The interest in AI applications such as ChatGPT clearly shows that trust in artificial intelligence has significantly increased. In further education too, AI applications have made a huge leap forward. This is the conclusion reached by the trend study "mmb Learning Delphi 2022/2023". Learn more about the top trends of 2023 now!
This is the trend study “mmb Learning Delphi”
Every year, the mmb Institute presents the current trends and developments in digital learning. These reflect the results of a survey of 95 e-learning experts (2023). On the one hand, long-term trends are examined: Which forms of learning are relevant for the next three years? On the other hand, the study also collects information on current (short-term) trends. You can view all data from the study here.
Review: These were the trends of the past 5 years
Before we venture a look into the future, we want to look back at the trends of the past: Which trends are long-running favorites and which forms of learning failed to establish themselves?
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2018
Results of the trend monitor: Short, simple videos dominate digital learning, Blended Learning is predicted as a long-term trend.
2019
Results of the trend monitor: The discussions about the GDPR were also noticeable in the trend monitor. Accordingly, the question is: What significance does data protection have for corporate learning? Meanwhile, learning formats like Web-Based Trainings are increasingly losing relevance.
2020
Results of the trend monitor: Videos overtake Blended Learning, making them the most important form of learning in companies. AI applications move into the focus of the surveys for the first time, but are perceived more as marginal phenomena.
2021
Results of the trend monitor: In the course of the Corona pandemic, Blended Learning becomes the most important form of learning for the next 3 years. A true long-term trend indeed!
2022
Results of the trend monitor: Explanatory videos and especially “EduTubers” are learning trend No. 1. Micro-credentials increase the motivation for informal learning. Blended Learning has become indispensable in modern further education.
You see: Short, concise learning units, explanatory videos, and the Blended Learning format are clear winners among the long-term trends! But which learning formats will shape digital further education this year?
These are the trends from this year
Learning Trend No. 1: AI in Further Education
The study results clearly show: AI applications in further education are gaining more and more trust. While the importance of "Adaptive Learning" consistently fluctuated between 49% and 62% in recent years, Adaptive Learning was assessed as relevant for the future by 83% of respondents this year. That is why the result of the current trend study is so surprising! The reason for this upswing: On the one hand, the growing trust of the specialist public in AI applications plays a role. On the other hand, Adaptive Learning can solve relevant problems in the education system:
Adaptive Learning creates individualized learning environments. This allows learners with very different levels of prior knowledge to achieve their learning goals more easily. A learning group consisting, for example, of people with different native languages and different levels of knowledge can complete learning paths better through AI applications.
Another possible reason for the sudden trust in AI applications is described in the trend study as the "ChatGPT effect." This is because at the time of the survey (December 2022 - January 2023), the chatbot was heavily discussed in the media.
Learning Trend No. 2: Blended Learning
Blended Learning remains the top form of learning and has thus been a trend in digital further education for over 10 years! The current trend study shows: 90% of respondents still rate the learning format as relevant – despite the fact that Corona restrictions are largely over.
Learning Trend No. 3: Podcasts
Podcast – for many, that immediately means comedy and true crime. Yet there are many other topics that spark listeners' interest. The trend study confirms this, as e-learning experts now rate podcasts as a learning format with future potential! In doing so, the mmb Institute describes the trend as a "renaissance of podcasts." Viewed in the long term, podcasts are actually among the older learning formats – but who says they can't become a long-term trend again? The surveyed experts see potential at least, as 57% rate the trend as a "learning application of the future."
Conclusion
If we look at the study results of past years, we can see that trends in further education have partly changed significantly. A few years ago, the focus was still on e-learning and the digitalization of learning content. But in the meantime, the importance of AI in further education has gained more and more approval. The possibilities offered by Adaptive Learning are enormous. For example, personalized learning content can be created that is oriented toward the individual needs and abilities of the learner. The automatic evaluation of learning progress or the prediction of learning needs are also just a few examples of the use of AI in further education.
Nevertheless, one learning format remains the undisputed winner of the long-term trends: Blended Learning. Because the trend study clearly shows – virtual learning events are a component of normal everyday learning. Therefore, it remains exciting to observe what developments still await us in the coming years and which trends will continue to revolutionize further education!
