Elearning trends for 2021

The eLearning industry has really gained momentum in the past 5 years.

The transition from traditional learning to eLearning began two decades ago, and the eLearning industry is expected to reach $300-million by 2025.

The emergence of digital technologies and their integration into all levels of education, plus the shift to distance learning during the pandemic have brought changes in the eLearning model. One big difference is the move to more advanced and “instructor-less” learning.

We’ve got more than 10 years of eLearning development knowhow here at ITSM Zone, and in this blog we will discuss the latest eLearning trends and how they’ll be adopted in 2021.

1. Mobile Learning

Can you imagine a day without your smartphone? Mobile technology has become a significant part of our daily lives. So why not use the devices we hold in our hands to facilitate knowledge transfer?

With the arrival of the new generation of smartphones, acquiring new skills online through a mobile device is a reality. In this scenario, eLearning content for desktop users must be adapted to be mobile ready.
A quality mobile experience is crucial, especially as many of us are still working from home and taking training at home. Having a mobile option will make the learning experience easier for everyone.

At ITSM Zone, we still only see a small percentage of learners using mobile devices, but that number is growing and we’ve worked hard to make our learning mobile friendly.

2. Virtual Conferences and Virtual Events

Learning isn’t just about taking training courses. We can learn from our peers and industry experts – this type of knowledge acquisition often takes place at conferences and networking events. So, another popular eLearning trend for 2021 is virtual conferences.

Initially, many people weren’t keen on the idea of virtual conferences. Sitting behind a computer screen for the whole day was not a brilliant sales pitch.

But last year, circumstances showed us that virtual conferences and events in general can be more innovative, interactive and dynamic. Although the first virtual steps were hard for many organizers, now we have the opportunity to attend virtual events that are organized, engaging and enjoyable for everyone.

Attending a virtual event brings a global experience, there are no borders, flight restrictions, visa issues etc. This means a more diverse audience, access to international experts with just one click and new possibilities in panel discussions, networking platforms and Q&A sessions.

*We are proud to announce that this year we are sponsoring Service North -The Virtual SIAM Event for 2021. At Service North, we’ll be using video, downloads, Airmeet networking software and more to get our message out there.

3. Gamification

Introducing games in the eLearning environment is a popular trend that started in 2018. There are many ways to incorporate games and gaming elements into the eLearning model. Gamification doesn’t mean designing a video game. It is about elements that will bring engagement, motivation and education.

At ITSM Zone, we bring the fun factor in our learning modules to make the process useful and enjoyable for our students. Inside our courses, you’ll find a mixture of:

• Exercises
• Quizzes
• Real world examples to bring the content to life
• Cartoons

We use storytelling by weaving a case study into lessons and building the story around the content, using videos and cartoons to bring it to life. One of our case studies, The Toddler Tracker, is a good example of this. In the e Agile Project Management course the components of the Toddler Tracker device are used for exercises such as how to apply MoSCoW prioritization, or ask you to take the role of the project manager working out how to communicate effectively with your team. All of this is reinforced with feedback and quizzes to check learning.

4. Video-based Learning

2020 saw a real explosion in video content, seen on platforms like social networking service TikTok.

Video-based learning will remain a hot topic in 2021. Good eLearning needs to provide a multi-media experience, using videos enhance the learner experience.

At ITSM Zone we incorporate videos and cartoons into our courses to bring the story to life. Also, to improve your skills and get top tips from experts we host the ITSM Crowd live streaming chats every month.

Hosted by Claire Agutter, the ITSM Crowd video episodes are expert sessions on all things service management – including ITIL, SIAM, DevOps, Agile, VeriSM, RESILIA, OBASHI, ISO20000 and COBIT. You can join live and ask our experts questions using YouTube chat.

5. Flexible Corporate Learning Programs

Surveys indicate that many business will continue working virtually, reducing the number of people who return to offices in 2021.

As businesses adapt and learn from the 2020 remote working experiment, many are making long-term plans to accommodate this way of working.
And with these changes, corporate learning must also become more flexible. Training budgets can be used to give staff access to a library of learning that they can use to study around their schedules, rather than forcing people to sit in a classroom at a pre-appointed time. eLearning programs can be built into corporate changes, using workshops to discuss what teams have learned and identify areas for improvement in ways of working. This maximizes the return on investment for training spend.

At ITSM Zone, we provide tailored solutions for larger groups; using a portal, we give you the tools to have full control of your training.

The portal gives you the ability to assign training to students whenever you want, and progress reports help you ensure that your students are on track. Your account manager will discuss all the portal options with you, to ensure that you are provided with everything needed for successful training projects.

6. Social Learning

Social learning is a natural way to learn – it means learning with and from others. This doesn’t mean, however, that it needs to be face-to-face only. Social media now allows us to make connections all over the world.

At ITSM Zone, we believe in community. We use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google my Business to share the feedback from our students, give you an access to free downloads, and to answer your questions. Comments, posts, instant messaging, group discussions, video chats…you name it.

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