the analyst’s corner
Buyers’ views What you told us about the future of learning technology David Perring T
here is no shortage of people telling you what to think and what you should be doing, but very seldom do the buyers get a chance to offer their views, in any
volume, about the learning technology market. Yes, there are lots of anecdotes and these can be used to fill in some of the gaps, but we need to add real data to help provide the whole picture. Over 1,000 respondents helped gather some
of that data and provided some definitive buyers’ insight through our survey conducted at the start of the year, in association with Learning Technologies and Learning Skills Group (see
www.fosway.com for more about the research). Here is what buyers think is going to change in learning technology.
n Mobile, video and social are at the core of future training delivery with over 80% expecting to increase their use of these tools and channels With mobile, video and social so pervasive in our day-to-day lives it is not surprising that these should emerge as the top themes where buyers are looking to increase their demand of learning technologies. In many ways you could call it catch up. These are not simply isolated, siloed delivery channels which we can use to put before the word ‘learning’ as so frequently happens. In addition, this is not about doing old things on new media platforms. At its core it’s about the opportunities melding these together creates for genuinely new, truly engaging and agile learning experiences. And that should be exciting for everyone – especially the learners – if we get it right. Naturally, lots of organisations still have real
challenges with their IT infrastructure. For instance, many still don’t have the bandwidth necessary to make mobile video as pervasive as might be hoped; and the philosophy of bring your own devices (BYOD) is not in every organisation and that can be a barrier for expanding the dream of anytime, anywhere access to learning. But Cloud solutions and the expansion of wi-fi networks are increasing the possibilities for those who want to embrace mobile, video and social. And the numbers suggest more and more of us are embracing this future. Whether or not the suppliers can step up to the
mark, while maintaining levels of customer service and value for money remains to be seen. This is one issue for the next phase of our research.
n Performance support solutions will grow as part of the learning mix, with 75% of customers saying they will increase their use of this technology Performance support has all too often been the neglected tool of the learning technology toolbox. But maybe this is going to change with 75% of buyers expecting to increase their use of performance support tools. Given that proponents of performance support such as Gloria Gery (author of 1991 book Electronic Performance Support Systems) were writing about this 25 years ago this really is playing catch up. As with video, social and mobile the technology is becoming more accessible and enabling. But the learning technology market has often been the barrier as much as the enabler. For too long most bespoke learning content providers have been set up to sell e-learning courses powered by instructional
design, rather than learning experiences powered by learning design. And that needs to change. n Virtual classrooms will still be a major vehicle for technology-enabled learning It’s easy to get carried away with the new and emerging technologies and forget that the established and popular learning technologies, such as virtual classrooms, are evolving and that demand for those solutions is growing. From our survey 80% expect to increase their use of virtual classrooms. What’s interesting is that with the advent of social collaboration software, such as Skype, the virtual classroom is not the only option for us to share and exchange in real time. If anything, the use of peer-to-peer video and screen sharing opens up a range of opportunities which we would rarely call formal learning, but are perfect for coaching and performance support.
n The learning management system (LMS) is alive. Only 1% plan to stop using their LMS, with 90% expecting their LMS usage to increase or stay the same
Cloud solutions and the expansion of wi-fi networks are increasing the possibilities for those who want to embrace mobile, video and social.
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While the demise of the LMS has been predicted for a long time, in reality only 1% of respondents told us they planned to stop using their LMS. A whopping 90% expecting their LMS usage to increase or stay the same over the coming year. Love them or hate them, LMS providers have been upping their game around learner user experience, mobile access and enabling more diverse training delivery models. LMS are evolving and new entrants are redefining expectations of what is an LMS and how it behaves. The LMS today is a far cry from the training administration systems of days gone by. That’s not to say everything is great. LMS suppliers consistently have the worst ratings of any learning technology, and that makes the market ripe for disruption and innovation.
David Perring, Director of Research, Fosway Group @DavidPerring
e.learning age april 2016
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