The Learning Technologies conference in London is a chance for the leaders in the learning sector from across Europe to gather and exchange ideas. It’s a great place to take the pulse of the industry and see where things are heading.
After two days of talking to EdTech vendors and learning experts from both academia and the corporate world, a few key themes emerged. Whether you’re developing your own technologies to offer in the space or planning your organization’s learning strategy, here are a few things to consider.
1. Video is the main medium in eLearning – Video is the way users are looking to learn today. It’s clear that vendors have realize this. Almost every vendor in every part of the value chain, regardless of use-case, offers some sort of video experience. They vary in complexity, depth, and sophistication, but you’ll always find it there. It might be a micro-learning element, a rich interactive experience, or just a lean-back assignment to watch. Video is becoming widely prominent in content authoring, content management, LMS or LXP offerings.
2. Learning requires an integrated, ecosystem approach – You can see the growing emphasis on creating as holistic a learning environment as possible. Vendors understand that it is no longer about trying to do everything from start to end. Instead, vendors are focusing on their core competencies, while being flexible in integrating to the rest of the value-chain. The better they play with others, the better they will be perceived.
3. UI/UX is the new king – Users are becoming more demanding not only about what they want but also about how they want to get it. Vendors are starting to understand that, and many of them even pitch with that approach. In the rich ecosystem users have today, they prefer the systems that are most intuitive for them. The technologies that will get widespread adoption won’t necessarily be the ones with the most features; they will be the ones with the best experience.
