Here in the 21st century, Digital technology is profoundly impacting how we learn. From virtual reality to artificial intelligence, these new innovations are unlocking learning opportunities for all, enabling us to acquire more knowledge and develop expanded skills.
Let’s look at adaptive learning and the tech underpinning today’s skills development opportunities.
Gaming’s Role in Adaptive Learning Tech
Gaming is far more than an entertainment sector. For decades, it’s been at the forefront of technological innovation, giving rise to digital experiences that push the boundaries of just what’s capable with a combination of software, hardware and peripherals. 
Incredibly, the advances made in gaming have become so widely recognized that even sectors like healthcare and the military now use gaming-based simulations for training purposes.
In medicine, Virtual Reality (VR) environments modeled after gaming platforms are used to train surgeons to perform intricate procedures in controlled, high-pressure simulations. Similarly, military training programs employ gaming mechanics to teach strategy and decision-making in complex scenarios.
Strategy-focused games like online poker played a key role in establishing the trend for digital learning experiences. As well as providing online games and tournaments for aspiring poker pros to engage with, 21st century poker platforms also deliver resources that enable users to learn how to play poker and guide them through advanced strategies. Meanwhile, virtual or play money tournaments further develop gaming skills by simulating online poker tournaments without the need to play for real money.
A New Era of Personalized Learning
Beyond its early start in gaming, digital tech is now reshaping both education and professional development through adaptive learning. In particular, technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) can customize content tailored to each learner’s strengths, weaknesses, and pace. This ensures they receive exactly what they need to improve, making the learning experience more engaging and efficient.
We can look to platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Coursera for a great example of this. Both platforms offer AI-driven coaching and support to personalize professional learning experiences in real-time. For example, Coursera for Business tracks employee progress and suggests additional courses to close specific knowledge gaps. LinkedIn Learning, meanwhile, uses Microsoft’s Azure Open AI service to pull from its extensive library of courses to provide tailored advice to users.
Technical Skills Mastery via Adaptive Learning
Adaptive tools are invaluable to education and professional development even in more specialized technical fields. For example, platforms like Codecademy and freeCodeCamp have revolutionized how coding and software development is taught and accessed, facilitating learning opportunities for diverse learners who ordinarily face barriers to learning in traditional environments.
Alongside ensuring democratized access to technical fields, adaptive tools can also create customized learning experiences that support budding software developers on every stage of their learning journey. Using Codecademy, for instance, learners can take advantage of innovations like real-time code evaluation to receive immediate feedback on projects in process.
Meanwhile, its adaptive feedback loop provides step-by-step guidance and can strengthen problem-solving skills while building technical expertise in the most advanced areas of coding and programming.
Applications in High-Stakes Industries
Moreover, the precise nature of advanced tech-enhanced adaptive learning systems has generated utility in high-stakes industries, where rookie mistakes can be costly.
Touching again on the medical industry, AI-driven simulations can mimic real-life scenarios for trainee surgeons, providing them with a way to practice and refine techniques without risking patient safety. 
The financial sector is another area that’s embraced adaptive technology for professional development. In particular, adaptive learning tools are being deployed to train professionals in areas such as risk assessment, compliance, and trading strategies.
Axonify, a platform focused on corporate training in the finance and insurance sectors, offers microlearning experiences for professionals that are integrated into daily workflows. These short, tailored training sessions enhance performance by delivering the key information each learner needs to perform effectively, in an easily digestible format.
Additionally, simulation-based learning systems have gained traction in the financial field too. Just as they do in medical and military training, they can develop critical decision making skills via realistic simulations for trainees and existing professionals alike. Machine learning systems can simulate market crashes, compliance audits or even cybersecurity branches to expose learners to various real-world scenarios in which they need to make decisions and take action under varying levels of pressure.