Hot Topics in Learning and Development (2025): A Year in Review

What learners need, what’s evolving, and what’s next

As 2025 comes to a close, it’s helpful to pause and look at what people were actually searching for, watching, listening to, and reading — not just what learning and development (L&D) trends were being talked about.

This year-in-review is grounded in real engagement data from my Regier Education website blog, YouTube channel, podcast, and LinkedIn, alongside what I’m seeing through client work, conferences like I4PL, and ongoing research in adult learning, accessibility, and inclusive design.

While similar themes often appear across platforms, the blogs referenced here are published on my website, with LinkedIn serving as a complementary space for conversation, reflection, and shared learning.

Together, these insights tell a clear story about where L&D has been, where it is now, and what’s building next.

A brief reflection on five years ago: 2020 included the shift online

In 2020, I didn’t publish a “Hot Topics” blog — not because learning wasn’t happening, but because it was an extraordinarily busy year helping organizations urgently shift online. That period was focused on rapid problem-solving, supporting facilitators, and supporting people to thrive in unfamiliar digital environments.

It was also during that time that I began writing my book, The Online Shift: 101 Pro Tips for Facilitators, Workplace Trainers & Speakers, capturing many of the practical lessons emerging from that moment of transition.

Five years later, learning and development look very different.

What learners engaged with most in 2025

Website and Blog Insights

In 2025, I intentionally focused on fewer but more high-impact blog posts, designed to address the questions learners were actually asking.

– Nearly 10,000 active users engaged on my website, Regier Education, this year.

Most visited blogs and resource topics included:

Canva Presentations FAQs
How to Download Zoom
How to Use Mentimeter
How to Download Canva PowerPoint Slides
Getting Participants to Turn on Their Camera

What this tells us:
Notably, learners continue to value practical, just-in-time learning support. These topics aren’t “basic” — they’re foundational skills that reduce friction, increase confidence, and help people do their work more effectively.

YouTube: Where I Shared the Most (and Why)

One of the biggest surprises when reviewing my 2025 data was how active I remained on YouTube.

29 long-form videos and 43 Shorts published in 2025 (72 total videos)
876.5K impressions during the year
47K remixed (Shorts) video views

I practice, while YouTube is where I shared the most content, the same learning is often adapted and shared in multiple formats and platforms. This reflects a core value in my work: inclusive learning means offering content in more than one way, so people can engage in the format, length, and context that works best for them.

Podcast Listening Trends

675 podcast downloads in 2025
591 listeners

Meanwhile, most listened-to episodes focused on:

Neurodiversity and inclusive learning
AI as a creative and learning support
Clear language and learner-friendly communication
Practical ways to leverage video and online tools

What this tells us:
Listeners are gravitating toward content that blends practical guidance with thoughtful reflection, particularly where learning, accessibility, and technology intersect.

LinkedIn: Conversation and Reflection

While my website and YouTube focus on deeper learning resources and just-in-time support, LinkedIn continues to be a space for conversation, reflection, and shared learning.

In 2025, I shared 68 LinkedIn posts, generating 710 reactions and 217 comments. Many of these conversations expanded on themes explored across my blog, videos, and podcast — including learning design, AI in L&D, neurodiversity, inclusive practices, and facilitator experience.

People aren’t just consuming learning content. They want space to reflect, ask questions, and connect ideas back to their own work. Engagement shows up not only in views, but in dialogue.

What this tells us:
Learning doesn’t stop at content delivery. People value opportunities to reflect, ask questions, and make sense of learning together — especially in complex, human-centred fields like learning and development.

“Learning that respects how people think, work, and learn will always matter — regardless of tools or trends.”

What this reveals about L&D in 2025

Digital confidence is now a core workplace skill

As a result, the dominant question is no longer “How do we move learning online?”
Instead, it’s “How do we help people feel confident using the tools they already have?”

Across platforms, learners consistently engage with content that reduces friction and builds confidence. Digital confidence has become foundational to effective workplace learning.

Micro-learning has matured into performance support

Micro-learning in 2025 isn’t about shorter content for its own sake. It’s about:

Solving one problem well
Supporting learning in the flow of work
Creating trusted resources people return to

This reflects a broader shift in L&D toward performance support and usability, rather than content volume.

AI supporting the expectations for just-in-time learning

In contrast, AI has moved beyond novelty and into everyday learning workflows. What’s changed most is the expectation of immediacy.

Learners now expect:

Answers when they need them
Support at the point of application
Learning that meets them where they are

When used thoughtfully, AI supports these expectations by helping people find information faster, draft content, and solve problems more efficiently. What resonates most, however, is not AI replacing learning — but AI supporting people, aligned with a people-first approach.

This theme was echoed at I4PL, where conversations focused less on tools and more on judgment, ethics, and intentional learning design.

Neurodiversity is shaping everyday learning design

Neurodiversity continues to move from awareness into practice. Even when it isn’t the most-viewed topic, it consistently influences how effective learning is designed.

Neuroinclusive design shows up in:

Clear instructions and plain language
Reduced cognitive load
Flexible participation options
Captions, transcripts, and multiple ways to engage

In 2025, neuroinclusive design is increasingly recognized as good learning design for everyone.

People-first, self-directed learning by design

One of the strongest patterns across my 2025 data is the continued importance of self-directed learning, designed with people first.

When done well, self-directed learning:

Supports choice in how and when people engage
Enables just-in-time learning
Fits realistically into a workday
Accommodates a variety of learning preferences and needs

People-first instructional design includes:

Clear structure and predictable navigation
Multiple engagement formats (video, text, visuals, audio)
Accessibility supports such as captions and transcripts
Short, focused learning assets that reduce cognitive load

In this context, self-directed learning isn’t a fallback — it’s a deliberate, inclusive design choice.

Looking ahead to 2026

As 2026 approaches, several themes continue to build momentum:

People-first and neuroinclusive learning design is becoming standard practice
AI literacy embedded into everyday L&D work
Continued demand for just-in-time, self-directed learning
Fewer, higher-quality learning assets learners trust
Greater emphasis on clarity, care, and cognitive ease

If 2020 was about surviving the shift online, and five years later, 2025 was about working well in digital spaces. Next year, 2026, is shaping up to be about designing learning that truly respects how people think, work, and learn.

It’s also a reminder that the ideas I explored in The Online Shift, published in March 2022, remain just as relevant today — because designing learning that is practical, inclusive, and people-first continues to matter.

Top Video & Podcast Examples

This video is a good example of the kind of just-in-time, self-directed learning people consistently return to.

This podcast episode reflects how many people are approaching AI in learning and development — as a support for thinking, creativity, and efficiency, not a shortcut around judgment.

Based on my blog: AI as a Writing and Research Partner

Happy Holidays!

At Regier Education Inc., I’m committed to helping trainers, facilitators, and organizations create inclusive, accessible, and engaging learning experiences—whether in live sessions, or self-directed online courses.

If you’re exploring how people-first, inclusive learning can better support your learners or teams, I’d love to continue the conversation.

If you’d like to explore more, here are some of my top resources: Accessibility & Inclusion YouTube Playlist

Alternatively, connect with me to explore how Regier Education Inc. can enhance your learning experiences with accessibility and inclusivity from the outset.

I have a reading list of new books about accessibility, inclusion and neurodiversity. Stay tuned for new tips and recommendations on these reads!

Patricia Regier
Founder, Regier Education Inc.
Learning Experience and Instructional Designer | Facilitator | Consultant | Author of The Online Shift: 101 Pro Tips for Facilitators, Workplace Trainers & Speakers
https://www.regiereducation.com

BONUS

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Plus, you can take our Learning Types Quiz

These insights continue to shape how I approach learning design — and I’m always open to conversations about what people-first learning looks like in practice.

About the Author

Patricia Regier, MEd is the Online Expert who’s built a career on the belief that training and online learning doesn’t have to be boring. As Owner of Regier Education Inc. and with a Master of Adult Education, Patricia is known for making her audience feel empowered, engaged, courageous and confident.

Her debut book and keynote, The Online Shift teaches newcomers to the online space and seasoned professionals alike how to optimize their online presence and maximize engagement. She’s tried, tested and refined using the latest behavioral science, research and psychology to make sure your next online experience is a hit!

To request more information about learning and development opportunities or book Patricia as a speaker, facilitator, consultant, or instructional designer email [email protected]

Images’ rights and license to use via Canva Pro account.