Choosing An eLearning Solution: eLearning in Numbers
The eLearning industry is rapidly expanding at an enormous rate and it doesn't show any signs of stopping, or even slowing down. For example, in 2011, it was estimated that approximately $35.6 billion was spent on self-paced eLearning across the globe. In 2014, those numbers were brought up to $56.2 billion. And 2015 –the best year so far– estimated at $107 billion. Those are some great numbers which can mean only one thing – the market is hungry for eLearning solutions of all shapes and sizes.
What To consider When Choosing An eLearning Solution
However, I fear that the very same hunger may lead to an amassing number of solutions that will drop in quality (if it follows the modern pattern); when something is very popular and lucrative, it gets copied heavily. Perhaps even now, in this industry, it is more important to choose the proper solution which will be adopted by teachers/instructors and students/employees. I will name several factors that, in my humble opinion, may help you decide when choosing an eLearning solution.
- User-friendliness.
In my opinion this should be the number one priority. What good is an expensive solution with luxurious features if the users are having troubles with usability and cannot find the most important things? A good application will be intuitive, the users won't have to think (too much!) about its essential functionalities. - Readiness to adapt accordingly to new challenges and modern demands.
It can be very hard to switch between different systems, without even mentioning the costs! Can you even imagine implementing software dated in 2009 or earlier? It is a clear choice once you have a look at the new players in the field. While some companies will take the easy way and copy the solutions provided by other major players, those striving to get their share will invent new, modern features and set the bar ever higher, fighting for their place in the market. - Cost.
It is very important to make a chart and compare the invested funds to the quality received. This is where companies that have flexible pricing options have the upper hand. If they possess the aforementioned two factors and this one, they can practically adapt to institutions and businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Innovations
An extra thing to remember when choosing an eLearning solution is its readiness to produce, develop, and implement new features: The readiness to adapt to an ever-growing and hungry industry, since it will provide services for years to come.
Imagine if we had a software solution that can actually adapt to those that learn and provide them with content that is tailored according to their performance. It could take the pain away when creating personalized testing and learning experience – the tool does it for you. For example, imagine if the advanced students get six possible answers provided for a question, while those under-performing would get three or four, depending on their success.
Nowadays, the eLearning solutions have made it possible to import Java Archive (.jar) files into software. This type of files represents small Java-based programs, especially designed to create store data libraries. The idea behind this module was to implement coding into other subjects as well. This opens up a completely new chapter – chosen groups of students could design the assignments, another could code them, and a whole new group that will actually receive the assignments.
A professor would only be required to pick an assignment type such as “Cylinder Volume”, click “Send” and each student would get a different set of parameters (for cylinder height, diameter length...) and different answers accordingly. Now let’s involve the aforementioned tailored content into the equation. Not only that the students would receive different sets of parameters, they could also receive a different amount of parameters, according to their performance in that subject, more precisely in this example – math.
Decision-Making
This is, however, only the tip of the iceberg. Choosing an eLearning solution requires careful elaboration and a great deal of consulting – these three tips can guide you on the right course, but there are many more details along the way. This is where the companies that provide demos before actual purchasing might prove crucial – you can take the solution for a “test drive” and use it as an experimental environment to see how it fits.
One such software offers all of the things mentioned in this article: Check out YouTestMe - Classroom 2020 for more information.
