The blossoming of online communications and technology has awarded us with many great products –from HR software solutions that allow an employer to manage their scattered workforce effectively and CMS systems that make assigning tasks a walk in the park to webinar platforms that are tailored to support massive corporate meetings. Also, there’s e-learning – an ever-evolving learning method that’s gaining momentum even the moment as we speak.
The advantages of e-learning are many indeed. It has revolutionized the way the knowledge is typically accessed, served and consumed, paving the way for new generations of employees and students that are more competent than ever thanks to it.
In this respect, we decided to investigate which are some of the most important benefits of e-learning, so we suggest you stick around if you’re curious to find out more.
Online Learning is suitable for everyone’s needs
Online learners are numerous and typically fall within different demographic groups. For instance, they are stay-at-home moms and employees with insanely long working hours. However, there’s one thing they all have in common – they want to learn at their own pace because they have to be able to incorporate their learning time into their daily schedules. In light of this precondition, e-learning imposes itself as the most convenient solution because e-courses usually take place online and can be accessed at any time.
Learners can access online materials anytime, anywhere
One of the best things about e-learning is that a learner has access to curriculums all the time. This means that they can refresh their knowledge either from the very comfort of their home or from their workplace. Furthermore, a learner can access materials any number of times, which can come in quite handy, especially if they are taking the course that is more complex.
Learning time is reduced
Studies have shown that e-learning is more efficient compared to its traditional counterpart because lessons are usually broken down into smaller portions of content that is easily digested. Consequently, learning results are also better. On the other hand, everyone is free to learn at their own pace, in comparison with traditional learning where an individual has to keep up with an entire group.
E-learning is versatile
E-Learning isn’t solely related to academic education. Companies, both small and big, have started to grasp the real potential of e-learning. According to Small Bizz Trends, a whopping 98% of all companies plan to use e-learning by 2020. Furthermore, employers are becoming aware that e-courses and tutorials are the way to go when it comes to informing employees about changes in company policies or training new staff. Speaking of latter, e-learning is also efficient because it helps HR departments save their precious time for dealing with other, more pressing matters.
It’s time-saving
A learner can decide which lesson they want to take first, and even skip those they deem less important at a given moment. Simultaneously, e-learning is a time-saving option because a learner doesn’t have to travel to an institution or a training center where the course is taking place. Furthermore, it’s convenient for the companies too because they don’t need to send their employees to costly conferences anymore and can opt for e-learning courses instead.
It’s not biased
E-Learning is not partial or biased because it allows everyone to get access to the same materials, which further implies that everyone will get the same quality of education/training.
It’s budget-friendly
As we already suggested, e-learning is a viable alternative to traditional learning because it’s budget-friendly, both for learners and organizations. Further, learners won’t have accommodation and travel expenses while organizations or companies won’t have to pay for hiring either part-time or full-time instructors to conduct the training on-site.
It’s effective
Above everything else, eLearning is effective. This method usually relies on content being presented in the way so that it’s easily adopted by the learner. Consequently, learners do better on exams, tests and other sorts of evaluation tests. This is beneficial for organizations that provide the courses because they usually want learners to be capable of implementing the knowledge they gained during the training or education ASAP.
It’s eco-friendly
Being the paperless method that relies solely on virtual learning materials, e-Learning promotes sustainability and is thus good for our environment. On the other hand, learners can save even more money and time because there’s no need to print or copy materials.
Cross-platform compatibility
E-learning goes hand in hand with the latest industry trends that are all about providing the best user experience possible. Therefore, most e-learning courses can be designed in a way to be compatible with all known platforms and devices. The goals here is to provide the same level of comfort to every learner out there, regardless of whether their preferred device is desktop, laptop or smartphone. On the other hand, learners also have a stronger appreciation for course designs that are responsive, highly interactive and generally enjoyable.
Gamification possibilities
The concept of learning through a game is anything but new. However, it has also found its place within the different e-learning courses. Both e-learning developers and organizations providing e-courses want to make sure that knowledge is actually going to stick with the learners and what better way to achieve that than come up with a course that is not only educational but also fun and interactive?
To sum it up, e-learning allows learners to quickly access learning materials at any given time compared to the traditional learning method that takes places in a certain institution or a training center. This makes it both efficient and affordable, all the while allowing the learner to be in full control of the learning process. Furthermore, learners gain access to the virtual content that is personalized, mobile-friendly and available online, which are nowadays all prerequisites for successful learning.
Do you think that e-learning is going to be a prevailing learning method in the future? We’d really like to hear from you in the comment section below!