Whether you’re new to e-learning or a seasoned veteran in the industry, there’s one thing you should never forget: online training is always changing. Many trends come and go, but some really have the potential to revolutionize how L&D programs impact employee productivity and ultimately business profitability.
If these trends will reach this potential is a waiting game. Time will always tell. But in an industry that’s always alert, time is a commodity that few can enjoy. To trick time and to get a step ahead of the competition, e-learning professionals go for a trick: following the right people. The movers and shakers. The ones who can nudge a trend in one way or another.
But who are these right people? The answer to this question invariably depends on your specific organizational needs and L&D goals for this year. But tune in. You might find at least one voice that is not only worth following but actually inspirational.
10 E-learning influencers to watch in 2018
Without further ado, here is our very subjective list of people who know the ins and outs of e-learning for businesses. Following one or more of them — and what they have to say — might help your company thrive this year.
-
Craig Weiss
Craig Weiss is the CEO and Lead Analyst for the Craig Weiss Group. He is a world-renowned e-learning expert, industry analyst and speaker, always taking the pulse of the industry. He is the author of the well-known blog Elearning 24/7 and his forecasts and projections on e-learning prove to have a pretty high accuracy rate over time. Two keywords here: Mixed Reality. His annual Top 50 LMS Report is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in adopting or migrating to a new learning management system and of course, MATRIX LMS is proud to be part of it.
-
Laura Overton
Laura Overton is the CEO and Founder of Towards Maturity, a not for profit benchmark practice that provides independent expert research and advice in using learning innovation to accelerate business performance. She is actively promoting decision making based on the right learning data. Thanks to the targeted reports coordinated by Laura and her amazing team, everyone can learn the difference between L&D leaders and organizations that merely have an L&D department.
-
Jane Hart
Jane Hart is the founder of the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, one of the world’s leading websites on learning trends, technologies and tools – where she maintains the annual Top Tools for Learning list. She is also an author of various books about how the modern workplace should be, speaker, advisor and editor of the Modern Workplace Learning Magazine.
-
Charles Jennings
Charles Jennings is almost a synonym to the 70:20:10 model of learning within business organizations. He actually co-founded the 70:20:10 Institute, that’s why his name is almost always connected to it. He is a world-wide promoter of the idea that people at work learn more through experiences and through interactions with others than through formal training and therefore a successful business will know how to intertwine the three types of learning. He is an influential writer, and speaker and occasionally writes on his blog.
-
John Leh
John Leh uses his expertise as CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning to help organizations develop and implement technology strategies. He offers targeted independent insights for LMS buyers and sellers and focuses a lot on the role of the extended enterprise over the success of any business.
-
Dr. Jane Bozarth
Author of several e-learning books, Jane also writes a monthly Nuts and Bolts column in Learning Solutions Magazine, along with her own blog, Bozarthzone. She is a popular conference speaker and is frequently found at both live and online international events. She also serves as one of the moderators of the popular weekly Twitter event #lrnchat. She definitely knows all the nuts and bolts of e-learning.
-
Christopher Pappas
Christopher Pappas is the founder and CEO of the eLearning Industry Network, the largest platform for e-learning professionals and instructional designers. With over 150 articles published each month on every topic related to e-learning, it’s impossible to not find a solution or at least a tip on how to solve any L&D problem on it. He is, of course, one of the top contributors there.
-
Donald Clark
With more than three decades of experience in online learning, Donald Clark writes and speaks about important e-learning related subjects. He’s a fierce advocate for using technology in all types of education and is most interested in the potential of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality. He recently founded WildFire, an AI content creation service that militates for active learning.
-
Elliott Masie
Elliott Masie is the head of the MASIE Center, a think tank for learning research, development and training, as well as a prominent futurist, analyst and speaker. Elliott is acknowledged as the first analyst to use the term e-Learning and has advocated for a sane deployment of learning and collaboration technology as a means of supporting the effectiveness and profitability of enterprises. He authored a dozen books and can be frequently met at e-learning events all over the world.
-
Josh Bersin
Josh Bersin is a Corporate Talent, HR & Learning Analyst. He founded Bersin by Deloitte in 2001 to provide research and advisory services focused on corporate learning and the all the reports under the Bersin by Deloitte trademark are an invaluable source of knowledge for anyone in the L&D industry. He is a renowned speaker on various topics related to learning and development and a popular blogger.
And so ends our very subjective list of people who shape up the ever-evolving e-learning industry. Who else would you add to it? Do share your nominations in the comments section below!
