IBIS Capital, Edxus Group and OC & C Strategy Consultants make 12 big e-Learning predictions ahead of EdTech Europe 2014.

Media and Tech investment firm IBIS Capital and education technology company Edxus Group have released their predictions for the biggest trends set to impact the e-Learning industry in 2014 – with a greater emphasis on content, user engagement and peer-to-peer learning topping the list of expectations for the year. Released in conjunction with OC&C Strategy Consultants, the research also states that this will be the year of greater investment in e-Learning by large corporates and, in an attempt to cut costs, could also be a focus for Government this year. The predictions come as Edxus Group and IBIS Capital open registration for EdTech Europe 2014, Europe’s leading e-Learning conference examining industry and investment trends, and will form the backbone of the event, scheduled for 12 June 2014 in London.

The top level predictions are below – for a full list and explanations please visit www.edtecheurope.com:

1. Big focus on user engagement
2. From MOOCS to “Selective Online Courses”, or SOOCS
3. Widespread adoption of BYOD strategies
4. The rise of data and analytics to drive adaptive learning programmes
5. Mobile casual & informal learning apps
6. Peer-to-peer learning platforms
7. Increased use of video and immersive learning environments
8. Emergence of learning record stores
9. Increased focus on rewards, certification and accreditation
10. Large media corporates actively investing in e-Learning
11. Continued growth in online-enabled private tuition
12. Growing adoption of technology as a delivery mechanism on government-funded vocational skills training market

Benjamin Vedrenne-Cloquet CEO of Edxus Group: “The European EdTech sector has moved from a stage of experimentation to a stage of adoption. E-Learning is now a commercial reality in Europe. As a result, we’ll see increased level of investment and consolidation in the sector for the benefits of consumers, students and institutions. The share of digital in the total Education market is only 2% when it is 30 to 40% in other “content” industries, so there is a massive growth opportunity for e-Learning ahead of us.”

Charles McIntyre, CEO and co-founder of IBIS Capital said: “In the last few years, we have seen the initial disruption of e-Learning and, specifically, its ability to bring learning to people and places that would have previously been difficult. We believe 2014 is the beginning of the next phase that will harness users’ influence and growing investor interest to create a market that will be comparable to other sectors in the technology space. As access to capital improves from both financial and strategic investors, we will see European edtech firms beginning to scale both in their domestic markets but also internationally.”