Future of e-Learning: Personalization and Effect on Business

Personalization exists in everyday people’s life already for a long time and in different spheres: in advertising, on the Internet, in social networks, in our smartphones and so on. It can be noticed in all areas of human personal and business life. Google advertises personalized products thanks to the Big data gathered from millions of users. Google Assistant – Siri – is trained to speak and answer based on the Big Data collected over the entire time of such assistants’ existence. It is learning to respond better and more precisely to each question given.

Personalization allows us to improve the efficiency of many processes in our life. Therefore its application in the field of education, including e-Learning – will also change everything radically. The learners in the modern world are seeking personalized experience. Thus it is no longer possible to try finding a solution that fits all at the same time.

Why Personalization Is Important

Personalization in e-learning is necessary because people learn differently:

• some learners perceive audio materials better, other perceive video better;
• some students learn large portions of the material quickly, the others cope with small amounts and need more time;
• some people are comfortable with studying at home for the PC; the others prefer to do it on a mobile device on the way to work or during their breaks.

In the future, e-learning is likely to be as follows. The worker or student would be asking the virtual assistant about what they should study further to improve their performance and would receive an answer: “You should read these materials here (providing the link) and watch this video in order to improve your knowledge in the field.” What is especially important is that these data will be not just general, but will take into account the actual person’s knowledge, his or her own experience, as well as previous experiences of the people with similar patterns of learning. Such approach will:

• significantly improve the learning process;
• reduce the time needed for studying;
• reduce costs, and much more.

Influence On Business

If to use analytics and observe the impact on business, it is possible to track which learning materials/courses/events have directly impacted profit gains or caused losses. That’s why such technologies allow saving money and increasing profits significantly.

There are several types of Google analytic data that your business can benefit from:

• the time that is commonly spent on e-learning course;
• page exits tracking;
• preferences of online learners;
• marketing methods to improve your e-learning strategy.

From your Learning Management System, you can get additionally:

• ratings of learners’ satisfaction;
• proficiency of your online learners;
• the progress of students or employees involved in the course;
• personalized metrics such as learning objectives, etc.

Such data gives the possibility to make personalized feedback for each learner which is an essential feature of any e-learning experience.