Learning Formats in 2020

Geetha Krishnan asks “what kind of learning formats will be in vogue in the year 2020, specifically with respect to corporate training?” My short response that I left as comments on his post is given below. Don’t miss out on other comments on his post from experts in the industry.

Man (as in generic human, not intended to be sexist), has forever learned from teachers, gurus. Knowledge has been passed down through ages by the teachers/gurus. The medium changed over the years. The common thread that I see is that the changing media has continued to facilitate increased access to teachers, and communication between teachers and learners. The changing media has also improved the ability to visualize content and explain things in more graphical way.

So in the next 20 years, learning formats that continue to increase the accessibility of teachers will be in order. Telepresence comes to mind. Perhaps it will develop into 3D/hologram type telepresence that will allow teachers to be more accessible to learners.

Social learning, learning 2.0, social networks, user generated content etc. to me are additional means of connecting teachers and learners. All these make more teachers accessible to more learners and these modes will continue to thrive.

3D worlds also make it easier for content to be visualized better and make learning more effective. Usage of 3D Worlds for learning should increase in the coming years.