Workplace Learning & Technology Trends 2020 (Part 3): Learning Experience Platform (LXP)

As weslowly come closer to the end of 2019, it’s that time of the year again to lookat what ‘was’ and what ‘will be’ in the year to come. Every year brings with ita flurry of new trends, mostly driven by emerging technologies and innovations,which transform employee training just a little bit every time.

With the global eLearning market on a growth trajectory and poised to touch $15.72 billion by the year 2021, it is up to organizations and L&D leaders to get ahead of the curve and start planning and strategizing to leverage the newer learning and learning technology trends for the coming year/s.

Over thenext few weeks, we will take a detailed and comprehensive look at what L&Dleaders must embrace and what they need to let go of in 2020 and beyond- be itin terms of eLearning, learning delivery, employee engagement, new and emergingtechnologies and more.

In Part 2of this series we explored the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in corporate learning in 2020 and beyond. Today, we explore the emergence ofLearning Experience Platforms (LXPs) and their impact on employee training.  

Emergence of Learning Experience Platforms (LXPs)

Technologicaladvancements have nearly changed the face of many an industries within the pastdecade, and the Learning & Development (L&D) and learning technologyindustries are not averse to these changes. With more positive transformationstaking place in terms oflearning delivery mechanisms and addressingthe learning needs of the tech-savvy modern learners, L&D leaders are nowaware of the impact some of the modern learning tools and solutions stand tocreate on employee training.

Addressing skills gaps within the workforce andmaintaining an engaging learning culture remain primary challenges facingL&D leaders the world over. Today, organizations are able to automate andtrack learning activities across diverse touch points anywhere and in realtime, which has clearly elevated the expectations from L&D and employeeskilling as a whole. And, L&D professionals are welcoming the technologicaltransformation, including the introduction and emergence of the Learning Experience Platform (LXP).

So, whatexactly is an LXP?

An LXP is anadvanced, more intuitive and flexible version of your traditional LMS, designedespecially to boost engagement levels with the learning, through fast and easydiscoverability of relevant and recommended content. 

On one hand,the LMS still reigns supreme in terms of providing proven and tested learningdelivery mechanisms, while on the other hand LXPs offer a new and differentexperience for the modern learners that expect simple, efficient and engaginglearning environments.

Moreover, an LXPoffers an increasingly self-directed learning approach for the modern learnersby curating content, building recommended skills and developing learningpathways, among others.

Roleof LXPs in 2020 & Beyond

Celebratedindustry analyst Josh Bersin states that ‘every learning platform is now anLXP, so the market is becoming a set of capabilities, not just products’. The LXP market is growing (over $350M in size) andwill more than double every year, given theshifting mindsets about modern learning.

Technologicaldisruptions and rapid workplace transformations are adding miles to the alreadyexisting skills gap across all industries. Continuous upskilling and reskilling of the workforce has now become business critical, and placed a ratherdaunting demand on the learn-tech industry to offer learning delivery mechanismsthat are relevant and service the modern learners.

An LXPaddresses some of the pain points associated with modern learning, including easy content discovery, recommendations,personalization, higher learning engagement, along with seamless learning onany device for the learners; while Mangersand Admins get access to advanced tools like Learning Analytics and the ability to provide a ‘pull’ learningenvironment to their learners.

Here are somekey reasons why LXPs will remain a popular trend in 2020 and beyond-

• Innovative UI/ UX

Withan LXP, learners can easily navigate the platform and have a full view of theirlearning in one-go. An LXP gives learners the option to search topics, videosand other content, while also enabling them to pick and choose from mostpopular topics taken by colleagues. Like an LMS, the LXP also tracks the learner’s progress and enables them to viewtheir progress in real timethrough the learner dashboard.

• Learning Recommendations

Just like YouTube or Netflix recommends content, an LXP recommends learning content by creating personalized learning plans for employeesby leveraging historical data, learning styles, learners’ likes and dislikes,so that learners always have the most relevant and engaging learning content.

• Boost Collaboration

LXPs are great for collaborative and social learning, and enable learners to share popular content, qualitylearning materials like courses, videos, or even discussions. Using anLXP, learners can make the existing content more actionable by sharinginformation, thus fostering collaboration and boosting team work andperformance.

• Designed Mobile First

Withincreasing mobile penetration across the globe and availability of high speedinternet, it's critical for L&D to leverage devices that their employeesuse. Just like an LMS, an LXP is also available as individual mobile learning app foranytime, anywhere learning that offers the same set of features andfunctionalities.

Although thereare quite a few distinctions between an LMS and an LXP, both systems areshowing signs of overlapping in terms of the value they provide. As a result,organizations will have access to advance LMS features like tracking andmeasuring learning ROI, while the learners can better engage and manage theirown learning.

Takeaway

The LMS still remains a priority for organizations looking to align their L&Dprograms with business objectives. However, the LXP stands to offer keylearner-centric capabilities, like relevant content, collaboration and socialinteraction, better UI/ UX as well as analytics to improve workplace learningas a whole.

Today, global organizationscan look at an LXP to resolve long-standing issues like lack of engagement,underutilized content and ineffective search capabilities. LXPs have undoubtedlyearned an important place in the constantly evolving learning technologysolutions space, and stand to positively impact organizational learning to deliverthe desired learning outcomes.

Next weekwe will explore the importance of Online Content Libraries and how L&Dleaders can leverage them to reskill/ upskill the workforce.