2018 Learning Technology Trends: Honorable Mentions that Can Make a Big Impact

By Ramesh Ramani, CEO, Expertus

In my previous blog, I covered the top five learning technology trends for 2018. However, there were a few wild cards that weren’t included but are definitely worth covering.

You could call them “honorable mentions”, but I believe they will make a big difference across the corporate learning landscape in the next year… and beyond.

Content Security─Still a Critical Need

Although content security is not the “it” topic of conferences and blogs, it will continue to be a critical need for learning organizations:

  • By YE 2021, the ability to track and recover content will be a key requirement in 50% of enterprises. –The Aragon Research Top 10 Technology Trends for 2018
  • HCM cloud solution vendors will manage some of the cloud’s biggest repositories of personal information with significant impact on enterprise security/privacy and data utilization considerations.” –Gartner, Predicts 2018

Extended enterprise training expert John Leh also points out a “formidable compliance challenge” for LMS vendors and learning organizations…

“By May 25 of this year, companies that collect data from E.U. citizens must comply with strict new data privacy rules–including what type of data you can collect, how you reveal this data…and how users can review and delete their data. This is antithetical to how an LMS operates. Early solutions include dedicated hosting solutions in local areas that automatically direct certain IPs to a different compliant environment.”

Digital Badges Go Viral

Digital badges (aka digital credentials) are a graphical symbol of competencies earned through learning which can be displayed in email signatures, on social media, on websites, and so on.

Because digital badges are so easy to display (versus their paper-based predecessors), they’re quickly gaining in popularity and are a great engagement tool. Here’s an example of our admin certification badge.

“Today more than ever, traditional modes of assessment fail to capture the learning that happens everywhere and at every age. Digital badges are a powerful tool for identifying and validating the rich array of people’s skills, knowledge, accomplishments, and competencies. Digital badges inspire new pathways to learning and connect learners to opportunities, resources, and one another.” ─HASTAC

New Innovation in Mobile Learning

“(As with) augmented reality, GPS applications like geofencing were great ideas (for training), but required a significant lead time for deployment on any significant scale. Now that a large number of device feature high-speed Bluetooth and GPS─are standard, many more are becoming common as facial and object recognition are seeing an explosion of innovation.” ─Learning Everywhere: How Mobile Content Strategies Are Transforming Training

Years back, we launched Presence Sensing for our LMS mobile app. It used the GPS in a learner’s device to recognize when they were on site for an ILT class and automatically mark them present.

Today, we’re continuing to push innovation in mobile learning technology with the introduction of Geofencing.

Again, using the GPS in a learner’s mobile device, our LMS creates a virtual perimeter (i.e. a “fence”) that enables or disables training based on their location. So now you can ensure your employees:

  • Train onsite during approved, regular working hours─no more accidental overtime pay!
  • View mobile learning from your secured network─keeping your business-critical data safe and secure, and avoiding the need to reimburse employees for their personal data plan

**Stay tuned for a blog on this exciting new LMS mobile technology…**

Of course, we’re always looking for ways to push the boundaries of what’s next in learning tech. So, if you need a new workaround for a pressing training problem, or are interested in learning more about any of the trends I covered in my 2018 Learning Technology Trends blogs, please reach out at rramani@expertus.com.

I look forward to continuing the discussion on how your learning organization can make a big impact in the coming year!