E-learning and LMS blog articles

2024 – what an exciting year it has been for e-learning. We’ve seen widespread adoption of new and emerging technology and heightened enthusiasm for e-learning trends that have been gaining momentum over the past several years.

So, what were the top trends and technology this year? Keep reading to find out as we take a look back at the standout trends and key takeaways of 2024 that you should be aware of going into 2025.

Stay tuned for a sneak peek at what we predict the world of e-learning will look like in 2025.

4 key e-learning trends in 2024

1. AI steals the spotlight

It will come as no surprise that AI takes the top spot on our list of key e-learning trends of 2024. AI has become a prominent feature of various aspects of the working world, not just e-learning, with 66% of large companies incorporating at least one AI technology.

The emergence of AI in e-learning has had a significant impact on areas such as training content development, streamlining learning with AI chatbots, and creating tailored learning opportunities with minimum effort. In 2025, we expect things to ramp up to a whole new level with more and more L&D professionals looking to incorporate the use of AI into their L&D strategy.

Get ahead of the game and prepare for 2025 by investing in AI training for your employees, find out why by reading our blog. Or develop your own AI skills by watching our free webinar.

2. Creating a meaningful learning experience with personalisation

Delivering a personalised learning experience has slowly crept up to the top of the priority list for L&D professionals over the past several years. In 2024, personalisation stood out as a key trend and a way to deliver meaningful learning experiences that drive real results.

Thanks to powerful personalisation tools and tech, along with a growing number of readily available AI and Gen AI platforms, it’s now easier than ever to tailor learning and development to suit the needs of individuals at scale – across entire organisations.

Find out why a personalised learning experience achieves better results by reading our blog, along with our top tips on how to deliver a personalised learning experience in 2025.

3. Enriching the learning experience with gamification

The use of gamification in e-learning has gone from strength to strength over a number of years now but much like e-learning personalisation, new technologies and AI tools expanded its use and strengthened its capabilities in 2024. With more sophisticated content generation tools, L&D teams in 2024 enriched the learning experience with immersive and interactive gamified lessons.

To understand how to leverage gamification in 2025, look no further than Hubken client The Royal College of Podiatry (RCPod). RCPod worked with Hubken’s bespoke content developer to create an interactive gamified course based on a popular board game, creating an engaging learning experience for all its members. Read RCPod’s case study for the full story and be sure to read our article in The Dirty Word Magazine for further insights on their gamified content and the process of creating it.

4. Harnessing data-driven insights with analytics and reporting

The importance of learning analytics and data-driven learning has also seen its fair share of commentary throughout 2024. Learning analytics enables organisations to gain detailed insights into learners' behaviours, preferences, and progress. This approach helps create opportunities for personalised learning experiences by identifying knowledge gaps and customising content to meet individual needs (as mentioned above). It also helps L&D leaders assess the effectiveness of training programs, ensuring they are delivering measurable results.

Additionally, data-driven learning enables organisations to seamlessly monitor engagement levels, track performance, and identify trends. This, in turn, allows them to provide timely support, make early interventions, and continuously improve their learning strategies. By examining data in detail L&D leaders can also demonstrate the ROI of training initiatives, which is crucial for securing ongoing investment and support from stakeholders.

As the need for skilled and adaptable workforces increases, adopting LMS solutions with strong learning analytics capabilities will become increasingly essential to stay competitive and foster a culture of continuous improvement in 2025.

You can explore this subject further in our blog on the Hidden Power of LMS Reports, one of many pieces we’ve written about this subject.

Your top picks for 2024: What were our readers interested in?

Looking for insights on what piqued everyone’s interest in 2024? Let’s go straight to the source as we look at some of our top blogs that captured the attention of our readers this year.

The top 6 advantages of continuous training

2024 was the year we bid farewell to front-loaded L&D and embraced continuous training. Moving away from the induction training-only approach, L&D teams recognised the value of implementing regular and consistent training and development opportunities for employees.

To support this new strategy and understand its benefits, many of you turned to our blog which outlined the top six advantages of continuous training – which are as follows:

1. Develop a highly skilled workforce
2. Increased workplace efficiency
3. Higher retention rates
4. Compliance and quality assurance
5. Create an agile workforce
6. Stay ahead of the competition

Unpack these top advantages now by reading the full blog.

E-Learning vs Traditional Training: Which is better for your business?

As more and more businesses look to invest in powerful e-learning tools to support their L&D strategies, key stakeholders may evaluate just how beneficial e-learning can be when compared to traditional training. That’s why so many of you read our handy comparison blog this year (and watched our bite-sized video on YouTube).

Have you read this blog yet? Perhaps some of the stats from this blog might spark your curiosity:

85% of learners say that their online learning experience was better, or at least equally satisfactory as their traditional face-to-face classes.

The biggest motivators for employees to choose online learning over traditional classroom based learning, are individual learning pace (95%) and minimised travelling (84%).

Online learning may increase retention rates by as much as 60% compared to the 8-10% retention rate of traditional classroom training.

Want to take a deeper dive? Read the full blog here.

Objectives for appraisal examples and how to help employees achieve them

With 92% of employees wanting feedback more than once a year, it’s no surprise that many of you were exploring our talent management and performance management blogs this year.

This 2024 top-performing blog explores some key object for appraisal examples that can be incorporated into a performance appraisal and wider performance management processes.

Looking for an overview of the object for appraisal examples explored in the blog? Here’s what to expect:

• Encouraging skill development
• Management skills development
• Team collaboration
• Increase productivity
• Create long-term goals

Read the blog here and make sure to check out our Totara Perform solution if you’re looking to enhance performance management processes in 2025.

What does 2025 have in store for us?

While we don’t have a magic crystal ball to tell us the future, we can examine 2024’s key trends and technology, along with some of your favourite blogs and topics this year and combine them with our industry knowledge to build a picture of what to expect in 2025. These insights indicate that we’ll likely see a focus on:

• An increased use of new and emerging AI and Gen AI tools, further embedding them into everyday e-learning
• A focus on lifelong learning, taking continuous training one step further to drive even better results
• Skills-based development to address the drastic changes in industry demands and rapidly changing skill requirements

What e-learning trends do you expect to see in 2025? Comment on our LinkedIn post for this blog – we’d love to hear your thoughts.

Get 2025 ready by immersing yourself in all things e-learning and boosting your industry knowledge. Visit our resources pages, download our free guides, and watch our free webinars. We have a vast amount of content that you can leverage to make 2025 your best year yet!

In need of powerful e-learning tools to support your 2025 L&D strategy? Get in touch with one of our Totara and Moodle experts.