VLT Learning: After Action Review

What was expected?

Reading the course description for ETEC522: Ventures in Learning Technology, my expectation for what this course was about was probably mis-aligned. Were I expected that we would be evaluating case studies of various ventures and their use of technologies to support learning. This was one of the courses I most looked forward to in the program; the focus on businesses in this course resonated with me, and the venture-oriented task inspired me to think like an entrepreneur and inspired me to develop something that could really make a difference in how we educate and prepare young talent for the workplace.

What was the reality?

Change; this was a common theme that shone through in the Ventures in Learning Technology course. We looked at how learning technologies have changed, continue to change and how innovative use of such tools are shaping field of education, and workplace learning. As the EdTech industry continues to boom, we see what seems to be continuous flow of new tools that entering the market. Some of these are an overwhelming success, while others fall flat. We had the opportunity to evaluate some of these closely, looking at what made some of these ventures so successful, and use this knowledge to develop a venture pitch of ours own.

My project team collaborated to identify some emerging markets to explore further, with some of the top area of interest including Mobile Learning, Big Data & Learning Analytics, Immersive Experiences, AI & Machine Learning and Microlearning. Project teams each took on an emerging market to dive into each opportunity horizon in the learning technologies marketplace, and prepare and present findings from their emerging market analysis in the form of a shared knowledge resource and facilitating learning for the other project teams.

What went well and why? How did it support my goals?

This was particularly well aligned with my goal of developing my technical skills through exposure to new technology. Because of a passion for virtual reality held by some of my peers, this project worked prompted me to explore how mixed realities are used to enhance learning in the workplace; particularly when it comes to developing soft skills. This evolved into a passion of my own which led me to consider this component as part of my Workday Reality project.

Overall, the focus on emerging markets and technologies and the freedom to explore those most relevant to us meant that this course was closely aligned will with my goal to develop expertise in the field of workplace learning, allowing me to stay on top of current trends and have a deep awareness of what the future of learning and development in the organization looks like.

What can be improved, and how?

One of the most significant challenges of this course was adapting to a different form of learning with my peers. With many MET courses following a common theme, this course broke the mold. While I've since recovered from my frustrations of working within the wiki space, I now see its value as an educational resource. Where I know longer have access to my course materials in Canvas, and prior to that Blackboard, I can see the evolution of the content since I took the course, and also benefited from prior students' work for reference in my own project work. For me, this was an important reminder of creating accessible learning materials in shared spaces that employees can always refer too; something that can be more difficult to achieve when it is locked behind a learning management system.

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Reading List

• How AR and VR are revolutionizing soft skills training in 2019

• LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report

• Beyond the Skills Gap