W 01: Advantages and disadvantages of e-learning

Flexibility

Online learning accommodates your preferences and needs - it's student-centered Choose instructor-led or self-study courses Skip over material you already know and focus on topics you'd like to learn Use the tools best suited to your learning styles

conclusion

Online learning is a still a relatively young industry, promising a rich future of breakthroughs. New models of teaching are already emerging that have the potential to take online learning to even greater accomplishments.

Lower environmental impact

Online learning is an effective way for organizations to reduce their carbon footprint. The main savings were due to a reduction in the amount of student travel, economies of scale in the use of the campus site, and the elimination of much of the energy consumption of students' housing. In other words, studying from home and using a home computer was far more energy efficient. E-learning can also save trees by saving paper. Many e-learning courses are entirely self-contained, presenting all learning content online, or providing alternatives to paper-based forms of communication through such tools as email, PDF manuals, synchronous classrooms, and other web-based tools.

Higher Retention

Online learning will draw you to topics you like and enjoy. Studies show that because of this and the variety of delivery methods used to reach different types of learners, retention is frequently better than in a traditional classroom.

training anywhere, anytime

Online learning, or e-learning, offers a number of advantages for people and companies looking to develop a new content program or curricula — none bigger than the ability to offer that training anywhere, anytime. That means whether your trainees are all together in a classroom or scattered all over the country in different time zones, they can still tap into the same course materials, and at a time that's convenient to them.

save time

Small wonder, then, why online and e-learning has caught on with schools and universities, retail chains, top corporations, and among professional trainers. Teachers can optimize the timeliness and focus of the curriculum, students can better fit learning time into their schedules, and companies end up spending less on training their workforce.

Disadvantage 5 - Computer Competency

Some employees might not be too comfortable using computers, especially if their jobs don't require them to. Therefore even if the software is user friendly, the very idea of using the software can be daunting and demotivating for some. Therefore these employees are likely to learn a lot less than they would from a physical course.

Global Opportunities

The global learning community is at your fingertips with online learning. The technologies used give online instructional designers the ability to build in tools that take you to resources you may never see in a traditional classroom.

High Learning Retention

Blended learning approaches result in a higher knowledge retention rate. It also helps that coursework can be refreshed and updated whenever needed

Reduction of the Carbon Footprint

By leveraging elearning for online testing and quizzing, the need for printing out paper-based assessments is reduced, in fact it's practically eliminated altogether!

Cost and Selection

Choose from a wide range of courses to meet your needs Degree, Vocational, and Certificate programs Continuing Education Individual courses Wide range of prices to fit your budget Go back to school to get a degree, learn a new skill, learn a new craft, or just have fun! From art to zoology you can do it all online in a price range to fit your budget.

The Most Up-to-Date Content at Much Lower Cost

The sticker shock associated with the textbook market is not news to anyone who has enrolled in even a single college course. And yet, despite the cost, our knowledge of most subjects continues to grow and evolve, making $200 textbooks unreliable with a few years, and eventually of no use at all. The remote delivery of curriculum allows instructors to keep materials up-to-date, and the lower costs over time remove what for some are insurmountable obstacles to furthering their education.

Lower costs

There appears to be little argument that e-learning can be more cost effective to deliver than classroom based training, especially for larger organizations. In addition to lower delivery costs there is a strong argument that e-learning is more cost-effective because there is a reduction in training time known as learning compression. This is because the single largest cost of training in organisations is the cost of staff attending the training course, rather than the direct delivery costs in terms of trainers, course materials, travel and accommodation.

Benefits of e-Learning

There are many significant advantages for the student who learns online. Here are just a few to consider:

easily managed

It can be easily managed for large groups of students -- Trainersoft Manager allows corporate training directors, HR managers and others to keep track of the course offerings, schedule or assign training for employees and track their progress and results. Managers can review a student's scores and identify any areas that need additional training

update easily

It can be updated easily and quickly -- Online e-learning sessions are especially easy to keep up-to-date because the updated materials are simply uploaded to a server. CD-ROM-based programs may be slightly more expensive to update and distribute, but still come out cheaper than reprinting manuals and retraining instructors.

increased retention

It can lead to increased retention and a stronger grasp on the subject -- This is because of the many elements that are combined in e-learning to reinforce the message, such as video, audio, quizzes, interaction, etc. There is also the ability to revisit or replay sections of the training that might not have been clear the first time around. Try that in a crowded auditorium!

any location and any time

It can work from any location and any time - -E-learners can go through training sessions from anywhere, usually at anytime. This Just-In-Time (JIT) benefit can make learning possible for people who never would have been able to work it into their schedules prior to the development of e-learning. (If you manage a corporate learning program, however, be careful about requesting that workers learn on their own time from home.)

consistent message

It provides a consistent message -- E-learning eliminates the problems associated with different instructors teaching slightly different material on the same subject. For company-based training, this is often critical.

the cost savings

It's less expensive to produce -- Using Trainersoft's authoring software to produce your own asynchronous training programs, e-training is virtually free once you reach the break-even point. Synchronous programs will have continued costs associated with the instructor managing the class, but will still be lower than traditional courses.

Disadvantages 1 - Lack of Control

Learners with low motivation tend to fall behind when using eLearning as there are no set times to be doing it and they are responsible for the organisation themselves. A lack of routine or fixed schedule can mean eLearning becomes complicated with various deadlines often given to different people at different stages of their learning.

Capacity and Consistency

Using elearning allows educators to achieve a great degree of coverage for their target audience, and it ensures that the message is communicated in a consistent fashion. This results in all learners receiving the same training

Flexible

Using elearning, you can give employees and students the freedom to learn at their own convenience, and at a pace that is right for them. Staff can be trained in remote locations and in a consistent fashion as anyone receiving on-site training

scalable

Elearning enables us to quickly create and communicate new policies, training, ideas, and concepts. Be it for entertainment or formal education, elearning is nimble!

Disadvantage 4 - Technology Issues

With heavy reliance on computers that eLearning brings, comes the potential risks that comes with it. Firstly, you need to ensure that all learners have a device that is able to support the training modules. Some eLearning tools require software such as Flash that devices like iPads don't support. So all requirements need to be set out at the beginning. Poor internet connection and unavoidable general random faults also can interrupt learning and so need to be planned around. This is especially true if it is a global roll out as Internet connections and power reliability changes dramatically between countries.

A Better Fit for 21st-Century Businesses

As companies become more globally focused, co-workers are more likely to work in different places, if not on different continents. Online learning can help prepare employees to excel in today's scattered, virtual office. For those already working up the career ladder, online learning makes use of resources and technologies already at their fingertips

Advantage 2 - Mobile

As eLearning can be done on laptops, tablets and phones - it is a very mobile method. Learning can be done on the train, on a plane or any other time that could normally be wasted. Whilst you used to be confined to the classroom, the whole world can now be your classroom.

Reducing the time

E-learning can deliver benefits by reducing the time it takes to train people because: Learners can go at their own pace, not at the pace of the slowest member of a group. Time in classrooms can be spent on questions / topics introduced by other delegates that are irrelevant to the needs of the individual learner There is less social interaction time It takes less time to start and wind up a learning session There is less travel time to and from a training event

Simple, Flexible Logistics

After location, time is the greatest limitation on learning. That goes for both the instructors and the students, each of whom has to be both available and in alignment with the other for face-to-face instruction. By removing that requirement, everyone involved can participate at a time, and for a duration, that suits his or her schedules.

Faster delivery

At a time when change is faster than ever a key advantage of e-learning is that it has faster delivery cycle times than traditional classroom-based instruction. There is a practical limitation on how fast learning can be rolled out with classroom-based instruction, as the capacity to deliver learning is limited by the number of available classrooms and trainers.

the flexibilty

E-learning has definite benefits over traditional classroom training. While the most obvious are the flexibility and the cost savings from not having to travel or spend excess time away from work, there are also others that might not be so obvious.

Disadvantages 2 - Learning Approach

It doesn't appeal to all learning styles so some learners will not enjoy the experience - especially strong activists and pragmatists. It is still a challenge to make eLearning appeal fully to these groups as different people learn better or worse using different styles. Some may prefer images, some prefer just reading words and some prefer to talk about or actually do a task in order to learn.

move faster

It moves faster -- According to an article by Jennifer Salopek in "Training and Development Magazine," e-learning courses progress up to 50 percent faster than traditional courses. This is partly because the individualized approach allows learners to skip material they already know and understand and move onto the issues they need training on.

self-paced

It's self-paced -- Most e-learning programs can be taken when needed. The "books" that you set up using Trainersoft create a module-based design allowing the learner to go through smaller chunks of training that can be used and absorbed for a while before moving on.

More effective learning

Learners learn what they need to learn, they can skip elements of a program they don't need.

Convenience and Portability

Courses are accessible on your schedule Online learning does not require physical attendance Learning is self-paced (not too slow, not too fast) You're unbound by time - courses are available 24/7 You're unbound by place - study at home, work, or on the road Read materials online or download them for reading later

Time and Money Savings

This one is pretty well known, and a staple of any well-done elearning program. Elearning reduces time away from the workplace, eliminates the need for travel, and removes the need for classroom-based training.

e-learning

online learning computer-based learning

self-paced

(aj) (of an educational system, course, etc.) done or designed to be accomplished at the student's own speed: self-paced instruction. E.g: These are self-paced courses designed for people who have emergency management responsibilities and the general public.

Features of E-Learning

- Learning is self-paced and gives students a chance to speed up or slow down as necessary - Learning is self-directed, allowing students to choose content and tools appropriate to their differing interests, needs, and skill levels - Accommodates multiple learning styles using a variety of delivery methods geared to different learners; more effective for certain learners - Designed around the learner - Geographical barriers are eliminated, opening up broader education options - 24/7 accessibility makes scheduling easy and allows a greater number of people to attend classes - On-demand access means learning can happen precisely when needed - Travel time and associated costs (parking, fuel, vehicle maintenance) are reduced or eliminated - Overall student costs are frequently less (tuition, residence, food, child care) - Potentially lower costs for companies needing training, and for the providers - Fosters greater student interaction and collaboration - Fosters greater student/instructor contact - Enhances computer and Internet skills - Draws upon hundreds of years of established pedagogical principles - Has the attention of every major university in the world, most with their own online degrees, certificates, and individual courses

Disadvantage 3 - Isolated

A lot of questions are a lot easily answered when face to face with someone when you can guarantee an instant answer. eLearning often doesn't allow that with trainers often having to answer numerous questions all of the time and only doing it within working hours - where a lot of learners may prefer to do their learning out of working hours. This feeling of isolation can often demotivate individuals as they feel they don't have the support and reassurance that the physical presence of a trainer provides.

Immediate Results and Feedback

Anyone who has graded papers knows it can get tedious, and it's time-consuming. Many of the most popular standardized tests, in fact, still rely on evaluation techniques that slow results. Most online learning technologies integrate online quizzes and other tools to more rapidly evaluate the pace of learning.

Advantage 3 - No travel

As just mentioned, eLearning can be done wherever you have a device capable of doing so. Therefore again you can fit it in to your schedule, but also save money on the costs of travel. As mentioned before on the public scheduled blog, external courses can sometimes only be sourced in locations far away from your company so you then have to pay the costs of travel as well potentially accommodation. eLearning takes these costs away completely.

Advantage 4 - low cost

As you aren't using a trainer's time or any room or equipment, eLearning tends to be the much cheaper option. If you already have a device capable of carrying out the training on, then the savings can be considerable. Therefore if you and your company are on a budget, this can be the ideal option for you. Equally for companies that have thousands of employees then it can reduce the cost per head especially on areas such as Money Laundering, Compliance and Microsoft Office training.

Activity and ROI Measurements

If you are using a learning management system to deliver your elearning, then tracking learner progress is a piece-of-cake, and reporting on this activity is just as simple.

Greater Access to Expertise

In any country, there are only a handful of cities that can claim among their residents the experts in every field of study. Take away the limitations of geography, and expertise is free to travel almost anywhere. This transformation allows information on highly specialized subjects to reach more people, paving the way for advances in fields from telemedicine to non-profit charities.

Better Retention

With clever design, user experience, and multimedia, online instruction can prove to be a richer and more effective learning experience than traditional methods and channels

Advantage 6 - global

With very few restrictions companies can be confident that their staff can receive the same content regardless of their location, and in many cases, their nationality. Therefore if you wish to provide the same training or have your staff understand and use common methodology, eLearning is a useful way of ensuring this happens with ease and reduced cost.

Advantage 1 - more flexible

eLearning can be done in short chunks of time that can fit around your daily schedule. Unlike public scheduled and in-house training, you don't have to dedicate an entire day to the training that has been organised by your company. Instead, you will have a set amount of learning, normally divided into modules, with a deadline in which to do them in. This way, if you want to do all of the learning in one day as you work better this way, you can. However if your schedule doesn't allow you an entire day off your everyday tasks - then you can easily spend an hour or 2 here and there at times that suit you.

Advantage 4 - tailor it to you

eLearning courses aren't confined to be fixed to try and suit the needs of the majority. If you feel you already know a particular area well and don't need to spend an hour on it again, then you can skim over it and concentrate that time on something you feel you need to work more at. Everyone is able to learn at their own pace - a massive factor that only eLearning can provide for.

Advantage 5 - Technological Possibilities

eLearning is fast becoming a more and more popular method and with it, so has the investment into how to improve it further. The computer based nature of training means new technology is being introduced all the time to help with the learning. Different apps are helping to further reinforce the learning whilst forums can be used to greatly increase the amount of interaction and engagement between learners. This is only going to improve as time goes on as well.