Happy 2024! With the start of the New Year, there are new continuing education trends your organization needs to know. To ensure your continuing education program enhances its effectiveness, increases learner retention, and drives revenue, you’ll want to review and adapt these latest trends.
Keep reading for the latest learning trends of 2024 and for tips to implement these strategies at your continuing education program.
The latest learning trends of 2024
Your continuing education program is a huge member benefit. According to the most recent Community Brands Association Trends Study, 51% of members prioritized training opportunities and certifications and credentialling programs.
Are you ready to take your continuing education program to the next level? Check out these exciting new learning trends to plan for a powerful 2024:
1. The importance of technology in continuing education
The latest Community Brands research discovered that organizations must innovate to maintain their competitive edge with professional education. Both surveyed association members and professionals agreed that if an organization ceases to innovate, it will no longer be a go-to source for professional development.
If you don’t already leverage a learning management system (LMS) to manage your continuing education program, 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
- Advanced analytics
- A user-friendly interface for staff and learners
- A variety of learning formats including webinars, on-demand content, and more
- Interactive tools and features to boost learner engagement
- Branding and personalization to match your organization’s style
Best of all, if you choose the right LMS it will integrate with your association management software (AMS), offering staff and members a seamless experience. With LMS + AMS you can sync your data, credits, and catalog, saving staff time and improving the learning experience for your members.
2. Learning formats are evolving to increase engagement
Are your member learners as engaged as you would like? Community Brands research found that 85% of association professionals prioritize developing or improving engagement opportunities.
One way in which organizations are improving member engagement is by investing in continuing education opportunities. According to Community Brands, more continuing education programs will offer additional formats to make learning flexible and learner-centric in 2024. By providing more learning options in your program, you’ll attract more learners and increase engagement.
With your LMS you can break up your long-form content into shorter, easier to consume chunks called micro courses. Microlearning holds a learner’s attention, increases accessibility to reach more learners, and boosts learner comprehension. Additionally, use your LMS to offer more interactive elements to your learning content. Consider using Q&A, live discussions, learner polls, assessments, and more features to drive learner engagement and ensure your learners keep coming back to your program.
3. Focus on building a continuous learning culture
When it comes to professional education and training, Community Brands research found that members turn most to their employer or professional organization. Among those top sources, more members rate the quality of professional education and training from their professional organization as “excellent” than those of their employer (50% versus 38%).
Additionally, perceived value in sources like LinkedIn and Google is declining. This finding suggests an opportunity to attract more members who are dissatisfied with generic sources of professional development 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 create a culture of continuous learning? Here is a list of what kinds of learning opportunities members 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
Choose Freestone LMS to elevate your continuing education program. With Freestone, you can easily deliver interactive live and on-demand content, driving member engagement and deepening learner engagement. Use Freestone to adapt the latest learning trends in 2024!