ASTD (American Society for Training and Development), the world’s largest training and development professional association, held its annual international conference and expo last week, May 22-25 in Orlando, Florida. Attendees from more than 70 countries gathered to hear over 200 educational sessions from industry-leading experts and check out the latest learning and training products and services.

While at the ASTD International Conference and Expo, we noticed 3 main eLearning trends and strategies: engaging content creation, social learning and mLearning. Keep the following insights and advice in mind to leverage these concepts for your own eLearning applications.

Engaging Content

A demand for dynamic eLearning courses requires more interactive and engaging content for learners.

Tips to create engaging eLearning:
  • Motivate by providing memorable presentations. Use attention-grabbing 3D interactions to excite learners with content that is out of the ordinary.  
  • Allow the content and learners to be active. The latest avatars deliver more interaction for users than ever.
  • Provide engaging activities. Video game-based learning allows the learner to be a part of the game, and therefore, a part of learning.
  • Shift from “User Interface Design” to “Learner Interface Design.” Think of the audience as learners as opposed to users. This can help designers create content for comprehension and retention, rather than just observation.

Keys to an engaging experience:

  • Accessible
  • Collaborative
  • Compelling
  • Personalized
  • Interaction between learner and teacher and between learner and content

Social Learning

The workforce will change by 2020 with Millennials counting for 50% of all employees. Because technology and media are an inherent part of this new generation of learners, a shift is required toward the use of social learning to access and engage these learners more appropriately.

Best ways to leverage social learning:

  • Create social learning communities where content can be shared and people can interact with easy access. Learners can learn best from each other. Support or provide a space that allows people to communicate and provide solutions for each other’s needs. For example, sites like WeLearn offer a free place for those in the eLearning community to communicate and exchange ideas and resources. This social interaction facilitates learning and understanding in the eLearning industry.
  • Provide new content, advice and tools for learners frequently to create a space they want to return to consistently.
  • Socialize marketing to spread the word and reach learners more efficiently. Target multiple social media outlets to find audiences and notify them of your content.

Tips for social media use:

  • Focus on multiple types of social media. Some people prefer certain sites over others so don’t just post updates on Facebook; Tweet links to your course, post on LinkedIn and offer interaction on multiple social media sites to engage with learners in their preferred spaces outside of your content.
  • Pick the right platform and the right technology. Newly designed platforms allow easy access to information at all times.
  • Measurement Matters. Does your social media strategy work? Take the time to assess your efforts and plan a new approach if you are not getting the desired results.

mLearning

mLearning means different things to different companies and people and is NOT just learning on Smartphones. Make sure your Mobile Learning content satisfies a broad range of needs by providing the following criteria:

  • Portability/mobility
  • Personalized access
  • Context and location-aware content
  • Proximity to point of performance

Check out our Trivantis Blog that offers tips for mLearning content creation with Lectora.

 

Design engaging content and participate in social and mobile learning to distinguish your content from others’. Provide your learners the best opportunity for deeper learning and understanding with exciting eLearning courses and easy access to your content.

We enjoyed our time at ASTD and thank the many attendees who visited and inquired about Lectora, CourseMill and our big announcements and new products.

Look for us at the upcoming mLearnCon, Mobile Learning Conference and Expo June 21-23 2011 in San Jose, California!