and where they are learning. Learning on a mobile device makes microlearning even more accessible. Mobile learning also allows for gamification, helping to increase a student’s motivation to find time to complete learning and skill-building experiences.

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