On the first Friday of every month from hereon in I'll be publishing a second post, taking a Futurists view on a topic that I'm particularly passionate about.
This week, education.
I was prompted by Matt Church's recent Talking Point on the evolution of education. He used a really neat model to show where the world is shifting to:
With the advent of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), the world is now at the point predicted by learning technologists roughly ten years ago - that courses and content are everywhere, and the role of the educator has fundamentally shifted from teaching a boiler-plate curriculum to creating an inspirational learning environment.
And with recent Bersin research showing that only 5% of L&D organisations excel at using data to align with the business, efficiently run the L&D function, and increase the effectiveness of learning methods, the gap between corporate vision and on the ground and execution by the business is only going to get wider.
Couple that with recent Gallup research showing that most businesses are only engaging up to 29% of their B2B customers, the challenges (and opportunities) for growth couldn't be bigger.
It seems as though we're finally coming full circle in the world of learning to recapture the true meaning of the word education - from the Latin educare, which means "to draw out of".
Positive psychology, via strengths based assessments like the Cliftons Strengthsfinder, VIA and Standout have validated that we are all unique.
So how do we create learning and working environments that engage and motivate us to grow into the full expression of these innate talents, characteristics and roles so we can see our people flourish into their full potential?
Schools are starting to catch on that it must begin with them. The University of Newcastle's Faculty of Health and Medicine pioneered a problem solving, patient-centred approach to doctor training over twenty years ago. The best K-12 schools are creating greater and greater flexibility in their curricula to allow for student-centred learning, and accelerating their pathways in the areas of greatest identified potential. Sir Ken Robinson's Creative Schools is a good book to read to get the latest and greatest thinking and practice if you're interested.
But in spite of the proliferation of learning technologies, the adult world of corporate learning has some catching up to do. Millenials, who are the first true digital natives, are entering the workforce in ever increasing numbers, and their needs for learning will be driven by their experiences at school and university.
Here are big waves to watch out for that will disrupt the learning environment and create opportunities to deeply engage your future workforce:
1. 1-1 Coaching and Facilitated, Team-Based Learning to support high-end, Customised eLearning: Customised eLearning can now get you 75% of the way through to the behaviour change that you're aiming for. Back end it with 1-1 coaching and team based reviews and you're getting close to sustainable outcomes.
2. Artificial Intelligence: Taking the experience of the Grid in web design to create a fully personalised learning experience that's intuitive and adaptive.
3.Full-Body Metrics in Immersive Gamification (FBMIG): Think the motion capture technology used in movies since James Cameron's Avatar, combined with the first-person gaming technology of EA Games to capture full sensory data
4. Leveraging Geo-Arbitrage: the world is now flat - so look to get mid-high range software development done in tier 2 countries and economies like the Philippines and Eastern Europe, where whole divisions of programmers can work for 1/5 the investment of your home country. Yes, patents and copyrights will need to be carefully managed - but that's a must have capability for any organisation.
5. Virtual Reality (VR): Adding Microsoft's Hololens to FBMIG for a complete body experience.
6. Flow States via Pre-Cognitive Engagements: As I wrote about last year, people in flow are up to 500% more productive than people who aren't. The Flow Genome Project are mapping the hacks to unlock peak performance. NeuroPhysics is unlocking the keys to functional movement and rehabilitation that prime to body to experience flow states. Combined with FBMIG and VR, imagine being able to know how to trigger peak performance states in your workforce and then bottle and replicate it.
So the future's bright in education for those who are prepared to reach out and grab the opportunities.
What's your BOLD play for the next 3-5 years to ensure you don't get left behind?
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Nathanael's a Futurist who's passionate about simplifying the complex and making sense of the big shifts in global culture.
Contact him at via LinkedIn if you'd like to engage him to consult with you on positioning to profit from the next big plays