By tutoruk When we hear the word “ e-learning ”, we refer to online training on any digital device. Watching educational videos, reading articles, taking quizzes, or even virtual e-learning courses, is what e-learning is really about.
Comparing the e-learning educational model with traditional education methodologies is like comparing an electronic book with a paper book. Just as digital texts cannot replace the authenticity of a real book, e-learning cannot replace comprehensive education. However, one of the advantages of e-learning is the ability to access it from wherever you are.
This represents a revolution in the way in which people interact with training materials and resources, since the idea that education is necessarily linked to a study center, such as university classrooms, is abandoned to make way for other learning areas such as e-learning applications and systems.
That is why it is no coincidence that the vast majority of companies and organizations in the modern world use remote learning as the spearhead for all their training and educational processes. To understand more clearly the magnitude of this change, we can take as an example the great advance that occurred in moving from traditional correspondence methods (postal courier, telegrams, etc.) to emails and instant messaging services.
One of the main reasons why e-learning training is so popular is the possibility of offering a better learning experience with innovations such as augmented reality or virtual reality. For example, thanks to virtual reality courses, construction workers receive better risk prevention training, while medical students learn how to find bones and blood vessels on the Internet. Companies also use e-learning training to train their staff and to help with internal processes.
Another use case is to reinforce traditional education models. It must be made very clear that although e-learning offers a large number of unprecedented benefits in the world of education, this does not mean that education as we know it historically will cease to exist. Quite the contrary… it can benefit enormously from the capabilities of so-called electronic learning to empower the relationship and bond between english tutor teachers and students. An example of this is the growing number of universities and educational establishments that incorporate e-learning applications as a fundamental part of their academic offering, without having to give up face-to-face classes in classrooms.
History of e-learning
The term e-learning was coined by Elliott Masie in November 1999. It involves the use of network technology to design, deliver, select, manage, and extend learning.
In 2000, the launch of OLAT, the first open-source learning management system, revolutionized e-learning. That year, the first version of SCORM was also released, a standard that allows content to be packaged and distributed to an LMS.
In early 2010, mobile devices became more popular, and smartphones and tablets appeared. People no longer use them only to make calls but also to watch videos, read books, and play games. This led phone companies to improve mobile connectivity, a race that continues to this day.
Mobile devices are now a popular option for accessing virtual e-learning platforms, both for companies and educational institutions. It’s almost as if students have a classroom in their pocket that they can access anytime, anywhere.
What is e-learning for? concrete examples
Virtual teaching is the basis on which modern training strategies are based. Its uses depend largely on the type of organization and the industry in which it operates. But in general terms, companies use e-learning to:
- Employee training. This is the main reason why companies use e-learning. Digital courses are more effective in offering an easy-to-use, continuous learning solution.
- Compliance training. The goal is to inform employees about company policy, for example, safety and personal conduct policies.
- Employee participation. E-learning gets employees involved through online e-learning courses, creative design, and game elements. This strategy focuses on maintaining interest with rewards and ratings. In addition, this encourages interpersonal relationships, which strengthens skills such as teamwork, group participation, and group formation.
- Hiring new employees. The process of introducing and integrating new employees into the company can be quite complex and challenging. But e-learning can facilitate this, by creating an online course to present the company and its key figures. This course will also save time for human resources managers.
- Standardization. Through a continuous training program enhanced by e-learning, businesses can strengthen the values of their organization and consolidate a strong business identity. Furthermore, since all members of an organization have easy access to the same training resources, standardizing knowledge, processes, and knowledge becomes a much simpler task, even in corporations that have headquarters in several territories.
- Customer and partner development. With distance e-learning courses your partners and clients can better understand what you offer, whether products or professional services. People like innovation, but they are often distrustful of the unknown. Use courses and presentations to explain how your service works and why it is good.
- Product promotion. Brands and retail companies are always introducing new products. You can use e-learning to introduce your sales team to new additions and help new employees learn products faster. You will get more sales as a result.
- Scalability of learning programs. As we mentioned in previous sections, having a group of professional trainers can be expensive and complicated. However, e-learning allows any campaign or training program to be effectively scaled, either by converting them into a purely remote modality or by serving as a tool for hybrid models that combine the best of face-to-face education and remote learning.
So how exactly do companies achieve their goals using e-learning? A quality digital course is more than a sequence of slides. The content you present must be attractive, informative, and interactive.
Characteristics and types of e-learning
Some of the characteristics of e-learning platforms that we can highlight are:
- Flexibility: By taking advantage of technological capabilities, training through e-learning is extremely flexible and customizable to adapt to the needs of any organization.
- Monitoring: Most e-learning tools have functions that allow you to closely monitor the progress and growth of students.
- Convenience: E-learning is not subject to schedules or meetings in facilities. This allows both teachers and students to interact from anywhere in the world.
- Communication channels: E-learning allows teachers and students to share communication channels, even outside teaching hours, which enhances participation and strengthens the educational bond.
- Design resources: The most complete e-learning platforms and applications offer tools to easily design courses and training programs so that any individual can structure the knowledge they want to teach others in an attractive and effective format without the need for Deep technical knowledge regarding the design and development of learning materials.
It should be noted that this is not an exhaustive list of features, as specific industries have different use cases and leverage e-learning capabilities based on their own goals and challenges.
Regarding the types of e-learning that exist, these depend largely on the characteristics and needs of the particular organization. However, we can talk about 4 main modalities:
- Synchronous: Modality in which both teachers and students interact in real-time, such as in live classes through a video conference.
- Asynchronous: The modality in which students can interact with training content through a platform at their own pace.
- M-learning: This is a distance model of e-learning through mobile devices (mobile learning). This type of remote learning is particularly accessible for students since practically anyone owns one of these devices.
- B-learning: This modality mixes traditional face-to-face teaching with activities on LMS platforms. In this sense, we could say that it is a hybrid modality.
It is important to keep in mind that these modalities are not exclusive. Rather, they are often used in combination when deploying a learning strategy.
The benefits of e-learning for companies
Today many companies, from the largest to the smallest, use e-learning to manage the training of their employees: improve their skills, teach them new tools, or train them for other positions. E-learning is a fantastic opportunity for companies because it offers:
Training at a lower cost
With e-learning, you don’t have to spend a fortune on organizing seminars, renting hotel rooms, and covering travel expenses. You can simply create an online course and share it with all your employees.
More coverage
Distance education has no barriers. You can train hundreds of employees in multiple locations around the world in a uniform manner. Employees do not have to participate in in-person classes. All they need is a digital device and Internet access.
A single knowledge base
All the learning materials are stored in a single centralized location, such as a Learning Management System (LMS). Employees can conveniently access the LMS from any device to find and review the courses they need.
Faster employee development
Traditional training can be quite slow because it depends on the in-person instructor’s schedule. But an LMS is available at any time, making it possible for employees to study whenever they want, whether they are on the road, during lunch, or at home.
Easily monitor progress
In-person instructors do not typically review each student’s work, as this is time-consuming. Most LMSs have a learning statistics feature that shows each student’s progress in graphs and reports.
