No one could have predicted how quickly the educational landscape would change over these past few years. While many of the shifts were out of necessity, some came from pure innovation.

What can educators and learning professionals look forward to in the coming year? 

Here are some of the top eLearning trends coming to classrooms, specifically for hybrid and online learners.

Top Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning

What are the current trends in online learning?

The new year is off to a great start with these promising education technology developments.

Increased Accessibility

Edtech leaders were already tackling the issues around accessibility before the pandemic. More learners moved to online modules in 2020, creating a renewed focus on helping every learner do their best. 

One in five students also has a disability. They can’t wait for you to update your classroom resources to meet their needs.

One way to make your online course more accessible is through captions. These can be made for existing video lectures and any new content you put out. Captioning can also help you meet any state or institutional requirements for deaf and hard-of-hearing learners or ESL students.

(Bonus: Do you host your videos on a public site like YouTube or Vimeo? You won’t even need to create new video files to get started.)

Accessibility isn’t just valuable for students. Any meeting or live event where peers and parents will be present can benefit from new tools. Live captions for meetings help ensure everyone is on the same page.

Text is automatically generated as the audio is captured, providing clarity and reducing misunderstandings.

AR, VR, and the Metaverse

While it’s still in the early stages of development, Facebook’s Metaverse platform creates buzz. Some hope it can connect virtual learners in a more meaningful way. How will it be used? There are limited applications to look to for inspiration at the moment.

Future ideas include:

• More robust virtual classrooms.
• Collaborative team projects.
• The use of student avatars to express and engage.

Whether teachers are more ap to create their own or use market-ready apps is yet to be seen. Those who aren’t yet on board with the idea of a Facebook “Metaverse” classroom may still find value in less immersive options. These include VR headset learning games or gamifying lab work through augmented reality apps. 

Visuals

We already know that breaking up big chunks of text with illustrations or videos can help keep learners engaged.

Did you know that some learners may use text to help them digest what they see in videos?

Incorporating subtitles into your English-language videos can help ESL and struggling learners, while the clear text gives them another way to process what they hear.

Some will even develop stronger reading skills as a result.

Creating text is easier than ever with AI transcription, which provides accurate speech-to-text files in minutes. Teachers can use AI services to quickly transcribe an entire library of video course content. This exact text can be used for the videos, but also hand-out materials and notes, as well.

More “Life Skills” Coursework

Reading, writing, and arithmetic are the core foundations of what we hope to teach in school. However, hygiene, nutrition, and job application tips may be the newest courses we see in a virtual ed environment.

These life skills classes have helped bolster the confidence and abilities of at-risk youth who may not always get what they need from home. They may also provide alternative pathways for students who want to transition right into work after high school.

Hybrid and online courses fill these gaps in ways we haven’t seen before. 

Microlearning

The pandemic tested how long the average student could sit in front of a screen. As it turns out, they learn best in digestible chunks, and the best classroom technology should embrace that fact.

Things we see happening in 2022 include shorter learning videos, mini-sessions, and more frequent check-ins. Instead of an hour-long math class, learning could be divided into four mini-lessons.

All course videos could provide notes created from voice transcription for an extra learning boost. Students may look back on these for review.

Quality (not quantity) matters here.

Remote Proctoring

One impact of technology on education is that it can happen anywhere, even under secure conditions. The pandemic disrupted the standard testing patterns for the SAT and ACT, leaving some seniors feeling frustrated.

While colleges are adjusting to make tests optional, the future of testing may be in remote proctoring. More tests are opening up for virtual proctoring, so students from all backgrounds can access them.

The CLT (Classic Learning Test) offers remote proctoring for students and has found it to be successful.

Artificial Intelligence in Education

What will the future hold?

AI is already being used in the classroom, although in very subtle ways. Coursework that introduces students to AI early, as a tool for use in their lives, is one possibility. As STEM classes get more funding and publicity, we could see AI courses lead the way.

Getting kids excited about AI technology roles now can help fill important future tech roles. The potential for AI in education is limitless – and the future. 

Asynchronous Learning

Not every home has high-speed internet, and until this problem is solved, asynchronous learning matters. Giving students an option to watch courses in real-time or offline is necessary for equitable learning.

Teachers who can create smaller video files for downloading to mobile phones will better serve students.

These eight trends are driven by what students need most. With some research and use of the best available tech, educators can challenge being there for every type of learner.