The benefits of e-learning

E-learning content can include:

• Text
• Images
• Animation
• Audio
• Video

Ways of delivering e-learning content include:

• Internet
• Intranet
• CD
• DVD
• USB

Ways of accessing e-learning content include:

• Personal computer
• Tablet computer
• Mobile phone or device
• Television
• DVD player
• CD player

E-learning is now an integral method for delivering knowledge to learner. The advantages of delivering exciting, interactive content to engage learners in an immersive learning process both in and out of the classroom are widely recognised and supported by educational professionals around the globe.

Online e-learning is the most effective way of delivering training to a dispersed workforce at a fraction of the cost of conventional training methods. We provide complete e-learning solutions to meet all your training needs including e-learning training courses and a powerful Learner Management System (LMS).

So, what are the benefits of e-learning?

For organisations operating in a variety of sectors, an e-learning solution will overcome the challenges and obstacles faced by anyone who needs to provide and manage a training programme to a large dispersed work force. The benefits gained by deploying an e-learning solution include:

• Lower costs
• Faster delivery
• More effective learning
• Lower environmental impact
• e-learning provides a single source of learning materials ensuring that the content delivered is identical for all learners and is of the highest possible quality
• online e-learning courses are quick and easy to update across the board without needing to spend time and money organising and distributing paper, CD or DVD based content and materials
• e-learning is reliable, dependable and accessible around the clock via an internet connection
• E-learning is easy to manage and control online via Learner Management System (LMS).

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
• Learners learn what they need to learn, they can skip elements of a program they don’t need

British Telecom delivered e-business training to 23,000 employees in three months, at a cost of £5.9m, compared to £17.8 million and a five-year time span for classroom training (Taylor, 2002).

Other formats can be deployed according to your particular circumstances.

This flexibility means that e-learning is increasingly seen as one of the most powerful tools in any training strategy – especially where a large dispersed workforce is involved. A good e-learning training course is easy to use, is stimulating and engaging and has an element of fun. It changes thinking and behaviour, provides better qualified staff and makes a significant difference in helping to promote good practice.

Why you should choose e-learning

People learn and absorb information in different ways and at different speeds: our e-learning courses provide a flexible and versatile learning system that enables organisations and learners alike to tailor their training to fit with their own specific circumstances. Furthermore, when e-learning is coupled with instructor-led training, it can bring additional dimensions and enhance the learning process overall. More and more learners and organisations are choosing to learn online using e-learning technology.

Here are just some of the reasons why you should choose e-learning or blended learning as an option:

Save money – e-learning training courses are extremely cost-efficient

• With classroom / instructor costs continuing to increase, plus travel / refreshment / staff cover all required, e-learning makes obvious sense at a fraction of the cost.

Flexibility – learning can be done at a time, place and pace that suits you

• Downtime at work, organised ‘learning periods’, working at home – there are many possibilities – your courses are available 24 / 7. Learners are not pressured to ‘keep up’ or conversely feel that they are waiting for the ‘stragglers’: they can dictate the pace. And they can do the e-learning course all over again if they wish – at no extra cost! Read more about this below.

Evidence – downloadable certificates provide evidence of learning and assessment success

• Certificates can be downloaded to verify both course completion and passing the assessment.

Up-to-date – training course materials are detailed, accurate and relevant

• eLearning training courses are always up-to-date: as legislation changes so do the relevant references within the training course. You need take no action as the amendments are applied automatically.

Learner tracking

• Employers can track learning (learner progress, log in / out times, assessment results etc) and run reports on all aspects of training. Learner feedback is also available.

Versatility – our e-learning training courses can be delivered in a variety of ways to cater for different learning situations – for example:

• classroom style, e.g. with projection screen
• individual learner at their desk
• individual learner at home (particularly suitable for those working in the field or otherwise away from base)
• workshop / small group working (great for more intense discussion of the issues)
• Even on the bus to work, using our new mobile learning (m-learning) course technology.

But is e-learning effective?

A nine-year survey of the research literature in training published by Fletcher and Tobias in ‘Training and Retraining’, commissioned by the American Psychological Society, and published in 2000, concluded that:

‘Learners learn more using computer-based instruction than they do with conventional ways of teaching, as measured by higher post-treatment test scores.’

Specific studies from Fletcher (1999), Kulik (1994), Willett, Yamashita & Anderson (1983) all confirm that learners learn more using computer-based instruction than they do through traditional classroom methods.

Brandon Hall (2001) notes that the learning most suited to e-learning conversion includes information and knowledge, and processes and procedures. This report noted that learning gains have been found in:

• learners’ attitudes toward the e-learning format and training in general
• learners’ scores on tests, certifications or other evaluations
• the number of learners who achieve ‘mastery’ level and / or ‘pass’ exams
• learners’ ability to apply new knowledge or processes on the job
• long-term retention of information

Ref:

• Fletcher, J. D., & Tobias, S. (2000) (Eds.). Training and retraining; A handbook for business, industry, government, and the military. New York: Macmillan
• Kulik, J.A. (1994). Meta-analytic studies of findings on computer-based instruction. In E.L. Baker, and H.F. O’Neil, Jr. (Eds.). Technology assessment in education and training. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Hall, B. (2001). Building the Business Case for e-Learning, www.Brandon-Hall.com