The (Immediate) Future of E-Learning -

As I see it, the direction of e-Learning is dependent on the personality of those who participate. The e-Learning's novelty and innovation remains with baby-boomers and some members of the echo generation the newest entrants to corporate America know that they have "been there been there, been there". It's not new to them, heck, they have ALWAYS had e-Learning. Many school districts incorporate some dimension of e-Learning in their programs already. Universities are adopting this model in the past, and remote learning is now an acceptable practice.

Since e-Learning is now a norm, it is expected. Due to the proliferation of social media and other flashy technology of the present the e-Learning industry can quickly become stale by comparison, particularly if it is simply a static, linear program. The students (especially the younger generation) prefer alternatives, and they need control over their learning. The sounds and bells of technology may not be as attractive as is the experience.

In the end, a careful balance must be struck between "entertaining" in addition to "effective" electronic learning. It is the future of the field. Instructional designers who get the concept will be able to make money. Other designers who think that making courses with just a couple of clickable buttons is enough is going to slowly vanish. Learning in any form, including e-Learning, must be focused on the participant as much as the information. You can create a memorable learning experience and participants will more likely to remember the information.

The most experienced veterans of corporate learning will share stories about the workshops they held and the transparent slides they made to use overhead projectors (remember those things? ) And the unfortunate reality of geographic constraints even though nothing will truly replace the high-quality learning obtained from a live learning event, how we conduct e-Learning in the near future is likely to go through far to improve the quality of learning retention.