According to a Bersin High Impact Research study, The Net-Promoter Score for L&D is now -8 and lower for non-L&D professionals. That means more people would not recommend their training department than would recommend it, which is a somewhat shocking statistic.

So is L&D fundamentally broken? Not according to global research analyst Josh Bersin. He gave some fascinating insights into the trends that are shaping L&D during his keynote address at HR Innovation & Tech Fest 2017.

Josh feels that this disconnect is largely down to the technology that supports learning and development.

“The reason for that score is not because L&D is broken or people aren’t working hard; it’s that technology fell way behind. The learning management systems were designed around a course catalogue model, and we all went to digital, real-time learning. The technology hasn’t caught up until very recently,” he said.

The good news is, things are changing, and fast.

“The learning market is on fire. It has suddenly just exploded with new tools for curation, for sharing, for micro learning. We’ve really come a long way in the learning industry, and I think in 2018 if you haven’t really investigated updating or replacing or reengineering what you do in learning, you really should, because this stuff is really exciting,” Josh said.

We now have a marketplace of next-generation learning management systems, learning experience platforms, microlearning platforms, MOOC33 and program management systems, and an amazing new set of virtual reality and assessment tools. Needless to say, there is A LOT going on in this space which is both exciting and daunting.

To break it down for you, here are three L&D trends that Josh outlined during his keynote address at HR Innovation & Tech Fest 2017.

Trend 1: Video and Mobile Have Taken Over Learning

• Expert and user authored video is now >55% of all internet traffic and mobile is now over 60%
  (KP Internet Trends 12/2015)
• 35 Million people have enrolled in MOOCs in the last four years, with 2015 enrollments doubling 2014
  (Class Central)
• Over 50% of learners use mobile for more than 1/3 of their learning
  (Degreed)
• India is estimated to be a $3-4 billion market for corporate learning and MOOCs
  (The MOOC Report, Summer 2016)

 

Trend 2: Explosive Growth in Micro-Learning

The modern workday has radically changed as we are constantly bombarded by distractions, emails and messages. So, learning has to insert itself into the gaps of our working days with what Josh refers to as “micro-learning”: bite sized pieces of information intended to be consumed in 2 minutes or less. These may be videos, blogs, or a set of instructional questions.

“We as information-seeking animals consume this kind of material all day, and most of the news sites and social networks now offer such learning in a massive, curated stream.  Twitter offers a primary example of a micro-learning experience,” Josh said.

Trend 3: VR and AR are Coming – and Fast

“I am now convinced that virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) are going to be big in the learning and performance support market,” Josh said.

“I spent a half day with a vendor in Palo Alto called STRIVR, and it was eye-opening. I put on goggles and suddenly I was right in the middle of Black Friday at a store. Then I was at a construction site looking at dangerous site conditions. Then I interviewed a candidate while the system tracked my eye movements and offered me menus depending on what I was looking at. This product is offering solutions to big, real-world training problems. VR and AR will allow us to transport learners into simulations and help teach them exactly what to do in real time.”

Josh Bersin will be giving the keynote address at L&D Innovation & Tech Fest, 29-30 October 2018, Hyatt Regency Sydney.