View From The Top

by Lewis Carr

Look, I’ll be honest - I’ve been developing e-learning platforms for over two decades now, and I’m getting too old for this nonsense. Every time I open LinkedIn these days, there’s another 20-something “thought leader” banging on about how we need to revolutionise learning for Generation Z. They’re usually wearing a hoodie, recording from their bedroom, and telling us everything we’ve built over the last 20 years is rubbish.

It’s ironic, really. As an 80’s kid, I saw myself as Maverick. We all did. That cocky grin, the rebellion against authority, the need to do things differently.

I carried that spirit into my early career in e-learning development when Moodle was the cool new tech on the block. “Break the mould,” I’d say. “Challenge the status quo!”, “Talk to me, Goose”. Oh, how the tables have turned.

Now I find myself sitting in client meetings, watching slide decks about how Gen Z learns “differently.” They need everything faster, more interactive, more “authentic.” They can’t possibly sit through a 15-minute e-learning module because their attention spans are shot to bits from years of TikTok. They need everything gamified, social, and mobile-first, with badges and points, constant validation and getting to call the shots on when and where they learn. Bloody whippersnappers - get off my lawn.

Sound familiar? It should. Because it’s exactly what every generation says about the one that follows. But you know what? Some rules exist for a reason.

Let me tell you something about traditional e-learning methodologies - they weren’t created by dinosaurs who didn’t know what they were doing. We built them based on decades of research into how people actually learn and retain information. Yes, they might seem “boring” to the TikTok generation, but guess what? Learning is sometimes boring. Real life isn’t always a highlight reel.

The Methods Behind the Madness

Sequential Learning

We didn’t create linear progression because we’re unimaginative, it’s because you need to understand A before you can understand B. But no, apparently, that’s “old school” now.

Structured Assessment

Yes, those multiple-choice quizzes you hate serve a purpose - they ensure you’ve actually absorbed the material (or at least provide a tick in a box to ensure you’re covered to do your job). Not everything can be learned through a YouTube shorts-style video.

The Maverick Paradox

These Gen Z learners love comparing themselves to Maverick - the rebel, the rule-breaker, the one who does things his own way. But they’re missing something crucial: Maverick was exceptional because he mastered the basics first. He was a proven, gifted pilot who knew the rulebook inside out before he chose to deviate from it. He didn’t just jump in an F-14 one day and start flying however he felt like it.

What we’re seeing now isn’t Maverick-style innovation; it’s often just impatience dressed up as disruption.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not completely set in my ways. Some of what Gen Z wants makes sense:

Mobile Accessibility

Fine, people want to learn on their phones - we can and have adapted, to that (even if the desktop is still superior for actual learning).

Shorter Modules

Yes, we can break things down more but there’s a limit to how “micro” microlearning can get before it loses all value.

Interactive Elements

We’ve always had these, we just didn’t need to make everything feel like a video game.

The issue isn’t really about learning styles or attention spans. It’s about expectations. Gen Z has grown up in a world where everything is instant, everything is entertaining, and everything is customisable. But some things - like genuine learning and skill development - take time, effort, and yes, sometimes even a bit of boredom.

Looking Forward (Reluctantly)

So here I am, feeling more like Viper than Maverick these days (although in my mid forties I still can’t grow a cool 80’s moustache), watching these young hotshots come in with their grand ideas about revolutionising e-learning. And you know what? Some of their ideas aren’t half bad. But just like Maverick needed Viper’s guidance (whether he wanted it or not), these new approaches need to be tempered with experience and proven methodologies.

Maybe I’ve become what I once rebelled against. Maybe that’s just the natural order of things. But before we throw out everything we know about e-learning to cater to Generation Z, perhaps we should remember that not all change is progress, and not all tradition is outdated.

Besides, Maverick himself ended up becoming an instructor, didn’t he? Sometimes the establishment knows what it’s talking about after all.

Lewis Carr still thinks the F-14 Tomcat was the coolest fighter jet ever made, regardless of what his kids say about the F-35.