9 Learning Trends that Disrupt the Digital Economy Age
Learning is not what is used to be. Access to information nowadays is impressive, and the new ways of learning encourage people to invest in resources that they prefer to study, regardless of age or location. Traditional learning methods are no longer perceived as efficient. Considering that the brain forgets half of what is learned in a traditional classroom environment, it’s paramount to have reliable sources of information where you can master topics you are interested in. Here are some learning trends that have strongly disrupted the digital economy age:
1. Hands-on practical learning
Hands-on learning, also known as outcome-based learning, has been at the center of attention for quite a while. Students are no longer interested in memorizing thousands of pages of information that are not relevant to what they are going to do in the future. The fact that technological advancements are accessible for almost everyone means that people can find the theory they need in a matter of seconds. What truly matters now is finding learning methodologies that encourage practice. Harvard and Duke University are just two of the universities that adopted practical learning.
2. Continuous learning
The second trend that should be kept under observation is related to lifelong learning or continuous learning. Taking into account the fact that processes get automated and technology protrudes more and more into people’s lives, we should all be aware that some industries might disappear in a few years. Encouraging and developing a culture of continuous learning is becoming a must. Peer learning through all available channels must be promoted to ensure fast career development.
3. Gamification
Gamification emerged in almost all industries as a marketing strategy that lets users interact with provided information. The same can be done in terms of digital learning. Games that encourage learning might be the best way to attract youth and tech-savvy people. Learning programs that use high quality content for educational purposes might represent the future of learning. Besides the obvious benefits gamification has in education, it also encourages a competitive spirit among people, which means they are going to thoroughly enjoy their achievements in terms of learning something new. Good reward systems prove to be truly motivating in education.
4. Microlearning
Microlearning is mostly used in corporate training, and it has to do with small pieces of information that can be memorized much easier than large chunks of text that are not useful for the applicability of theory required in a company. People want to learn concepts that they will actively use in their career instead of irrelevant information that doesn’t have anything to do with their job position. Microlearning is similar to EdTech ecosystems, but both concepts are meant to be upgraded in the future.
5. Growth coaches
Considering all the technological advancements within the past few years and the fact that there are still children who are not tech savvy, it’s important to bring someone in the picture to accelerate the technology learning process and its benefits. This is why growth coaches are crucial to keep people up to date with the advancements and to help them use tech at its maximum capacity. Growth coaches might be uncommon at the moment, but it is going to be an important job in the future in terms of digital learning.
6. Self-directed learning
The modern learner will use all available resources in order to achieve his/her goals. Most of the time of modern learners might be spent on online resources. Users will look for content that is fully tailored to their needs, so their skills of content curation (which will be discussed later) should be on point. The modern learner should be fully self-directed and find information as needed, regardless of place or time. He/she will study in the evening and on weekends, during breaks, on their way to or from the office, etc. Continuous learning starts to be perceivable at this point. Taking online classes can help anyone who is interested in expanding their knowledge to build a career in that industry at a certain point in their future.
7. User-generated content
User-generated or user-created content refers to information in all of its forms that are posted by various internet users in random sources. In terms of digital learning, not all content that is found online is reliable, so users must learn how to filter that content. The trend that might take over the next few years is represented by quality user-generated content, stored in platforms specifically designed for education.
8. Content curation
As mentioned before, content must be filtered, as the internet is a never-ending source of information. Users, regardless of their previous experience with online sources, must also be aware of good practices to curate the content they rely on. Useless information should be recognized easily and avoided. Content curation represents the research and gathering of content that is relevant for a certain topic. When autodidact persons decide to better themselves, they must know what factors make content reliable or not. Then, you can add your own perspective to the content you curated from a variety of sources. The only barrier that sits between you and achieving that is represented by underground content.
9. Mobile learning
Since everything will eventually go mobile, developers will start focusing on creating educational apps and games. Keeping an eye on those apps is a must. There are already a variety of apps out there that improve your knowledge in a certain direction – quiz apps, language apps, programming apps, drawing apps and so on. Mobile learning can also help students assimilate information easier and get rid of the traditional learning methods that are no longer effective for Generation Z.
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