Why create workplace learning content when you can curate it?
November 13, 2018
Information explosion
We are living in a digital universe with data all around us. There are mind-boggling statistics on the quantum growth of information available on the internet. According to some studies, 2.5 exabytes1 of data are created every day, equivalent to 90 years1 of HD video or 250,0001 Libraries of Congress. The astounding fact is that 90 percent2 of the data in the digital universe was generated in the last two years alone, and this pace shows no signs of slowing.
Today a lot of consumers (e.g., amateur video makers on YouTube) and machines (e.g., intelligent internet connected devices) create a significant portion of this gargantuan amount of data. However, there is significant value in the information being generated as media, publishing, academia and other industries converge online. Research shows that about 5 percent3 of YouTube videos are related to science, technology and education in general, and can be the source that provides insight into the latest technology-led developments around us.
On a parallel note, the education we complete at the beginning of our careers no longer defines us; the shelf life of skills is decreasing rapidly4, and this has created a challenge as well as an opportunity. As Mauricio Macri, the President of Argentina and host of G20 2018, put it so succinctly, ‘the future of work will be a race between education and technology’5. Our research shows that the current onslaught of digital and internet-powered technologies continues to put the pressure on skills development and emphasizes ‘continuous learning’ to ensure relevance of the workforce in the digital universe.
Curation over creation
Bringing these two key imperatives—the power of online content and the decreasing shelf life of skills—together, presents us with an interesting question, ‘in the quest to keep our workforce relevant and productive, does it make sense to create learning content or curate existing content?’. The term ‘curation’ in the past was commonly used to refer to museum and library professionals, who used to take care of and assemble the artifacts of the institution into themed collections. With the advent of the digital universe and the information explosion, a new breed of ‘digital curators’ has arrived on the scene. Digital or information curation is the art and science of selecting and organizing digital assets on a given subject from various online sources and presenting the information for on-demand consumption.
With the current pace of technology and the emphasis on continuous learning, curation (as opposed to creation) of content wins as a strategy due to the abundance of quality information and the relatively low effort required. Curation is the solution to keeping the workforce abreast of the latest developments. As Albert Einstein once said, ‘Once we stop learning, we start dying’.
Curation platform
At Accenture, we’ve developed a content curation platform, the Accenture Future Talent Platform, providing a personalized, interactive and digital learning experience to help ourselves and our clients develop their workforce. It includes curated content on a range of emerging technology topics to kickstart the learning journey, while providing the ability for clients to curate their own content and to drive continuous learning in their organization.
References
2 Forbes
