Engaging learners online in an authentic way presents challenges for instructors and designers trying to create effective and pedagogically sound courses. An ideal educational experience happens when students encounter a cognitive presence, a social presence, and a teaching presence. Such an experience can also be grounded within the community of inquiry model and personal learning environment.

If you talk to game developers most will agree that building a functional artificial intelligence (AI) for a game engine is usually the most time-consuming part of development. Are there tools that we can use to rapidly develop the look and feel of AI without the resource drain of full AI development? Despite the fact that our development tools have greatly enhanced our abilities to create compelling, engaging content, adding AI elements to our courses can seem like a “bridge too far” for many developers.

Technology has completely changed the way we live, work, and learn. Technology has brought us the Internet, smartphones, tablets, and many more tools that have changed our lives forever. Of course, these same technologies have also brought us memes like Socially Awkward Penguin, Success Kid, and yes, Grumpy Cat.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to touch and transform every facet of our lives. From industry automation and automobile connectivity to wearable devices and smart-home appliances, it will make our way of living more enriching. Learning will also undergo many changes as a part of this evolution, though it will likely be a bumpy road getting there.

With the successful rollout of the Experience API (xAPI) the foundation for a new SCORM standard has been laid. By itself, xAPI is not a replacement for SCORM. Instead, xAPI defines communication between a learning experience and the learning record store, or LRS. While most of us agree that the majority of learning occurs outside the LMS, there is still some formal eLearning that will be maintained in the LMS.

Your course users demand more quality and sophistication in the eLearning content they interact with. A growing expectation is for attractive eLearning content that is close to virtual reality with 3-D animated and interactive content. Interactive 3-D content can help teach more effectively, and make the courses more attractive and competitive. But is it worth the effort and the costs?

Technology is constantly evolving and changing the ways we live, work, and learn. The ways we approach learning are very different than they were even a decade ago. In order to keep our practices current, we must stay ahead of this technological evolution—and that starts with getting the most out of today’s technology.

The use of learning videos has been widely employed for many years and for good reason. Video-based learning can be more engaging and has been proven to increase learner retention. It is fast becoming an essential learning tool. Advancements in technology have triggered an explosion of innovation in the usage of video for learning. As always, with change comes challenges.