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What is eLearning?

Oct 15, 2023

There's lots of talk of someone doing their training modules online, and it's quite likely you've probably perhaps already completed a course online or two on your own in the past! Online software and devices is bound to gain popularity. There are many benefits of using technology in order to speed up and improve learning objectives.

There are many tools However, not all programs are created equally. This article we'll go over the basics of what eLearning is and then look into several methods used to apply it to classes in schools and corporate training courses!

Skip ahead:

What is exactly the meaning of "e-learning?

The term "e-learning" can refer to various words, like the term "electronic education," learning through virtual and remote learning. These all essentially refer to the same concept by implying that the learner is accessing some aspect of their education via either digital or electronic means. However, there are some differences in the key eLearning terminology:

the term used in eLearning Defines the term "e-Learning"
E-Learning The way in that students are able to get access to a portion of their studies by using a digital or electronic way, irrespective of distance from the institution with the pupils.
Learn through electronic methods The exact definition of the word is also used for eLearning. However, this was the very first definition that was utilized prior to when the acceptance of eLearning increased.
Learning via virtual reality Education is provided to students almost exclusively via electronic devices.
Remote education Education that is provided for a student who is located in another place, using technology, whether digital or physical, for the purpose of assisting in the process of learning. Sometimes referred to as distance-learning.

The benefits of eLearning

  • Accessibility: Anybody with the ability to connect with an Internet connection can access and examine the information offered through these instruments. These tools can also offer various formats that can be used to analyze the information sources.
  • Cost-efficiency is generally the reason why the expense to install one or several E-Learning programs is more reasonable than hiring additional personnel. This is particularly true in the case of digital learning tools that help automate administrative, repetitive, and time-consuming tasks.
  • Monitoring of progress, which may be necessary in order to provide compliance reports, or student performance reports. It's quick to produce reports that are automatically generated by the program. Additionally, as they're online and shareable, they can be readily shared with coworkers and teachers as well.

Important eLearning concepts to be aware of

To help you understand the wide topic of eLearning, you can use this easy chart to help you understand the topic. It also contains definitions of other commonly used words!

The word Define
Instructor-led Techniques for teaching that guarantee the presence of at least one instructor (the instructor) who acts as the teacher for the course. The instructor could be present together with the class, or connect to students via the internet.
Self-sufficient Teaching is a method wherein the student is required to monitor their progress. Course content is provided through a computer system, and students must use the system and finish tasks, but they do not have to be directed to do this by the instructor.
Learning synchronized The students are learning while teachers instruct. This is exactly the kind of learning taking place during class time.
The synchronous process of learning The students are learning the subject in a different way that the instructor teaches it. This is the sort of learning that happens when students need to review an article before class, such as.

The most recent rise in electronic learning

While it's been around for a long time, eLearning hasn't always been so popular the manner it is today. Before the introduction of eLearning it was common to find remote learning strategies especially in rural areas. communities that did not have the funds to provide a greater variety of educational courses, or to provide support for students who are delayed were able to use online learning to help fill in these gap. But in 2012, 21.4% of higher education students had registered in at minimum one online course.

In 2020, there was record-breaking growth in taking classes online, as the pandemic had forced most students to learn virtually rather than through in-person classes. Tools like Zoom enabled educators and learners to connect via the internet, so that 60% of the university students are taking online courses often. The market for investing in new tools then increased 6X when comparing 2017 to 2021 and is already projected to be US$166.60bn until 2023.

Fundamental eLearning principles

There are some important principles on which the vast majority of online learning programs depend on. These fundamentals are crucial as they are the foundation of creating a powerful program or device that can enable eLearning easier and more effective.

Interactivity

Physical classrooms are the places where students can ask questions, get practical experience using various laboratory or classrooms as well as receive instant feedback from peers or instructors. Effective eLearning software must also strive to provide the same level of engagement to the students. Without interaction, students may become disengaged and get bored of the content they are learning or struggle to grasp the fundamental ideas.

Learner-centered

Engagement

In order to keep students engaged in the course of time is a huge struggle that teachers face. In order to solve this issue, study has revealed that students want teachers to employ a range techniques for instructing to keep their attention in classroom. Utilizing e-learning technology could in promoting greater engagement by identifying new ways to keep students interested in the classroom, increase retention of lesson, inspire creativity, or to improve the performance of students throughout the class.

Accessibility

Students must be able to be able to comprehend and understand the contents of the course to ensure they can learn efficiently. The software used in eLearning must be able to adjust to different demands for learning. There are a lot of accessibility rules that relate to online learning programs that will be helpful for learners as well as facilitators to keep in mind.

eLearning is a broad and inclusive phrase that covers any digital device or device that helps students study better. While there are numerous options, we'll focus on two key areas you should get to know:

Learn management systems (LMS)

Examples of LMS tools:

Virtual engagement tools

The tools for virtual engagement can help students connect with fellow students as well as their learning material. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this, including creating group projects, taking questions in class, getting feedback, encouraging the use of video and gaming to help your students' accomplishment of assignments.

Examples of tools for virtual engagement:

Student progress tracking software

Although certain LMS platforms permit monitoring student progress but you may want to choose an alternative platform which lets you monitor progress on your own if you do not want to utilize electronic learning software as part of your teaching plan. The ability to keep track of the performance of your pupils and their scores online makes it easier for you to communicate performance information to supervisors or parents.

Progression tracking example software employed in e-learning:

3 typical challenges and solutions for digital learning tools

1. Accessing e-Learning in locations with a few or no Internet connection

Digital divide is now a major obstacle to making use of eLearning tools in a mass size. It is common in rural or underdeveloped countries that do not have access to the Internet that makes it hard for students from those areas to access the internet or take part in online classes.

Solution: Educators who work in these areas can employ a combination of traditional methods and eLearning. The methods used in eLearning should not be dependent on Internet connections, and must concentrate on the primary principle of eLearning, which is learner-centeredness and also enhancing engagement as well as accessibility.

An example of an eLearning instrument for regions with restricted Internet access is an electronic reader. It allows students to read a large amount of books from a single device. Students can track their progress in reading, modify the screen for ease of use as well as look up difficult words in a built-in dictionary.

Challenge 2: Onboarding students to online learning tools

It's not easy to learn how to read, write or document, as well as communicate on the internet. It's particularly difficult when you're working with younger groups or those who do not have a great understanding of technology.

Solution: Find out whether your software for eLearning provides any materials for learning that can be shared to your class. The best way to do this is to design the materials in a way that is easy for students to digest for example, printing a hard copy of an instruction sheet.

Additionally, make sure you have an instructional program which is step-by-step and will teach your pupils how to utilize education tools. It's crucial to communicate what benefits eLearning tools will provide in order to help them see the benefits of getting adopt new technologies. While you're doing this, be sure you be available and ready for any questions that students may ask about your program and to be patient as they need to adapt to it.

Challenge 3. Integrating your eLearning toolkits with your rest of your technology stack

The most frequently overlooked aspect that is often overlooked in the usage of eLearning programs is the fact that they'll require to function with the other tools or software employed.

Solution: Contact the vendor of your eLearning that you are purchasing from to confirm that the technology is compatible before making the purchase. It is often possible to check through the website of the vendor, or via a sales rep.

If you've got the technical abilities to write custom code and integrate with other platforms, you could be able to create your own integration. Contact your vendor to inquire about APIs that are available or open-source components for the platform, which will enable the user to keep their technology stack aligned.

How do I use eLearning at schools

The eLearning industry is mostly known for its use within schools. There are a variety of unique software that are suitable for elementary, high school students, as well as those at higher levels. It is also possible to utilize more or fewer electronic learning supplements, based on the type of program and also the quantity of involvement that the program demands.

Connecting with parents and guardians

In the early elementary school, parents and guardians are active in their child's learning. Tools for eLearning can help create and distribute reports in a timely manner that saves teachers time who write these messages on their own. Some tools allow parent feedback that will further enable children to grow.

If the school board or school advisors need to determine how a student's learning progress changes over time, it is possible to utilize eLearning programs to generate an historical report. It can include the topics which a student learned over time, as well as performance and any delays or concerns that students have demonstrated. It's more reliable than relying on memories or handwritten notes that may not be able to give the full context of the situation.

Facilitating assignments

In any educational level Teachers must ensure that the material they are teaching can be accessible to students with all levels of ability. Certain eLearning platforms offer customization features that let students reduce the volume of audio, review repeatedly and alter the size of fonts or colors or even use text-to-speech. Certain tools are also equipped to translate automatically and make content more clear or readable that can help students who do not have immediate access to an instructor for that type of support.

If you're a teacher, and you'll be accountable for the development of over 20 students at a time. Professors at the university level the class size can range from 100 to 300 students concurrently! It can be difficult to manually check the progress of each student and keep track of the unique learning requirements of every student. As a result, you may not be able to see the entire picture of how your class is actually doing in the class.

If you look at all the reports for your class within the eLearning tool, you should be sure to look at the trends and outliers. These trends can help you identify which subject areas students master the fastest or at the least slowly. This will help you understand the topics that are interesting as well as difficult. Outliers may pinpoint specific students that are successful or have difficulty understanding the concepts of their course. There is the possibility of pairing your academic stars as mentors with students that need extra help!

Helping students with additional needs

Based on the information you can gain by using eLearning tools from the teacher's point of view, you can be able to identify students that require additional assistance. You can then provide the students with an educator or assistance to them through the tools. It's a great option to ensure your students receive the support they require, without having to bring your attention to the matter in front to the entire group. This is also a great solution for distance learning classes when it is not possible to provide assistance to your students in person.

What's the most effective way to utilize eLearning for corporate training?

Costs for education programs are reduced.

The training programs that are designed to help ensure compliance and onboarding have historically been conducted by an instructor. Costs of the hiring of an instructor for training your team includes travel and the expense of the rooms as well as getting the instructor on board in addition. If you plan to use your training for a certification, you might also need pay for the certification along with the required textbooks and other tools.

With eLearning platforms, the expense of running training programs decreases considerably. If you decide to continue with instructors leading the class, you no longer need arrange travel arrangements or physical classrooms. Instead, it is delivered online through the online video conference software. You can also take a recording and play back the video to a different time!

The ability to improve the knowledge base of the product

Tools for LMS are a very popular kind of technology for eLearning because they permit companies to build knowledge bases for their products. The teams within the organization may create video tutorials that highlight the latest features of products, policy or any other needed education. If new hires are brought into the organization, they will count on the info center for product-specific knowledge. The same is true to employees who are already employed. It can be beneficial to any employee or customer needing a refresher of the product! It's simple and quick to refresh the LMS with additional videos or other content whenever it is necessary to update a feature or feature launches. A central information base which contains information about the product minimizes the chance of inaccurate information spreading throughout the business.

Making sales programs more effective

Sales reps play an extremely demanding job that requires them to understand every element of the new product, and explain it in front of customers to show how the product is able to meet the needs of every client. When it is in large numbers, it can be time-consuming and difficult to develop new materials that is tailored to every customer.

E-Learning software can help in making sales efforts more efficient by creating as well as hosting and then distributing the material. Sales executives then only need to decide on the type of information or videos they want to send to those who are interested in buying. It's simple to keep track of progress and know how much information the client has consumed. Sales managers are aware that information was not done or not received, which causes them to contact the lead directly for assistance.

Scaling new hire onboarding programs

If you're a part of an expanding company, you're likely to not have enough time to train each new employee who joins. E-Learning is a fantastic source for employees who are new to the company to gain knowledge about your company's policies, product, processes and goals. HR managers can use the platform to track the progression of the training programs that they require. This also ensures that every new employee is given the exact amount of details required to start the process of training. This ensures that no one goes without information or a clue within the initial few days!

Ensuring compliance regulations are met

Most compliance rules include a learning or education element. For employees, they may be asked to upgrade their CPR or security knowledge each year at the very least. Programs for training that are developed and monitored in a centralized eLearning platform permits team leaders and compliance auditors to establish the fact that training was done. eLearning platforms can provide exact details of the training that employees received in certain areas of training and at what date and at what time. Additionally, you'll be notified that the compliance training needs renewal!

Accessibility improvements at work

The same concept applies to eLearning as part of the education system, you can also use this technology to increase access to information in your work environment! In the case of team members, for instance, they who require extra time to read specific information may do this via an eLearning platform which will help to boost participation and enthusiasm and a better understanding of what the goal of the project is.

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