According to the US-based eLearning Guild, the hottest trends in e-learning are the use of social networks and other collaborative tools, along with the explosion of immersive learning simulations (ILS) and serious games. These technologies, says the Guild, offer huge potentials – but also challenges – for achieving new levels of learner engagement, collaboration and performance improvement. But now more than ever, the Guild continues, we must demonstrate the organisational value of our efforts. You can accomplish this by focusing on the creation and measurement of learning transfer, which will increase productivity and thus demonstrated value.

Comment: That seems a pretty good summary of the current state of the e-learning world – at least in the West. The key message from this is that technologies come and go (for example, does anyone still remember the e-learning technology of the early ‘90s: interactive video? Or even the ill-fated but much vaunted CDi?) but the e-learning professional still has to be able to demonstrate, to a largely sceptical Board, that any of this makes any difference to their organisation’s performance.