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What exactly is "eLearning?

Oct 15, 2023

You're likely to hear that students are taking their classes online. It's likely that you've attended an online course or two on your own previously! The use of online software and equipment is sure to increase in the coming years. The benefits of the use of technology in order to speed up and increase the efficacy of learning.

There are many different software or use cases are exactly identical. In this post, we'll break down what eLearning really means and look into some ways that can be applied to schools or corporate training courses!

Skip ahead:

What is "e-learning?

It is described as e-learning by various terms, like digital Learning, Virtual Learning or remote educational. They all relate to the same notion of a learner using a portion of their education through a digital or electronic channel. But, there are distinct differences among the fundamental concepts of eLearning:

E-Learning Term Definition of eLearning Term
E-Learning HTML0All students have the ability to gain access to an aspect of their education through the use of electronic or digital channels regardless of distance between school and the student.
Digital learning The same definition can be used to describe eLearning. This was, however, the first term that was used prior to that eLearning gained popularity.
Learning via virtual reality HTML0Education that is provided to students nearly completely through digital media.
Remote education Students receive education who are from different locations, using the use of technology, either digital or physical, to facilitate learning. It's also known as distance learning.

The benefits of the e-learning

  • Accessibility: Everyone with access to an Internet connection has the ability to read and browse through the information provided by these instruments. They also offer a range of formats to interpret the information from new sources.
  • Cost-efficiency is generally a aspect in determining if the expense for setting up an E-Learning tool or several remains cheaper than hiring more employees. This is particularly true since the digital tools for learning can assist in automatizing repetitive, administrative tasks that take a lot of time.
  • Trackability of progress which may be required to monitor the compliance of students, reporting to organizations and student report. Reports are quick to create that are automatically created through the software. Additionally, because they're already online and shareable, they can easily be distributed to instructors or other colleagues as well.

Another essential eLearning concepts to be aware of

For help in understanding the vast field of e-learning, you can reference this simple chart that includes definitions of other commonly frequently used terms!

The word The definition of HTML0
Instructor-led Techniques for teaching to ensure that that there is at minimum one individual (the instructor) who acts as in charge of the class. The instructor could be present alongside the class, or conversing with students virtually.
Self-sufficient The teaching method is one in which students are expected to be aware of their personal development. Course content is taught with a structure that requires students to utilize the system and work on assignments with no need to be required to complete the task by instructors.
Synchronous learning If students learn at the same time as teachers are instructing. This is an example of learning that takes place during classes.
Learning asynchronously Students learn about the material differently from how the instructor teaches it. This kind of learning which occurs for students who need to study the material prior to the class for instance.

The recent rise of electronic education

Though it's existed for quite many years, eLearning wasn't always as widespread as it is now. Prior to eLearning, it was more common to see the use of remote learning methods, especially in the rural areas. communities without resources to provide a wider range of classes or offer support for students who are delayed would rely on remote learning programs to fill these gap. In 2012 however, 21.4% of higher education students were registered for at least one online course.

In 2020, there was an unprecedented increase in the number of students learning on the internet as the flu epidemic forced many students to attend online courses instead of attending live classes. Tools like Zoom enabled teachers and students to work together via the internet, so that 60% of college students enrolled in online classes often. The market for investing in new tools then increased 6X when comparing 2017 to 2021 and is already projected to reach US$166.60bn in 2023.

Fundamental eLearning principles

There are some important principles upon which the vast majority of online learning software are based. These basic principles are vital as they are the foundation of creating a powerful application or program that will help make eLearning more accessible and also more efficient.

Interactivity

In physical classrooms, students can ask questions, gain practical experience using various labs or exercises, and also receive instant feedback from peers or teachers. The most effective eLearning software should try to provide an equal amount of engagement for students. If there is no interaction, students may become disengaged, become bored with the material of the course and could have trouble understanding core concepts.

Learner-centered

Engagement

The challenge of keeping students interested over the long term is a huge struggle that teachers confront. To overcome this problem studies have shown that students would like teachers to employ a range methods of teaching as a way to help retain their interest during class. The use of e-learning tools can help increase engagement by developing new strategies to sustain student interest, improve the retention of lessons, encourage the students to think outside of the box, and enhance students' performances in the classroom.

Accessibility

Students should be able to access and understand the material in the course to ensure that they learn effectively. eLearning software needs to adaptable to accommodate the different requirements of learning. It's also a lot of accessibility regulations relevant to online learning which are beneficial for users and facilitators to know about.

The most commonly used kinds of eLearning tools

eLearning is a vast term that covers all kinds electronic device or technology that aids students in their studies more effectively. There are a lot of options available, but we'll concentrate on two key categories to be aware of:

Learning management systems (LMS)

Examples of LMS tools:

Virtual engagement tools

The tools for virtual engagement are excellent for allowing students to interact with each other and their classes. There are a variety of ways to do this, for example organizing group projects, conducting surveys, conducting class pop-quizzes and collecting feedback, as well as enabling video collaboration and gaming accomplishment of assignments.

 Tools to engage users in virtual worlds:

Software for tracking the student's progress

While certain LMS platforms allow you to monitor the progress of your students, you might need to select a system that allows you to monitor progress separately when you aren't planning to use eLearning software in most of your lessons. The ability to monitor grades and progress digitally also allows you to easily share performance data with parents or instructors.

Progression tracking example software for tracking the progress of eLearning

Three common challenges and how to conquer these challenges when using the digital learning tools

HTML1Challenge 1: Accessing online learning in areas with little to any Internet connection

The digital gap is one of the issues that are common due to the widespread integration of eLearning tools at size. The most common scenario is for areas in the poorer and less developed countries to not have access to the Internet and this creates a challenge for students from these areas to participate or access online learning courses.

Solution: Teachers in these areas can employ an array of both traditional and online learning methods. The eLearning methods used are not as dependent on Internet connectivity but must focus on the fundamental basis of eLearning, which is learner-centeredness in addition to making the process easier for learners to participate and connect to.

An excellent example of a tool for online learning that is suitable for those areas that have restricted Internet access is the electronic reader. It allows students to access a large selection of books from one device, keep track of what they read, modify the display for easy usage, and view difficult concepts in the integrated dictionary.

Challenge 2: Onboarding students to the online learning tools

It's not easy to master the art of reading, write, document online, or even to communicate. It is particularly challenging for young groups or those who do not have much technological skills.

Solution: Make sure that the eLearning application you're using for any learning materials which you could share with your class. It is best to design your materials in a manner that is easy for learners to comprehend, for instance printing hard copies of an instruction sheet.

Additionally, be sure you have an easy-to-follow training plan that will guide your students to use the tools for learning. It is important to highlight the benefits of the benefits eLearning tools offer your pupils, so as to help them be aware of the benefits to take on the latest technology. In this manner, make sure that you're available and prepared to respond to any queries that your learners may have concerning the application you pick and to be patient as they will take some time to adapt to the new technology.

Challenge 3: Aligning the eLearning tools with the rest of your tech stack

The most frequently overlooked aspect that comes with using eLearning programs is the fact that they'll have to work with any other program or device which you're using.

Solution: Talk to the seller you're buying from to ensure technical compatibility before committing to the purchase. Check frequently through the website of the vendor, or through a sales rep.

If you're a tech expert and have the ability to create custom software, it's possible to create your custom integration. Talk to your provider about APIs available and open source components to the platform. This will enable the user to get their technology stack aligned.

How to use eLearning in schools

eLearning is mostly regarded as a tool used in schools. It has unique use cases specifically for middle school, high school, as well as university students. You can choose to use more or less eLearning supplements, depending on the nature of the course as well as the amount of interaction the content requires.

Connecting with guardians and parents

At the elementary school level, parents and guardians are active in their children's learning. Software for E-Learning can create reports on a regular basis, which makes it easier for teachers to come up with the content by themselves. A few tools are also able to collect comments and feedback from parents which will help further facilitate the child's development.

When school boards and academic advisors have to review the performance of a student over time, they could also leverage eLearning tools to make a historical record. The report will include the topics that a student has learned and their performance, along with any issues or difficulties the student shown. This report is far more reliable than relying on notes or memories composed in handwriting which might not provide the complete context of the particular situation.

The capability to access assignments is improved

In any educational level Teachers should ensure that their material is accessible to all kinds of students with different learning abilities. Some eLearning platforms have customizable options for students that let them slow down audio and review repeatedly as well as alter the font size and colour, and even conduct speech-to-text. A few tools are equipped to automatically translate and define or spell out content which can assist students who may not be able to immediately contact the instructor to seek this kind of help.

If you're a teacher in a classroom then you're likely to be in charge of overseeing the growth of more than 20 students at the same time. If you're a professor in universities, classes can even be as high as 300 students concurrently! It is hard to monitor each student's progress and be aware of the exact educational requirements of each student. In the meantime you might not be able to get the full view of how the group is doing during the duration of the course.

In looking at the overall reports of your class in your eLearning tool, you should be certain to examine the trends and outliers. These trends can help you identify which subjects students complete most quickly or at the lowest level, which lets you know which topics are interesting or difficult. Outliers will assist you in identifying students that excel or struggle in understanding the concepts of their course. It is also possible of pairing your academic stars as mentors with students in need of extra assistance!

Providing additional educational assistance

In light of the information gathered from eLearning tools as a perspective of a teacher, you'll be able identify those students that require additional assistance. You can then provide these students with an educational assistant or share additional support resources to them directly through the tool. This can be a wonderful way to make sure your students get the assistance they need, but without needing to draw attention to it in front of their classmates. This is also beneficial for distance learning courses when you are unable to provide assistance to your student personally.

What can eLearning do to help corporate employees learn?

Lower costs associated with the training program

The programs for training required to ensure the compliance process and for onboarding has always been run by instructors. Costs of hiring an instructor to teach employees covers travel costs as well as the cost of the rooms as well as hiring an instructor and. If your course is in preparation for certification, you may also require cost for certification along with necessary books and other tools.

With the help of eLearning platforms, price of running training programs decreases significantly. Even if you opt to have an instructor in charge of the class it is no longer necessary to plan travel arrangements or physical classrooms. Instead, the course content can be presented using the video conference tool. You can also record and then replay the class in a different way!

Enhancing product knowledge

The LMS tool is a well-known form of e-Learning technology because they allow companies to build product knowledge databases. Teams within the company are able to produce videos that explain brand new features, products or policies as well as any other instruction. As new employees come in and start their careers, they'll be able utilize this resource of knowledge to develop product knowledge. In the same way, it's great for existing employees or client who requires refreshers on the products! It's simple and quick to refresh the LMS with more videos or content every whenever a new feature, or product is launched. The centralization of information that provides product information also decreases the chance of spreading misinformation across the entire company.

Making sales programs more effective

Sales representatives play a crucial task that requires them know every feature of a new product and explain it to the customer in order to demonstrate how it's capable of meeting the requirements of the client. On a larger scale, it could be a challenge and time-consuming creating information that is unique to every lead.

E-learning software can be beneficial in helping to make sales efforts more successful by the creation, hosting and distribution of information. Sales managers then need to pick the appropriate products as well as information sheets they'd like to disseminate and send it to the future customers. It's then easy to track the progression to see what information the lead has consumed. Sales managers can be notified when the information has been deleted or not completed that triggers them to reach out to the lead directly to get assistance.

New hires are on the way to programs for onboarding

If you're part a rapidly growing team, it's likely you're not in a position to educate all new employees who are taking on. The E-Learning platform can be a go-to destination for newly hired employees to learn about the company policies, product, processes, and the goals. Human resource managers are able to log on to the software to track the progress of training on the necessary programs. Also, this ensures that every new employee is given identical information to help them begin their training, so that there is no chance of being left ignorant or misinformed within their first few days!

Ensuring compliance regulations are met

Most compliance rules contain the requirement for education or training. As an example employees may be required to refresh their CPR or security skills at least every few years. Programs for training that are developed and monitored in a centralized online platform allow team leaders as well as compliance auditers to show when training was last done. eLearning platforms can pinpoint precisely what employees completed certain training portions and what they did at a specific point in the course of. Plus, you'll be informed whenever the compliance training needs to be extended!

Accessibility improvements at the work site

Similar to eLearning used in the school system, you can also leverage the technology to increase access to information in your workplace! For team members, for instance people who need more time to study details can do so via an eLearning platform. This will increase participation, motivation and alignment to project goals.

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