With the recent peak in Omicron Covid-19 cases, it’s unlikely that employees will be returning to the office full-time anytime soon. Workplace dynamics have changed due to the effects of the pandemic, combined with the need for more flexibility with work. 

As a result, the way learning will continue in the workplace has drastically changed. Gone are the days of 100% classroom-based learning. Online learning or eLearning allows organisations to continually train and develop their employees’ skill sets and ensure they are compliant with the latest regulations.

Adaptive learning is another fundamental trend we can expect to see take off in 2022

This not only enables organisations to depend on eLearning for delivering mandatory training, but it allows employees to learn from anywhere, and at a time that works for them. Let’s take a look at what trends are in store for learning and development in 2022: 

The significance of behaviour-based learning 

Behaviour-based, or decision-based learning, is one of the key trends that will gain traction during 2022. Employers are increasingly interested in using decision making to deliver training to employees. The goal is to provide improved context for the learning content and illustrate the value of the knowledge taught to employees to strengthen employee engagement and retention.  

Typically, this involves educating the learners on the topic first, understanding the main concepts and when decisions should be made, then introducing employees to an issue. This should result in the employee making the right decision by carefully considering the situation demonstrated at the start. 

Taking advantage of AI in eLearning 

Adaptive learning is another fundamental trend we can expect to see take off in 2022. Through the use and development of AI technology in eLearning, employees can access short, relevant and impactful instruction needed. 

Adaptive learning will be a critical component of how employees expect to receive training in the coming years. One of the reasons for this is that users are becoming increasingly frustrated with completing unnecessary or irrelevant training. By each learner taking diagnostic assessments ahead of the training, AI technology enables the platform to adapt the course to the employee’s performance.  

Adaptive learning only requires learners to complete training where there is a knowledge gap; meaning employees will not feel that the learning material is boring or repetitive

Secondly, generation Z professionals coming into the workplace have spent their whole lives receiving content tailored to their preferences and needs. Experienced through their academics, Netflix and social media, each person in that generation expects personalised content. And training, for that matter, is no different. 

Adaptive learning only requires learners to complete training where there is a knowledge gap, meaning employees will not feel that the learning material is boring or repetitive. Instead, it will boost employee engagement, as it adapts their time to learn only the topics needed. This not only reduces time spent on mandatory eLearning, but it saves employee’s valuable working time and cost – all while increasing compliance levels. 

Employing different course types and durations 

This year will see a significant demand for more varied course lengths and types. Thanks to the likes of YouTube, which allows users to digest content in smaller 5-10 minute bites, there has been an increase in demand for microlearning.

YouTube and other video platforms have also allowed longer videos of 25-45 minutes to become popular to dive into detail on topics. However, the emergence of TikTok has resulted in users becoming more engaged in summarised content absorbing it in less than two minutes. 

When educating employees, the opportunity now exists to take advantage of both aspects of using social media to provide a broader range of training solutions that engage employees. It also makes way to deliver more concentrated but slightly longer eLearning on critical topics which matter for the organisation. 

Bearing this in mind, organisations will need to reconsider how they collect and analyse training statistics beyond the typical course completion figures – and xAPI can help enable this. 

Enhancing employee engagement 

Enhancing employee engagement is vital in changing the landscape of learning and development. If employees find the current content boring or unengaging, this needs to change. Improving employee engagement starts with building a culture of learning and development in the workplace. Gone are the days when this merely consisted of using posters in the workplace. 

Using a variety of microlearning short courses, in-depth studies, and adaptive learning will keep employees engaged and on their toes

This all depends on how organisations implement their training, measure and share their performance, reinforce central ideas, and – most importantly – showcase the behaviours of employees within the organisation that promote the right way of doing things. 

With all eyes naturally on the senior team, they must be role models for this. Employees will be more motivated and open to complete mandatory training if they see that the organisation embraces it as a sincere drive for excellence. Also, with the workforce comprising different demographics – especially with Generation Z now in the workplace – employees are engaged in different ways. 

Learning and development teams must consider the types of training programmes they want to roll out and how learners of all age groups will respond. A variety of microlearning short courses, in-depth studies, and adaptive learning will keep employees engaged and on their toes. 

Find your methods

With hybrid working here to stay, evolving L&D methods to keep up with the shortening attention spans of employees through varied content is important. Providing employees with the opportunity for learning to be done anytime, anyplace, and on any device will continue to drive learning and development in 2022. 

Interested in this topic? Read the 2022 Workplace Learning Trends report.