Advantages of E-Learning
Online learning can help your organization increase access to training and ensure that it is immediately relevant and cost-effective. This not only saves the organisation time, but also encourages collaboration and interaction amongst staff.
Some advantages of online learning include:
Anywhere, Anytime, Anyone
Learning is available 24 hours a day, around the globe. Organizations can distribute training and critical information to multiple locations easily and conveniently, allowing employees, volunteers, board members, and donors to access training at their convenience.
Access and Scale
Since geographic and time barriers are removed, learning is no longer exclusive to the few persons who can travel to a workshop or conference. Learning can occur throughout organizations and collaboratives, accelerating the transfer of knowledge and transforming learning from an isolated instance of professional development into a powerful tool for organizational and sector-wide change.
Cost Reduction
Training Magazine estimates organizations save between 50-70% when replacing instructor-led training with electronic content delivery. Learners can improve productivity and use their time more efficiently, as they no longer need to travel or fight rush-hour traffic just to attend.
Just-in-Time Access
Online learning enables nearly instant updating of lessons and materials, allowing learners immediate access to the most current information. Information can be retrieved when needed — not just when a classroom training is available — allowing greater application of learning to on-the-job needs.
Personalized Learning
E-learning is learner-directed, accommodating multiple learning styles and allowing learners more control over their learning process. Since courses are no longer strictly linear, content can be delivered in smaller units, allowing a learner to maximize the experience by concentrating on the most relevant items.
Improved Collaboration and Interactivity Among Students
A number of tools, including case studies, role-playing, simulations, personalized coaching, discussion groups, etc., can be used to stimulate interaction and critical reasoning among learners – even those separated by physical distances. Studies show that online students can be drawn more deeply into subject matter and actually have more peer contact than in instructor-led learning. E-learning compares favourably with most current instructor-led training, which is conducted in groups too large to provide true personalization and interactivity.
Less Intimidating than Instructor-led Courses
Online courses provide a risk-free environment where learners can try new things and eliminate the embarrassment of failure in front of a group. Especially important in diverse cultural settings, an online environment can actually enhance soft-skills training such as leadership and decision-making by providing an individualized atmosphere where students can feel free to “try again” after a failure.
Strengthens Traditional Classroom Learning
E-learning does not replace instructor-led learning, but can provide a powerful supplement which maximizes the classroom experience. For example, one of the most frustrating aspects of classroom training is the differing skill and expertise levels among learners. A pre-class e-learning supplement can cover the basics, providing a common base of knowledge and reserving instructor time for higher-level, interactive activities. Likewise, learners can use e-learning modules to augment and sustain their learning after completion of a classroom-based experience.
Student tracking is made easy. Because students complete their training while they are connected to the network, it is easy to implement powerful student-tracking systems.
