The world of work is in a constant state of flux.

Amidst escalating economic instability and a scarcity of talent, organizations are under pressure to rapidly upskill their workforces to remain competitive.
 

While the buzz surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) is palpable, there's a prevailing belief that AI will significantly shape the future of learning and development processes. This expectation underscores the anticipation of AI assuming a more substantial role in learning technologies in the foreseeable future.

HR.com’s “Future of Learning Technologies” research investigates whether learning technologies are keeping up with workforce needs, the prevalence of learning technology in organizations, and the types of learning technologies organizations use. This research delves into these and many other trends related to learning technologies.

Here are the major findings from the study.

Finding: Learning laggards rarely have an established culture of learning

Only 10% of learning laggards say they have an established culture of learning. That fact is likely related to the finding that just 17% of laggards actively agree that employees feel their organization’s learning of technology has prepared them for their jobs. Further, just 12% of respondents feel their learning system keeps up with the pace of change. Learning leaders have dramatically better results on all of these factors.

Finding: Almost all respondents use technology to provide learning to employees

Almost all organizations (94%) use some form of technology to provide learning to employees and/or other stakeholders. The implication is that learning professionals, in addition to having skills in areas such as instructional design and facilitation, also need a good understanding of learning technologies. Technology has become a key enabler of learning, especially in an era where remote and hybrid work has become more common.

Finding: Three-quarters of respondents use a Learning Management System (LMS)

The most common learning technology is the Learning Management System (LMS). An LMS helps manage learning programs and, depending on the system, may provide other features such as built-in content creation tools. Three-quarters of respondents use an LMS.

There are three other technologies used by at least half of the respondents:

• e-learning authoring tools and/or LCMS
• virtual instructor-led training (VILT)
• e-learning platforms (e.g., Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, etc.)

Given the ubiquity of smartphones, it is surprising that only a quarter (25%) of respondents are using mobile learning apps/tools. We believe that number is likely to grow as more Gen Zers, who typically grew up with smartphones, enter the workplace.

Moreover, despite widespread media coverage of artificial intelligence over the last year, only 14% of respondents say their technologies include AI-based learning tools. On the other hand, it’s possible that many L&D and HR professionals are not aware of the degree to which employees are using the latest generative AI technologies for learning.

One recent study, for example, found that 70% of employees are using generative AI applications (such as ChatGPT or Gemini) at work, and more educated employees are more likely than average to use these technologies.

Finding: Half say learning technologies are extremely useful

Respondents are generally very positive about learning technologies. Half (50%) of respondents say learning technologies are extremely useful and close to two-fifths (38%) say they are typically useful, though they are just one means of learning.

The effectiveness of learning technologies hinges on their alignment with the specific nature of the work targeted for learning and the diligence applied in selecting suitable technologies. Given the broad spectrum of available learning tools, an appropriate tool is likely available if there is a well-defined learning requirement, especially one impacting a large share of employees.

To learn more, we invite you to download and read the research report today:
 

 
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