It’s 2024, and we’re already zooming through the New Year! Ensure your continuing education program kicks off the New Year with a powerful start by staying updated on the latest learning trends.
Read our blog for the top learning trends of 2024 with tips to increase your continuing education program’s effectiveness and boost learner retention.
3 emerging continuing education trends in 2024
Did you know that your continuing education program is a huge member benefit? The most recent Community Brands Association Trends Study found that 51% of members prioritized training opportunities and certifications and credentialling programs.
Are you ready to enhance your continuing education program in the New Year? Discover how to increase learner retention and your program’s effectiveness with these top learning trends:
1. What member learners want
When it comes to continuing education opportunities and professional development, Community Brands research found that members turn most to their employer or professional organization. More members rate the quality of professional education and training from their professional organization as “excellent” rather than those of their employer (50% versus 38%).
The perceived value in sources like LinkedIn and Google is also declining, suggesting an opportunity to attract more members who are dissatisfied with generic sources of professional development. Do so by delivering excellent and specific learning content in your continuing education program.
But what kind of learning content can you offer at your organization to attract more learners and boost retention? Here are the kinds of learning opportunities member learners want:
- Short videos and recorded webcasts: 71% of members
- On-demand learning courses: 69% of members
- Recommended courses: 68% of members
- Hands-on training: 68% of members
- Online courses via live webinar: 68% of members
- Webcast streaming: 67% of members
2. Elevate your continuing education program with innovative technology
Community Brands research discovered that organizations must innovate to maintain their competitive edge with professional education. 77% of association members and 85% of professionals agreed that if an organization ceases to innovate, it will no longer be a go-to source for professional development.
Does your organization leverage learning management software (LMS) to manage your continuing education program? If not, now is the time. The right LMS will make it simple for your organization to create, manage, and deliver learning content. Using an LMS will offer the following benefits:
- Course tracking and streamlined certification management
- Advanced analytics and a centralized learning hub
- A user-friendly, and branded interface for staff and learners
- A social learning community
- Personalized learning paths
- Assessment and testing options
- Multi-device support
Most importantly, when you choose the right LMS it will integrate with your association management software (AMS), offering staff and members a seamless experience. When you integrate your LMS and AMS you can sync your data, credits, and catalog, saving staff time and improving the learning experience for your members.
3. Increase learner engagement with personalized experiences
How engaged are your member learners? Community Brands research found that 85% of association professionals prioritize developing or improving engagement opportunities.
Your organization can enhance member engagement by personalizing the learning experience. Here’s how:
- Personalized learning paths. Leverage your LMS to offer personalized learning paths, empowering your staff to fully manage a learner’s educational life cycle. Personalized learning paths make it simple for a member learner to select a needed course or competency and complete a certification.
- Multi-device support. Make learning accessible and reach more members with an LMS that offers multi-device support. With this feature, member learners can launch a course from anywhere and on any device and resume a class with course and video bookmarking.
- Advanced assessments. Personalize learner self-assessments with an advanced testing engine to boost learner comprehension. Choose an LMS that offers rich assessment features including mock certification and licensure tests.
Choose Crowd Wisdom LMS to level up your continuing education program in 2024. With Crowd Wisdom, you can grow your professional development program, empower learners to exceed their goals, and manage every aspect of your program with a powerful and flexible platform.
