The year 2019 looks to be a more dynamic year for learning and development. Modern-day learners can foster their learning experience with a combination of the abundant experimental development process with the help of technologies. We are proceeding to an era of an improved and faster learning and development that can turn a novice into an expert, an ace in your place through a demand-based process.

Learning brought to people.

“Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people at the right time and in the right format, it is a burden, not a benefit,” said an expert. Yes, learning has to be a journey full of deeper experience. It should be a smooth, personalized process to raise your performance, as a person, as a team, or as an organization to a better state.

Digitalization and innovative technologies can enable one to better in anything and everything. The best tip and trick to make your learning fast and quick in the year 2019 is nothing but to adopt a few of the emerging technology trends in learning and development. Let us see them one-by-one.

Trends in Learning and Development

Adapting to changing requirements in the learning and development demands one to design and develop tools keeping personalization and convenience to access as the key aspects.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented reality allows a trainee to experience situations and learn practically by offering a 3D view of objects. This technology is revolutionizing the training scenarios across verticals of industries. The technology is widely used by many medical colleges in recent days where a student learns and develops skills through mixed reality experience that are otherwise difficult and expensive. Training with AR tools enables personalized, simplified, accurate and measured learning capabilities.

Recently, Mercedes-Benz adopted augmented reality to offer assistance to its manufacturing operations using the Microsoft HoloLens. In its Global training program, the company employed more than a hundred HoloLends devices. This augmented reality facility enabled the trainees to observe 3D models of vehicles, examine the car's internal parts, and learn the complete systems in a more detail way. The company is already finding value and exceptional utility of this technology in training its employees.

Virtual Reality (VR)

More and more companies are realizing the potential of the Virtual Reality technology to enhance Learning and Development initiatives for their employees.

Some of the benefits of VR-based training include;

• Customized Training
• Exceptional experience
• Simulated real-time situational learning
• Accommodative to different learning styles
• Improved and faster learning
• Engaging experience

Walmart recently indicated that it is leveraging VR headsets to train all its employees. With the help of the headsets, Walmart trains its employees in several services right from operating new technology on the shop floor to customer service. One of the prime advantages of using VR technology is its ability to enrich training with a more engaging experience where even the most difficult situations and simulations are made possible easily. Employees this way are well prepared to face the shoppers much ahead the product/service is actually made available.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Investment is Artificial Intelligence is growing at a faster rate and it is expected to grow further in the future days to come. AI is a technology that comes with its unique capacity to automate various tasks. AI training involves data utilization and a thorough understanding of learner’s data by analyzing it based on situations over a period of time. This facilitates a more customized learning program. Such understanding helps to know the strengths and weakness of the learner and offer programs as per the need.

• AI offers
• Adaptive learning
• Need-based
• Personalized
• Training that makes sense to the learners
• Intuited sessions
• Intelligent and smart interface
• Blockchain

Although the Blockchain technology was earlier limited to crypto-currencies and its various applications for the finance industry, its use has emerged to a wider adoption in recent days. Blockchain can be an ideal solution for online learning approaches.

Advantages of using blockchain include;

• In issuing certificates – Blockchain infrastructure can create, issue, view and verify blockchain-based training completion certificates.
• Verify skills
• Maintain secure and shareable records
• Find and pay for interested sessions easily
• Secured management

Final Say

Winning is definitely defined by you, but what defines a win is your quick access to all the discussed trends. Gone are days where a trainer is introduced to reams of text that are heavy on theory...These days, learning has dramatically improved. It not only enables individualized learning experience but comes with a facility to measure and reward too. So, it is time to forget those mediocre learning materials and move to a more robust and on-demand training styles. After all, the above-mentioned trends absolutely let you learn and train yourself at your own convenience – anytime, anywhere. Go for it!