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Do you think that e-learning has affected the old trends of library management?

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Question added by Adil Khan , Chief Librarian , GNIT College of Management
Date Posted: 2014/04/21
Vinod Jetley
by Vinod Jetley , Assistant General Manager , State Bank of India

Top inspiring trends in the field of Learning Management Systems(LMS) and evaluation of their impact.   

  

  1. Cloud-based LMSNot exactly a nebulous technology used strictly by large enterprises, but a powerful tool that can advance the educational system, by cutting costs and expanding accessibility. Training becomes available at any time from any place, administrators’ efficacy is boosted, learners can share ideas, infrastructure, and tools. In addition, there are no time limits for information storage, while schools and businesses can effectively tame expenditures. Need I say more? You may want to check the Top Benefits of Using a Cloud-based LMS and the Ultimate List of Cloud-Based Learning Management Systems.  
  2. No Vendor LockThe Open Source LMS model served the eLearning industry expansion for over one decade. Blending the best from Open Source and commercially supported word, the current trend is the “no vendor lock” model where, under a commercial license and support, the vendor opens the code for the client. Giving companies the chance to extend and customize their LMS without worrying for proprietary barriers, this trend offers better flexibility, unlimited customizability and guarantees service continuity. 
  3. Mobile learningLast year, LMS providers realized they had to implement mobile functionalities and started using HTML5 to make their websites mobile accessible. According to a recent survey, a smashing percentage of88% of respondents said that they absolutely need mobile learning capabilities for their tablets, and this can mean one thing. In addition, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) support is on the rise. In2013, Cisco’s BYOD Insights report revealed that9 in10 Americans already use their smartphones for work purposes. I highly encourage you to check What BYOD Means for e-Learning. In2014, emphasis will be placed in the creation of native apps, and not just browser apps, in an effort to increase the opportunity for learning for all learners. Surely, HTML5 will play a pivotal role in this. A few months ago, I answered the question: Is HTML5 ready for the eLearning Industry? in a brief article that you may want to read. In addition, numerous Authoring Tools Vendors’ have created HTML5 e-Learning Authoring Tools, and others will certainly follow. If you want to take a look at how HTML5 may play a major role in the future of the eLearning industry, and delve into the ultimate list of HTML5 eLearning authoring tools available today, you may find interesting the Ultimate List of HTML5 eLearning Authoring Tools.
  4. Content ReusabilityContent reusability is definitely a new trend with great potential. LMSs that integrate conversion functionalities allow you to convert documents, videos and audios to web and mobile compatible formats. In other words, you can reuse certain content as many times as needed, in various different ways without losing its validity, power, and meaning. 
  5. Talent managementTalent management is crucial for successful organizational development and was recently found to be a valuable tool for LMS, as well. Talent management identifies the strengths and weaknesses of employees, and with the appropriate LMS these weaknesses can be improved, with the suggestion of new eLearning courses, training material, or even external tailor-made resources that will advance the learner’s job-related skills. 
  6. Emphasis on User Experience (UX)Providing a great user experience is an imperative goal for every eLearning Software and course. The importance of UX has been widely accepted and recognized and the increasing focus on customer and user centric software leaves no doubt that UX is a new emerging field of competition amongst the LMS providers. UX practitioners and researchers have proposed new ways (metrics, methods, strategies) so as to effectively measure and improve UX. On the other hand, eLearning Professionals, Instructional Designers, and Instructors, need to take advantage of the recent UX advancements and have to fully adopt this UX paradigm in order to design and develop authentic learning experiences. I highly encourage you to read the What Is The Importance Of eLearning Usability? article.
  7. Personalized LearningFollowing the need to provide better and more holistic user experience, there is an increasing demand to give more control to the end users. It is evident that while learners mature as users and creators of digital artifacts, they want to interact with learning environments that meet their need for autonomy and control. In addition the realization of the vision for learning ecosystems that can be adjusted to the learners’ needs is yet to come. With the advance of adaptive learning technologies I anticipate that LMS will be further developed in order to incorporate such new technologies. 
  8. GamificationGamification is the new buzzword in the eLearning industry. Gamification is the use of game thinking and mechanics in a non-game context to inspire employees and students to get engaged in the learning process. Gamification have taken corporate training to a whole new level, by facilitating learner engagement, reducing the stress associated with learning, and boosting the information’s durability. It is more than obvious that LMS providers should implement Gamification features to their LMS solutions. If you are interested to know the most effective uses of Gamification in Learning, I highly encourage you to read the Free eBook How Gamification Reshapes Learning
  9. Social LearningSocial learning made an explosive entrance in the eLearning Industry. Social learning creates better LMS environments, encourage learning, facilitate communication and enable sharing. When you compare the percentage gained from formal learning to the percentage gained through collaboration with others, it’s no wonder that social learning is rapidly gaining corporate buy-in and employee appreciation (Social Learning Trends2013). 
  10. Micro-LearningThere are a variety of benefits associated with Micro-learning, particularly in eLearning environments. In essence, micro-eLearning offers students and employees the opportunity to more easily absorb and retain the information that is being offered, by making lessons and course activities more manageable and “digestible”. Yes, you can integrate Micro-eLearning techniques into your eLearning course however; it would be great if more LMSs had micro-learning features build in!
  11. Scenario-Based LearningScenario-Based eLearning, essentially, immerses the learners in real life or situational simulations or learning experiences that allow them to gather skills or information that they will recall for future use. Information offered within a contextual setting enables learners not only to easily manage it within their working memory, but also to commit it to their long-term memory. As an eLearning Professional it would not be hard to apply scenario-based learning at your eLearning courses. However, scenario-based prebuilt features on your LMSs will save you valuable time! You may want to check The Basics of Scenario-Based e-Learning.
  12. Tin Can APIIntroduced in2012, Tin Can API will definitely be the tool that will grow exponentially in2014, because it has the potential to radically transform the learning landscape. Training and learning now becomes trackable, allowing organizations to measure results, correlate productivity data with training data, and evaluate employee/learner performance, while learners can store their learning information. You may want to read How Tin Can is Making Tools Better, Together.
  13. MOOCsMassive Open Online Courses are expected to explode in2014. With tuition rising, universities desperately seeking to cut down costs, government funding plummeting, and space becoming limited by the minute, MOOCs sound more like deus ex machina, enabling access to learning for millions of people simultaneously and globally. If Harvard, MIT and Georgetown are doing it, it looks like this trend is here to stay.
  14. Just-In-Time LearningThe concept is the provision of a learning solution when is needed, and not on a deferred basis, through webinars, web-based tutorials, video games, and quizzes. It eliminates the need to refresh training, and it’s accessible immediately, zeroing in on the information needed to perform tasks, update skills and solve problems. Many companies have already adopted this method, allowing their employees to obtain just-in-time training through the system, contact experts who might be able to help them out with specific projects, and even share lessons learned. LMSs, however, need to be mobile and flexible in order to be compatible with JIT learning. 

Harish Thimmegowda
by Harish Thimmegowda , Librarian and Head , Sai Vidya institute of Technology

Here are four ways technology is changing how people learn: 

1) From Individual to Collaborative Learning

We used to mostly learn through individual-based courses and activities. There were fellow students, yes, but these were kept to a minimum. With the introduction of new technologies, however, learning has shifted from an almost individual-only endeavor to a collaborative activity.  

By collaborative learning, we mean a situation in which two or more people learn or attempt to learn something together. Speaking of collaborative learning we think about problem-based, discussions, reflection and other ways in which students are an active part in the learning process. 

Collaboration is no longer considered a nice add-on, it has become a necessary feature. The reality is that a plethora of tools facilitate or even encourage cooperation—from social network to instant messaging applications. Take Google DriveDropboxEvernote, and popular task management software such as Astridand Todoist. These apps are ready for collaboration. 

This is an inevitable consequence brought about by the Internet. We can now communicate, real-time or not, with people whenever and wherever we're able. In web sessions or web-enabled class, students from all over the world turn to each other for help and connect in virtual classrooms. They find others who share their interests and collaborative with them as their course progress.  

Today's much improved collaboration process and tools, more importantly, are filling the lack of "human touch," which has long been a criticism of online learning. Technology is no longer a barrier to genuine interaction. It is, instead, an enabler that affords students a humanized, learning experience—especially online. It not only supports cognitive processes, but also socio-emotional processes by involving learners in “getting to know each other, committing to social relationships, developing trust and belonging, and build a sense of on-line community.”

2) From Passive to Active or Brain-based Learning

This shift from passive to active learning or from a teacher-centered to a student-centered approach is probably the most positive consequence of technology.

Learners are no longer content-receptors merely taking down notes or listening to teachers talk for hours without pause. They now have a different set of expectations when it comes to learning. They actually want to participate or to have a say and maintain a sense of control over their lessons. 

These active learners usually turn to mobile apps to learn whenever and wherever they can. They turn to the web to directly access information and, eventually, solve a problem. They still turn to their teachers or instructors but only to seek guidance. 

Technology, then, becomes a tool for active learning. Through it, learners are able to research, communicate and solve problems. Whenever they navigate the web, they are able to directly access a huge library of information. The web offers them a plethora of data, not just text. The web is hypermedia, not linear. Most importantly, the web offers them freedom to learn according to paths of their own choosing. Learners can be authors and problem solvers, not just spectators.

Passive activities are being outdated while teachers are now occupying another significant role as guides. Blackboard’s SEO Sig Behren confirmed this in an article he wrote for USNews last year."If we actually want to engage active learners, learning needs to become much more open, mobile, socia and analutical" he said.. 

3) The Rise of Differentiated Instruction

Perhaps even more valuable than collaboration is the Web’s ability to bring complete personalization to the learning experience. Learners within any single 'class' are likely to have multiple needs to fulfill and not all of them aim toward the same learning goal. Each of them has his or her own set of concerns, agendas, abilities, values and priorities. 

This is why it's extremely crucial to apply different types of instruction to different learners. No single method can accommodate all their learning needs. A flexible and personalized approach to content delivery is a must. 

Technology, after all, not only facilitates collaborative learning, it also enables instructors to cater to the needs of individual learners. In fact, a hybrid of self-study, individualized instruction and group study has proven effective time and again. Carol Tomlinson, an expert on differentiation, has already documented the success of students who are taught based on their learning profiles and readiness levels.

Technology, after all, not only facilitates collaborative learning, it also enables instructors to cater to the needs of individual learners. It provides students with different avenues to acquiring content; to the processing, constructing, or making sense of ideas. In fact, a hybrid of self-study, adaptive instruction and peer network support has proven effective time and again. Carol Tomlinson, an expert on differentiation, has already documented the success of students who are taught based on their learning profiles and readiness levels.

4. The Phenomenon of Multitasking

Multi-tasking with technologies is perceived to be “easy”, especially among younger adults who are likely to be engaged in educational studies (Carrier, Cheever, Rosen, Benitez, & Chang, 2009). However, its proven that under most conditions, the brain cannot do two complex tasks at the same timeIt can happen only when the two tasks are both very simple and when they don’t compete with each other for the same mental resources. 

Imagine a student switching from one tab to another, or from a desktop screen to a smartphone screen. It took him more than hour to finish your less-than-1000-words assigned reading. He remembered less than half of it and got some of his facts mixed up. The culprit, clearly, is his lack of focus. He multi-tasked and thus unable to sustain concentration on his studies. 

This rise in multi-tasking, easily distracted students has been a seemingly insurmountable challenge to eLearning professionals. Media multi-tasking negatively affects how they absorb and process information.

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