What exactly is eLearning?
In the most simple definition, this is a type of learning that happens through electronic media – or more popularly, the Internet.
We are in the digital age. The Internet plays an integral role in just about everything in our society. Businesses that failed to have an adequate online presence are losing out. Family and friends who are not connected on social media networks are missing out on a lot of things.
The same is true for those who have not yet utilized elearning. Whether it is for educational purposes or a corporate training program, you are clearly at a disadvantage if you refuse to open your mind and implement this learning strategy.
Of course, we are not telling you to go and jump into the bandwagon blindly. Like anything that is new, you need to understand how this tool can help your specific requirements. No doubt about it, this can be very beneficial. But if you only implement it because of the hype around it, then you will fail to enjoy its full potential.
As much as we want you to fall in love with it immediately, there are 4 important facts that you need to know about elearning.
eLearning will never be the sole method of learning.
Let us get one thing straight. Online learning never meant to be the only way of learning. Neither does it strive to replace the other forms of learning. It is one way of learning that utilizes the best resource that we have right now – the Internet. While using this strategy to learn or to train those in the workforce, you should now forget the other traditional methods of learning. In fact, you need to learn how to fuse all the different forms of learning together to make your courses diverse and interesting.
eLearning is only a tool.
It is not the be all and end all of learning. Just like any other tool, it has its limitations. In order to maximize its potential, you need to know its strengths and weaknesses. This will help you determine how it can be implemented to suit the different goals and objectives that you want to reach.
eLearning goes beyond the course.
To make learning effective, you have to go beyond the course – always. Creating a great course is not enough. You need a follow through or a post-assessment to know if your goals and objectives are satisfied. Not only that, once a course is created, that does not mean that is the end. It needs to be constantly updated and improved. The digital age allows us to access information in ways that we have never done before. The vast information that is available to us is overwhelming. That allows us to develop new things at a faster pace. If you want to stay competitive, you need to keep up with all these developments. You have to know when learning strategies are still useful or when it is already obsolete.
eLearning can be abused.
Finally, you need to take caution because this type of learning can be abused. When we say abused, it means using it in ways that it was not really intended. You have to understand how it is meant to be used because you might end up relying on it too much only to be disappointed. Make sure you know when this learning strategy should be used and when to use something else.
Elearning, with all its benefits, has its limitations and unless you understand that, you might end up abusing it beyond its core capabilities. Learn how to combine it with other methods so you can create the most engaging learning experience.
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