eLearning In Developing Countries: Why Should We Consider Such A Solution?
The idea of using eLearning platforms in developing countries might sound a little weird. After all, those countries have much bigger problems, like the lack of infrastructure or the poor education system. Well, it turns out that eLearning can actually make a difference and help these countries develop at a more rapid pace.
Right now, there is a question on everyone’s mind: How can such a modern concept as eLearning can be introduced in a developing nation and really affect it in a positive way? In this article, we’ll discuss all the ways that eLearning is able to impact developing countries and establish whether this impact is for the best or not.
The Education System
The first thing that might come to one’s mind when talking about eLearning, is the education system. It is already a well-known fact that most developing countries are struggling in this area of their society, so that’s when eLearning makes its appearance.
First and foremost, the biggest difference that a learning program conducted via electronic media makes, is associated with the costs of education. The usual costs for traditional education that implies building classrooms and providing study materials, could get quite expensive. The initiative with eLearning is to give people the right to education and to reduce these costs to the point that they become affordable for a developing nation.
But unfortunately, things don’t always work out as we would like them to. At least, not for the moment. Some developing countries would not be able to adapt to eLearning education, as they lack high-speed internet access, trained IT personnel, or even stable access to electrical power.
Another obstacle that a developing nation could encounter in the process of improving its education system is the initial cost of eLearning deployment. As we mentioned earlier, it is indeed much cheaper to adopt eLearning in a society than it would be to build a traditional school. But for some countries, the costs can still be quite substantial.
The Movement Has Begun
On the bright side, the process of using eLearning in developing countries has already begun a while ago. According to a market research, the leader when it comes to eLearning growth in Africa.
A lot of African states are investing heavily in the internet infrastructure, that will help tremendously the adaptation to better eLearning systems. The great news is that some other developing countries from other parts of the world, like Asia and Latin America, have also started to consider online learning as the perfect way to give more people the right to education, while reducing the costs of implementing it.
With the current numbers, we’re expecting great things from the developing world when it comes to the education system. But that’s not the only area where the concept could become effective.
Helping The Workforce
The education field is not the only one that has been and will be impacted in the future by the eLearning concept. The implementation of eLearning in the last 20 years has risen exponentially and the companies in developing countries are definitely taking advantage of the technology.
These companies are gradually starting to use more and more tools in order to upgrade the skills of their workforce and to be able to contribute to the global economy. Speaking of, in today’s global economy, in order to attract business, developing countries must provide very skilled workforce. Luckily, this is where eLearning becomes helpful, as we discussed earlier what a great impact it has on these developing nations, especially the ones from Africa.
So how exactly does eLearning help a company’s workforce in a developing country? Here are just a few pros of adopting online learning in such a business environment:
- It is cost effective.
We have already established the fact that traditional class learning is way more expensive than online learning. This aspect is maybe the main reason why a company from a developing nation would adapt to this modern training method. - It improves performance and productivity.
One of the greatest benefits that the eLearning concept bring is the fact that it allows training employees to quickly develop new skills and learn all the necessary information about their new workplace. The online learning platforms can really save time in the process of training new people, something that is a key factor when it comes to performance and productivity. - It provides easy access to information.
In a traditional learning environment, you would have to go search for old sloppy handwritten notes whenever you wanted to remember something that you have learned in the past. With eLearning, you are able to access the necessary information whenever you want just with a few clicks. These platforms really help the people in a company to develop new skills that they can use to grow in their careers. - It improves the training experience.
It can get quite difficult for a new employee to learn all the ways of a new company and get accustomed to the software. eLearning is definitely helpful in that area, where employees can use it to develop different skills, like how to use IT asset management software. - It improves retention.
As we keep evolving and our societies are getting bigger and smarter, the amount of information that we have to learn is growing too. Utilizing eLearning in order to help employees retain more of the information that they learn is a very effective method, as it implies the use of creative videos, slideshows, and even fun games.
We keep evolving every day and everything is changing around us. And that’s mostly due to technology, which requires us to adapt and to learn new skills. And even more than that, in this digital era that we live in, we have to learn how to do things at a rapid pace.
For developing countries that are trying to contribute to the global economy, eLearning represents the perfect opportunity to give everyone a chance to learn and to adapt. There might be some obstacles that these developing nations are not yet ready to overcome, but progress is being made at the moment.
