The more conferences go online, the more researchers move into binge mode. Tom Brown, energy system modeller at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, devotes a considerable part of his time to virtual conference sessions. Paul DeStefano, a doctoral student at Portland State University in Oregon, says he has seen 15 sessions at APS conferences, an accomplishment that would be impossible for him personally. In the future, he says, more discretion is needed. [Sources: 4]
Students and other young scientists may find that digital communication with eminent scientists is less intimidating than face-to-face encounters. As Cominsky notes, young scientists often use conferences to get to know future employees. In the virtual world it is more difficult, but not impossible. [Sources: 4]
Fast forward one to three to five years, and we will move into a world more accustomed to remote and distributed work, and workplace learning will become much more collaborative and much less one-dimensional. Technology will facilitate and democratize the learning and sharing process and become a learning center. [Sources: 1]
The use of new technologies for learning will usher in an era of unprecedented opportunities to develop the full potential of workers. Creative professionals are always looking for new tools to solve training problems in new ways, and as technology becomes better and cheaper, we will see it become more widespread in the workplace. VR and AR will enable companies to create immersive learning experiences that were not previously possible. [Sources: 8]
By using AI more widely, we will be able to provide the right education to the right people at the right time. Realistic environments that simulate real-world scenarios can be used to develop skills in contexts where engagement and decision-making are essential to the learning path. [Sources: 8]
In the recent past, AI and advanced deep learning and machine learning have been built on systems of bottom-up education systems with mountains of data. Intelligent companies rely on systems that can learn from the top down with limited data. These systems have efficient thinking, ready expertise and common sense. In the coming years, these systems will be replaced by data-hungry bottom-up applications. [Sources: 5]
A variety of organizations are working to teach machines how to navigate the world with common sense, understand everyday objects and actions, communicate effectively, deal with unforeseen situations, and learn from experience. Coming up with humanly explicit training data is difficult for machines. To define what it means to have a machine with "common sense," AI2 is developing a portfolio of tasks whose progress can be measured. [Sources: 5]
There's a lot of hype around AR, VR and gamification, but these are modalities, not learning strategies. They expand the users "worldview with contextual, relevant and actionable information. There is a reason Skillsoft has invested in neuroscience: research tells us that targeted cognitive practice is more valuable than actual performance, and the brain stores information in the same way. [Sources: 8]
Conscious learning programs are designed to take into account not only the intended learning outcomes, but also the motivation and receptivity of the audience. Let's focus on tailoring the teaching design to your audience. Minerva: We are very focused on taking habits into account and the cognitive tools and framework conditions that we share with our students. [Sources: 1]
Let's say, for example, that your intended learning outcome is the concept of design thinking. To encourage further reflection, consider what IKEA does when it asks users to use a familiar tool (say, a drill or screwdriver) for a new challenge, or a guide to a simple task or performance support tool. [Sources: 1]
Use your training budget to make competence building an important strategic lever to adapt to the next normal. Do not waste two or three years and renounce the efficiency and resilience that you have developed. Use and make the learning journey an object for external partners. If you focus on the resilience of your learning ecosystem, do it digitally, including synchronizing digital components to replace personal components and be accessible to your employees. [Sources: 6]
You need the skills to be an effective learner, to have the greatest impact on the experience. You need the mentality to learn for life. You need to have access to the right opportunities to learn the things that are relevant to you the moment you need them and are accessible to you. [Sources: 2]
The second change we are seeing is the move towards lifelong learning. The traditional model concludes that education, including MBA and Master's courses, is only possible if learning is applied in the workplace. The new normal is a period of study and learning interspersed with working life. [Sources: 0]
The unbundling of the education system has led to four tectonic shifts in occupational choice, driven by Return on Investment (ROI) and leading from lifelong learning to shorter maturities and new business models. After a recession or an emergency like this, we are in a phase of soaring ROI-driven career choices. [Sources: 0]
The unbundling of education will lead to disruptions in several waves. The first wave will include channels for learning hard skills that lead directly to employment prospects. Consider bootcamp programming, massive open online courses, certifications, and nanogrades. These channels have high arbitrage possibilities, and few such disruptions have worked on a large scale. [Sources: 0]
It is not just the private sector that is changing. Ignatius cites a study by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co., which reports that private-sector companies are switching to new jobs 40 times faster than expected. It is estimated that within a few weeks companies will jump from three to four years into the future of the job. Because technology allows people to work and live from anywhere, he writes, they will continue the habits that have developed over the past seven months. [Sources: 7]
Organizations and leaders will need to find new ways to lead, maintain productivity, and align with common goals. The biggest challenge will be to maintain and create interpersonal relationships between colleagues and peers, which will continue to be a new learning curve. Building these links and building trust will be the norm in the new dynamic of teamwork. [Sources: 7]
Among the complicated considerations that we have identified are the unequal quality of learning, differences in the provision of effective distance learning and other burdens that come with children, such as the need to find work to support their families. We are trying to sound the alarm about the scale of the sacrifices that young people are having to make. There could be more we haven't considered, and we expect others to make them available in the comments and discussions on this blog. [Sources: 3]
According to the Education Industry Report, US data from the Great Recession show a significant decline in total education spending in 2009 and 2010, followed by an increase in 2011 and a decline to 2008 levels in 2012. This tells us that companies are cutting their learning budgets because they are delaying their investments, not their net savings, and that the current crisis requires a much greater shift in skills than the 2008 financial crisis. [Sources: 6]
Sources:
[0]: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/08/how-edtech-will-transform-learning-in-the-covid-19-era/
[1]: https://www.chieflearningofficer.com/2020/03/30/reimagining-workplace-learning-during-covid-19/
[2]: https://360learning.com/blog/mckinsey-future-of-learning/
[3]: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2020/04/29/the-covid-19-cost-of-school-closures/
[4]: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01489-0
[5]: https://hbr.org/2019/01/the-future-of-ai-will-be-about-less-data-not-more
[6]: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/to-emerge-stronger-from-the-covid-19-crisis-companies-should-start-reskilling-their-workforces-now
[7]: https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/10/future-work-post-pandemic-were-not-going-back/169556/
[8]: https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/july-aug-2017/the-future-of-corporate-learning-stepping-into-another-dimension/
