1. INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN (ID), INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY (IT) & DISTANCE EDUCATION (DE)
TOP TEN (10)
FOR THE YEAR
2016
HOTTEST TRENDS
ABOUT THE TRENDS: The path to the future of ID, IT and DE is paved with dynamic and creative
features, making the journey ever so interesting. Everyday we see new beginnings, new opportunities
and new breakthroughs in the field. While this compilation presents but a handful of these features,
they have been selected as the ten (10) hottest ones as we approach the year 2016.
2. THE MOBILE REVOLUTION WILL BE FULLY ACHIEVED BY 2016
2015
2016
2014
Rapid Growth and
Integration of
Wearable Technology
to support Teaching /
Learning
…increases the learners ability to
more naturally interact with
their environment, and to be
creative and innovative.
Wearable Technology
Google Glass enables students and teachers to
search, take a picture, record video, and answer
and translate questions in a foreign language.
One application would be for medical students to
watch different medical procedures in real time.
Autographer allows students to capture students
direct notes to ensure complete note taking.
Muse headband tracks students’ brain
activity onto a Smartphone or tablet so that
it can detect what activities they might need
to keep them focused on studying.
Keyglove are wireless gloves that are useful in
gaming, design, art, music, data entry, device
control, and 3D objects.
Virtual Reality gives students hands-on
experience that allows students to interact
with the object in that particular environment.
Source: Lam, 2014
3. COLLABORATIVE ONLINE LEARNING: MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE DIGITAL LEARNER
2015
2016
2014
Full adoption of online, hybrid and
collaborative learning by traditional
educational institutions
Source: NMC Horizon Report (2014)
To encourage collaboration and reinforce real world skills, an increasing number of universities are incorporating online environments
into courses of all kinds, which is making the content more dynamic, flexible, and accessible to a larger number of students.
Facilitated by the
rapid growth of ICT
Increasing
competition among
institutions to
improve position
and rankings in the
digital sphere
Highly active online,
collaborative learning
communities
4. 2016: RISE OF DATA-DRIVEN LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT
2015
2016
2014
Learning Analytics
Learners participate
in online activities
Analytics data trail
increases
Can be mined for
insights
Main Benefit:
Helps to modify
teaching/learning
strategies and
processes
Main concern: May
undermine the interests
and needs of students
Can be monitored
in real-time
Learning analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of
understanding and optimizing learning and the environments in which it occurs. A related field is educational data mining.
5. BECOMING MORE ACCESSIBLE AND WILL BE STANDARD TEACHING/LEARNING APPARATUS BY 2016
2015
2016
2014
3-D Printing
Known in industrial circles as rapid prototyping, 3D printing refers to technologies that construct physical objects from three-dimensional (3D) digital
content such as 3D modeling software, computer-aided design (CAD) tools, computer-aided tomography (CAT), and X-ray crystallography. A 3D printer
builds a tangible model or prototype from the electronic file, one layer at a time, through an extrusion-like process using plastics and other flexible
materials, or an inkjet-like process to spray a bonding agent onto a very thin layer of fixable powder.
Printed objects can be incredibly
intricate. They can also be created
with working components, hinges,
and parts within parts
Engineering and design students
can print out prototypes of their
creations
Architecture students could easily
print out 3D models of their
designs
History classes could print out
historic artifacts for closer
examination
Graphic Design students
could create 3D versions of
their artwork
Students in geography courses could point
out maps showing the topography,
population or demographics of an area
Cooking class students could
design intricate models for
ices and gelatins
Auto class students could
print replacement or
modified car parts
Chemistry students
could print out
molecules to study
Biology students can study
cross-sections of hearts or
other organs
Using 3D printers in the
classroom could mean:
Revolutionizing the
Classroom
Sources: NMC, 2014 & TeachThought, 2013
6. SOCIAL MEDIA WILL DOMINATE SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION BY 2016
2015
2016
2014
Social Media for Scholarly
Communication
Educators, students, alumni, and the general public routinely use social media to share news about scientific and other developments. The
impact of these changes in scholarly communication and on the credibility of information remains to be seen, but it is clearthat social media has
found significant traction in almost every education sector.
Rapidly growing ubiquity of Social
Media in all facets of life..
Source: NMC Horizon Report (2014)
Strong Scholarly Social Media
Presence
Connection
between scholars
and related
institutions
strengthened and
evolved
Revolutionized
Institutional
communication
7. 2016: INTER-SCHOOL TEACHING PLATFORMS ACHIEVED
2015
2016
2014
Further Opening of
Information
Opening of Information is the dissemination of information
outside the physical silos of schools and classrooms, offering
feedback and assessment to students anywhere.
Flipped
Classroom
Open
Courseware
Portable
Academic
Histories
Digitization
of books
Mixed Online
School
CommunitiesEnhanced
Online Video
lessons
Education
App Stores
Inter-school
Teaching
Platforms
2016
Sources:
Free Access
to Academic
Journals
8. SMARTPHONES TALK DIRECTLY TO EACH OTHER: NO NEED FOR THE CELL TOWER
2015
2016
2014
LTE Direct
LTE is now the world’s fastest wireless technology. With LTE Direct, it's possible
to communicate with other phones or with nearby beacons without connecting
to a tower within a 500 m range. The devices communicate directly to each
other without the usual intermediary of the cell tower.
LTE Direct could also help
smooth out the network glitches
that occur when large numbers
of users are trying to connect to
the same cell tower
LTE Direct could be
used to create
communication apps
that route all data
from device to
device.
LTE Direct could
offer extended
range and better
performance.
Source: Qualcom, 2014
LTE Direct
Breaking the
‘towers’ of mobile
learning
9. POWER FOR E-LEARNING AND GIVES FLEXIBILITY TO THE MOBILE LEARNER
2015
2016
2014
Wireless Charging
Source: Bilton, 2014
Finally! A technology that can take electricity, convert it into
sound and send that audio through the air over ultrasound. Then
a receiver attached to a portable electronic device catches the
sound and converts it back into electricity.
The technology makes it possible for a device to move freely
around a room, in a pocket or purse, while constantly charging.
“Mobile Technology is
Ubiquitous…without
it, the mobile learner
ceases to exist”
…but it is no fun
being a ‘wall hugger’
Inventor of the
wireless charging
device, 25 y.o.
Meredith Perry
(2014)
10. CONNECTING EVERYTHING WITH THE INTERNET OF EVERTHING (IoE)
2015
2016
2014
The Internet of
Everything (IoE)
Source: Cisco, 2013
The main goal of IoE is to connect physical items
to the internet and people using sensors… in
other words, physical items become smart
objects thus people can interact with them.
The 2013 Horizon Report
predicts that smart objects will
become ubiquitous in higher
education by 2017
11. A REQUIREMENT FOR STUDENTS OF OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING BY 2016
2015
2016
2014
Digital Identity
Digital identity is the idea that everything interacting in
the digital realm has or acquires a set of data or
attributes, both inherent and changeable, that uniquely
identify them as a person or entity online.
One identity
for any online
course/
university
Transferrable
credit points,
e-portfolio
etc
12. References
1. Bilton, N. (2014, August 6). Wireless Charging, at a Distance, Moves Forward for uBeam. Retrieved from Bits:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/ubeam-technology-will-enable-people-to-charge-devices-through-the-air/?_r=0
2. Briggs, S. (2013, July 16). 10 Emerging Educational Technologies and How They Are Being Used Across the Globe. Retrieved
from InformED: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/the-ten-emerging-technologies-in-education-and-how-
they-are-being-used-across-the-globe/
3. Cisco. (2013). Education and the Internet of Everything: How Ubiquitous Connectedness can help Transform Pedagogy. San
Jose, CA. Retrieved from http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/education/education_internet.pdf
4. Docebo. (2014). E-Learning Market Trends & Forecast 2014-2015 Report. Retrieved from
https://www.docebo.com/landing/contactform/elearning-market-trends-and-forecast-2014-2016-docebo-report.pdf
5. Gerrer, C. M. (2013, January). Using Social Media in the Classroom: A Community Perspective. Footnotes, 41(1), p. 7.
Retrieved from http://www.asanet.org/footnotes/jan13/images_new/footnotes_jan13.pdf
6. International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE). (2013). International Council for Open and Distance Education:
Strategic Plan 2013-2016. Oslo, Norway: ICDE.
7. Lam, K. (2014, July 16). Wearable Technology in Education. Retrieved from EdTechTimes:
http://edtechtimes.com/2014/07/16/wearable-technology-education/
8. New Media Consortium. (2014). NMC Horizon Project: 2015 Higher Education Wiki. Retrieved from NMC Horizon Project:
http://horizon.wiki.nmc.org/
9. New Media Consortium. (2014). NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas. Retrieved from
http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2014-nmc-horizon-report-he-EN.pdf
10. Qualcom Research. (2014). LTE Direct Overview. San Diego.
11. Seaman, J. (2013). Social Media for Teaching and Learning. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions and Babson Survey
Research Group. Retrieved from http://www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/assets/downloads/reports/social-media-for-
teaching-and-learning-2013-report.pdf#view=FitH,0
12. TeachThought. (2013, February 19). 10 Ways 3D Printing Can Be Used In Education [Infographic]. Retrieved from
TeachThought: http://www.teachthought.com/technology/10-ways-3d-printing-can-be-used-in-education/
