eLearning Future: What eLearning Will Look Like in 2075?

What will a classroom look like in fifty years? Hundreds of years ago, no one could have imagined some of the exciting, effective learning technologies we have today. In just the last few decades, dramatic technological advances have changed the nature of the classroom, how students learn, and how teachers teach. Resources are more readily accessible, and content is more engaging than ever.

In this blog post, Dr Harshada Mulay has outlined four of the most popular elearning trends of 2014 (including MOOCs, learning, virtual reality technology, and gamification) that could lay a foundation for the future state of schools, as well as speculate what classrooms, learning platforms, and teacher roles might be like in the future.

From Chalkboards to Chatboards: What Will eLearning Look Like in 2075?

Albert Einstein said: "Your imagination is a preview of upcoming attractions." When we consider education, does this mean that we will eventually live in a world where learning feels more like play, and everyone has access to equal education? Will we live in a world where learning is individualized, so every student maximally benefits from the learning experience? We might. Let's rewind a bit and appreciate how far we have come. Hundreds of years ago, learning was all about copying and memorizing. Learning happened verbally from a tablet called a Hornbook and eventually on a chalkboard. Back then, it was unlikely anyone could imagine the internet, let alone MOOCs, virtual reality technology, or any of the mobile devices that exist today and are increasingly utilized in the classroom.

Then learning resources abruptly changed in the late 20th century.

The eLearning domain has evolved over several iterations. First, a typical eLearning instance involved video clips demonstrating a task. Learners were prompted to answer multiple choice questions to advance, but this model did not take the place of instructor-led training. Next, eLearning became more interactive. Advances in graphics and storage allowed for more complicated programs, and learners could start participating in simulations or choosing their lesson path. Then came the Social Learning Management System, which allowed for blended learning. For the first time, designers could build courseware that involved content or interaction with experts within any organization, and learners had control over how and when they absorbed the content. Learners could track their progress and improve on past scores. Some courses even replaced the role of instructors, and more and more learning institutions adopted eLearning platforms. Nearly half of all college classes may be eLearning-based in a few years.

Similarly, over 40% of the global Fortune 500 companies use educational technology to train employees (ELearning Magazine, 2013). So where is all of this going? If we place ourselves in the perspective of the 16th-century learners, what could emerge that may not possible be able imagined today?

Future eLearning Trends

Futuristic eLearning will probably involve technologies and platforms that derive from current trends. In this section, I will outline some recently popular and emerging trends that could easily develop into exciting, advanced, and helpful learning models.

1. MOOCs (massive open online courses) are just what they sound like. These open, online courses allow millions of people to take the same course at once from just about anywhere in the world. Someone may be in Australia chatting with their classmate in Canada in real time. Originally, MOOCs emphasized the open access features such as the open licensing of content, structure, and learning goals. However, newer MOOCs involve closed licensing for course materials while maintaining free access to students. 
2. mLearing(Mobile learning): Soon, online courses will become readily accessible on mobile devices. Not only do mobile devices allow you to learn from anywhere, but newer devices are also equipped with digital compasses, dual cameras, incredible audio, etc. Imagine the future learners who can watch a lesson on the go while utilizing apps and features of their mobile devices to take measurements, do science experiments, or communicate with other learners. Students will eventually have nearly unlimited access to topics that interest them. Students may eventually have much more choice about what topics they explore if they develop the necessary skills and meet a basic set of requirements. 
3. Virtual Technologies: In the 1990s and early 2000s, IMAX and 3D movies gave viewers a somewhat realistic experience. However, futuristic virtual reality technologies could put learners as discoverers, astronauts, historical figures, businessmen, etc. Technologies like Google Glass and other wearable tech devices have become so readily available that they can permeate learning institutions. Sometimes called "immersive multimedia," the possibilities of virtual reality are endless (literally) because if you can imagine it, you can virtually design it, interact with it, and incorporate it into the learning experience. 
4. Gamification: eLearning courses of the future will likely resemble interactive video games rather than traditional lectures. Candy Crush and World of Warcraft have taught us much about engagement's cognitive psychology. Learners like games. They like challenges, interactive elements, and opportunities to develop strategies. They also like mastering concepts (levelling up), immediate feedback, and characters with distinct personalities. Great future courses will likely include many of these elements, making the learning experience so exciting, interactive, and fun that learners can't wait to participate and reap the benefits of mastering the content.

 What Will Happen to Schools and Teachers?

In 1997, Peter Drucker said, "Universities won't survive. The future is outside the traditional campus, outside the traditional classroom. Distance learning is coming on fast." Distance learning may be the future of schools, but if you're a teacher, principal, administrator, or professor, don't get scared quite yet. eLearning will revolutionize our traditional notion of classroom or campus, but that does not mean anyone's job is on the line. ELearning can be a great resource because it frees up time and provides much richer content, and educators' roles will evolve to fit the times. Laboratories, social outlets, activity hubs, sports teams etc., may remain important amenities of schools, but the classroom will function differently. Students may be able to choose a virtual setting for their courses, and this setting may change depending on what they are studying. 

Education today is certainly a diamond in the rough, and eLearning could be the polish that cleans up sub-par teaching, provides equality across socioeconomic groups, and makes learning much more exciting. In 2014, the possibilities were slowly emerging, but let's stay true to Albert Einstein's suggestion so that in 2075, what we imagine can happen.