Learner experience and human skills: the hottest topics at LTSF19
1,800 learning professionals attended the July Learning Technologies Summer Forum: learner experience and human skills among the hot topics discussed.
Learning and development professionals gathered in London earlier in July at the Learning Technologies Summer Forum 2019, a conference and exhibition with the emphasis on learning in practice.
The conference was chaired by Donald H Taylor and included sessions on the most important topics in workplace learning and development today, including sessions from David Kelly on tech trends, David Perring on learning systems, Gemma Critchley on engaging learning and Steve Wheeler on personal learning.
Learner experience was a recurring theme across the event: “The sector’s focus is articulating towards the learner, their experience and what’s best for them,” explained Rob Clarke of Learning News, who interviewed many of the speakers and exhibitors at the event. “There is a strong shift towards the human skills needed in L&D to implement technology so that it provides a fuller, end-to-end experience for the learner, with attention not just on learning interventions but also the pre and post experience.”
“Skills like storytelling, communications, management, decision-making and leadership do now have a higher focus from the learning community,” added Clarke.
Several speakers spoke about the need to not just focus on the technology: Jane Daly from Towards Maturity and David Perring from Fosway both spoke on the need for greater attention to evidence and data in L&D management and decision-making.
“Inevitably we cover a lot about technology at these events, but there has been a strong theme around learning from our mistakes and this has been very welcome,” explained Donald H Taylor.
The Learning Technologies Summer Forum Conference is free for Learning Technologies conference delegates, past LSG conference delegates and Learning and Skills Group members and provides the opportunity for the learning community to expand upon the topics discussed at the larger LT event, earlier in the year.
In addition to the conference the Learning Technologies Summer Forum Exhibition gave visitors a showcase of over 40 of the learning sector’s leading suppliers.