E-learning Supports the Learner’s Development
- Real-time access. Live learning events require that those who participate align their schedules to the training calendar. E-learning eliminates this because the course can be accessed anytime, anywhere. This can also happen without Internet access. I saw a Red Cross demo where the learners accessed the content on a PC out in the field and uploaded their results when they were back online.
- Freedom to fail. Let’s face it, real learning requires some failure. But no one likes to fail in a classroom full of other people. E-learning lets you fail without fear. This encourages exploration and testing of ideas. With the right feedback you create a great learning environment. Worst case, you can always start over. Something you can’t always do in class.
- Improved retention. The combination of multimedia and instructional design can produce a very rich learning experience that is repeatable. Throw in some good practice activities with feedback and you have a learning environment that’s going to help your learners retain the course content which will produce results.
- Personalized
learning.
Look out the window at your parking lot. My guess is that you’ll
see a dozen or more different cars. They all do the same thing, yet
we have personal opinions about what we want to drive. The same for
learning. Learners want control. E-learning allows you to offer
control to the learners in a way that classroom learning doesn’t.
