Learning in the Digital Age.

We now live in a period in human history irrevocably characterized by a shift from traditional industrial production to information and computerization, changing significantly how people interact with businesses and each other. Without a doubt, this is the digital age.

With the emergence of this digital age where access to information has been radically democratized, at least for the most of it, has risen a new kind of citizen - an empowered one. As the significance of this information age continues to dawn upon us with groundbreaking technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Internet of Things, Advanced Robotics, Quantum Computing, and 3D printing become commonplace, the need to learn new skills to cope with these advancements in technology become more obvious each passing minute.

Surely, in this digital age, being really good at learning how to do new things results in a competitive advantage. But what does learning in the digital age look like? In the digital age, individuals must not only be able to find and navigate information but they also must be able to critically interpret that information. They must also be able to express their ideas effectively through digital media. In the digital age, individuals must be digitally fluent. Additionally, when thinking about digital age learners, we must understand that they are more overwhelmed, distracted, and impatient than ever before. Today, digital age learners want to be empowered and collaborative.

The Global Focus Magazine [1] identified six characteristics that define learning in the digital age and we share them with you below:

• Engaging through an exceptional and relevant learning experience. An attractive digital learning experience will generate intrinsic gratification, motivation, and the active engagement necessary for more effective learning.
• Empowering, personalized, and self-directed. A culture of self-directed learning is strongly emerging with individuals directing themselves towards which learning to follow
• Ubiquitous, just-in-time, on-demand, and in context. Digital learners want to learn at the time of need when they encounter a specific skill or knowledge gap that prevents them from completing a task or from achieving a desired tangible result.
• The right blend of experiential, social, informal, and formal. Mixing formats makes learning more effective.
• Hyper-connected with analytics everywhere. Providing simple tools that enable these connections is important for learning organizations.
• Continuous, based on inquiry, exploring, and doing. A company must be a place where constant learning opportunities enable workers to stay relevant in their jobs and in the industry.

The digital era requires individuals to be lifelong learners. Organizations that understand this will attract & retain top talent.