The Year in Preview

The e-Learning industry as a whole—and immersive learning simulations in particular—made great strides in 2007. The ASTD State of the Industry 2007 report concluded that more business leaders have become aware of the of the value of learning and that “the learning function has achieved an unprecedented level of sophistication”—thanks to the availability of a number of advanced technologies such as NexLearn’s own SimWriter authoring tool.

To begin the new year, this issue of Simpact will revisit some predictions for the year 2007. Judge for yourself how accurate they were.

In the February 2007 issue of Simpact, e-Learning industry veteran Clint Everton predicted that the social networking trend would continue to build: “Consumer sentiments are now driving corporate learning. Individuals work daily with Google, YouTube, Myspace, and are demanding the same level of engagement from their corporate training…There is a reason why Second Life and Worlds of Warcraft are big business. For too long, people were fascinated with the notion of "computer-based," when in fact it should only be a collaborative mechanism to connect people together.”

In that same Simpact issue, industry consultant Tom Crawford also highlighted Web 2.0 components: “Certainly technology is constantly changing. Tools like search, wikis, blogs, podcasting, and the Web itself are dramatically changing how content is produced.”

Bersin and Associates predicted a big change in the structure and operation of corporate training: “Learning organizations are increasing spending on technology. New skills and management structures will be needed to meet training's new role as a shared services organization.”

Bersin also focused on the evolution of e-Learning: “Now that e-learning is mainstream, companies are moving to more sophisticated uses of e-learning content and technology, such as for performance support, collaborative learning, and simulations.” (As simulation specialists, we’ve experienced firsthand the increased attention to immersive learning simulations.)

And Dennis Rees, NexLearn president, predicted that CLOs would dedicate greater attention to the benefits of simulation training and education. “Sound instructional design, world class content, and unparalleled subject matter expertise are worth little without effective delivery. Immersion, interaction, low risk skill acquisition in a familiar environment, and engaging and contextual story lines – all these are traits of learning at the highest level. These traits also define immersive learning simulation.”

So, what does 2008 hold for the e-Learning industry? Here are some questions to consider:

Will the popularity of Web 2.0 tools continue to rise, or will they get kicked to the curb with other buzzwords of years past? The safe bet is that Web 2.0 and social networking will become common options available to e-Learners looking to make educational opportunities more personal and flexible. The success of these tools rests directly on how they affect the learning experience. Will blogs, wikis and podcasts stimulate learners to take control of their training? Will they motivate employees to change their learning behavior? Will students have the initiative to “pull” the content they need to enhance their own knowledge and comprehension? Participation is critical to the learning process, but is user-generated information a viable option to use as core training material, or is it best suited to provide performance support? The answers should become clear this year.

Also set to generate attention in 2008 is mobile learning. We know people like to learn whenever, wherever…but will users feel comfortable turning on their cell phones and PDAs to access training and education content? The short answer is yes. We’re seeing increased interest from many companies wanting to add mobile devices to their training arsenal. Currently, users seem satisfied watching lecture videos or listening to audio versions of classroom or boardroom presentations. At NexLearn, we believe mobile learning should offer users much more. Stay tuned for an exciting announcement in 2008.

And finally, can immersive learning simulations build upon the momentum from 2007 to become a staple of every learning opportunity? Absolutely. For nearly two decades, members of NexLearn have been researching, building and fine-tuning the simulation development process to create the ultimate real-world learning experiences. And with the upcoming release of SimWriter 3.0 in 2008, developing and maintaining media-rich simulation content has never been faster, easier and more cost effective.

On the Road

February 2008

Feb 4-6
Training 2008 Conference and Expo
Atlanta, GA
Visit Nexlearn (booth 110A) to learn about:

• NexLearn’s own NexStep Development Process
• The power of simulation training
• SimWriter: the most advanced simulation authoring tool

Feb 26-28
ASTD Techkowledge Conference and Exposition
San Antonio, TX
Visit Nexlearn (booth 108) to learn about:

• Custom education software development
• Immersive learning simulations
• NexLearn’s proprietary SimWriter authoring tool