Top Education Trends in 2015

In all countries, both developing and developed, education technology is being given a priority in the overall budgeting. Ed tech is trendy. Gone are the days that education stakeholders used to write up curriculums that are too manual for the learners and educators. Just as businesses use technology to track their sales in the market, learners use technology to do essays or initiate constructive conversations amongst themselves. The education sector has shown much interest in investing in learning technology and as projected by the Global Industry Analysts (GIA) report, the e-learning market is expected to be more than $100 billion. Having observed that, let’s look at the five major trends in 2015 and the next couple of years.

Online Corporate Learning

There is a growing demand for the online corporate learning solutions as predicted by the Clayton Christened Institute. Companies have realized that online education has the capability to revolutionize how the workforce learns, whether when registered at an accredited college campus or just in the office. Online education technologies coupled with the social media are changing the global trends in supply and demand for e-learning tools. This happens as a result of the training providers coming up with new business models that would create new opportunities for them in their career of lifelong training. Also, it should be noted that with online learning, workers are now able to learn on their own convenience and focus on their individual interests.

Alternative Learning Styles

The world is fast moving away from the text-based tutorials or PowerPoint presentations and embracing other alternative styles of learning. Although such traditional methods are still effective especially when students are required to apply concepts, contribute to discussions in the study groups, and clarify issues, new learning styles offer a wide range of interactive experiences. For instance, online leaners can type a code in the browsers and download information immediately. This style of learning has been suggested to be more fun, effective and engaging as compared to the traditional ones. Code Schools are increasingly gaining recognition among the younger students as it shows progress in learning once there is consistent use.

Skill Measurement

Companies are showing interests with regards to skill assessment and identification of optimal ways to measure employee progress and competency-based learning. Clayton Christensen Institute advises that learning and knowledge development can be evaluated and integrated into an individual’s day-to-day work using technology that it was previously possible. Thus, it is critical for companies to ensure that a modularized learning is adopted in such a way that cohesion is enhanced further. This implies that, there is need to introduced efficient and effective ways of measuring and tracking learners’ knowledge in a particular field in order to facilitate frictionless transition from one learning experience to another.

Online Competency-based Training

Despite the fact that competency-based training approaches have been in the e-learning market for a significant period, companies have come up with models that will not only lower the costs incurred in the purchase of modules, but also fill the gaps in the labor markets in relation to the skill development. The models break down various courses and subjects into respective competences, thus only allowing learners to get the most refined information that they need for skill enhancement.

Flipped-learning Tech

Flipped learning refers to an approach where students acquire knowledge from the online sources through watching educational videos or reading informative blogs and then coming to class to accomplish their assignments with the direct guidance of the tutor. This method of learning has been identified as a key trend in 2015.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the education sector is trying to match the knowledge with the industrial demands through online learning. However, there must be close collaboration among the learners, educators, and administrators with regards to designing of education technology.