The Learning Ecosystem: Past, Present and Future

Learning Ecosystem

Elements in an ecosystem directly or indirectly interact and affect each other. In a broader sense, an ecosystem means a group of elements that affect each other, that is, create an interactive environment. A good example of the ecosystem is Apple's ecosystem, which covers iOS, Mac OS, iPhone, iPad, Mac Books and many more apps. Similarly, a university can accommodate students, teachers, administrators, other staff, books, libraries, sports clubs, etc. can be thought of as an ecosystem.

What Does the Learning Ecosystem Mean?

In simple terms, an organization's learning ecosystem includes its people, the technology used to learn, the content used for learning, the prevailing culture, and the strategy that exists in the organization. All elements in the learning ecosystem directly or indirectly affect the learning that takes place in an institution.

As in a biological ecosystem with many interactive species living in an environment, there are people and content equivalent to living creatures in a learning ecosystem, the technology used to create and present content equivalent to natural resources, and of course a learning culture that is equivalent to the entire environment.

The similarity does not end there, a living ecosystem can be healthy or poor, self-sustaining or in need of support, just as a learning ecosystem can be. This means that an institution needs to understand the learning ecosystem well in order not to let it degrade.

In the past, the learning ecosystem was simple; consisted of students, educators, and content. With the development of learning technology and globalization, today's learning ecosystem, content, presentation mechanism and of course social learning, micro learning etc. It has a very complex structure with many options with the widespread use of informal learning methods such as

Today's L&D (learning & development) leaders need to be aware of the complex interactions of content and technology with the human mind that can have a major impact on learning behavior. With the emergence of e-learning, there has been a major paradigm shift in the learning ecosystem from the past to the present. Learning has gone from being teacher-focused to content-focused and is now on track to become student-centered.

Let's take a look at the future of the learning ecosystem based on current trends:

Focus on Competence

More important than knowledge in the business world is the competence of the workforce. Therefore, the main focus of learning is to move from theoretical knowledge to practical business competence.

Personalization

Each individual has their own unique learning path and abilities. Content personalization is slowly becoming a trend; however, there is still a long way to go. In the near future, we will see periods in which learning content will be much more personalized with a tailored curriculum.

Improved Content

With Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning developing faster than ever before, content curation has also begun to evolve from manual to automatic. Learning Management Systems are becoming more and more intelligent and responsive to student interaction.

AR and VR

With Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality becoming more accessible, educational content is shifting towards AR and VR to maximize personalization.

Wearable Technologies

Undoubtedly, wearable technologies will play a big role in Learning Experience Design. Wearable technologies can be used to understand user behavior and customize the learning experience accordingly.

Social Connection

People are social, so learning should be social too. There is a significant shift towards social learning already and this shift will accelerate further in the future.

Self-Managed Learning

There are always highly motivated and potential students who want to go beyond the regular curriculum. These students can explore self-directed learning and modern Learning Management Systems are the starting point for this type of learning.

Conclusion

The learning ecosystem is undoubtedly developing at a significant rate. Learning is no longer an independent student-teacher-content interaction, it is much more than that. Education has become an enriched and complex mechanism with the potential to truly maximize output at the end of the process, provided it is properly nurtured and guided. One caveat here, though, is that a malnourished learning ecosystem can be even more harmful than beneficial when well-fed in shaping the capabilities of the future workforce.

The e-learning industry will certainly play a huge role in shaping the learning ecosystem and making it more efficient for individuals and companies alike.