Why Is Online Learning Better And More Effective?
72% of companies believe that online learning puts them at a competitive edge. Further, a study by IBM reported that those enrolled in eLearning courses learn 5 times more material compared to traditional courses. Today, the benefits of eLearning are recognized by many companies, universities, industry leaders, employees, and students. Online courses are a convenient, cheaper, and engaging way to learn compared to traditional courses. So yes, online learning is quite popular and it’s not difficult to see why. But is it really more effective than the traditional method? Let’s take a look at the top 5 reasons why online learning is better than face-to-face learning.
1. Demand For Digital Content
Online education is estimated to reach $325 billion by 2025. Thus, learning can’t remain confined to face-to-face methods. Many companies and their employees struggle to justify the time spent in traditional classroom training. Moreover, employees prefer digital content. Many employees are busy and overwhelmed. Despite this, they still want to learn. They want high-value content that is customized and relevant to their needs. And if they don’t find such content available, they will get impatient and start searching for answers on their mobiles. So, you have to make digital content so that your learning materials are available to your employees when they need it.
2. Less Time Commitment
A 2017 Brandon Hall Group report found that eLearning can decrease employee training by 40-60%. This is important since busy schedules and limited free time are among the reasons many don’t enroll in traditional courses. But with online learning, employees have total control over their learning. They can re-read the course modules and go through the available online resources, such as eBooks, audiobooks, online tutorials, external links, etc. This flexibility makes it possible for employees to learn at their own convenience and capacity.
3. Tracking Of Learning Patterns
Jane Hart’s Modern Workplace Learning 2019 survey says that 76% of employees learn from articles, videos, and other online resources. While you can easily track this with online learning, the same can’t be done with face-to-face training. The analytic tools in an LMS can provide you detailed reports about every learner’s performance and progress. You can track the interest levels of your employees. You can also check their engagement levels and consumption patterns. These include course delivery, progress, and completed tests. This can help you to create online courses and training programs as per the learning patterns of your employees. All this isn’t possible with face-to-face methods.
4. High Retention Rate
eLearning can boost knowledge retention by 25-60% according to the Research Institute of America. This is because online learning materials are visually stimulating, concise and more interactive. Plus, features like gamification, surveys, quizzes, and assessments present in a modern LMS make it even more interactive. Online courses increase your employee retention rates compared to traditional courses. As courses with multimedia content (images, videos, audios, links, etc.) are more engaging and are easily accessible on any device. They also give you more control over how you take in the material. So, your employees can work at their own pace which is faster than a traditional course.
5. Social Learning And Collaboration
Social and collaborative learning isn’t possible with traditional methods that only allow for face-to-face or telephonic interactions. Social learning accounts for 75% of the informal learning done in the workplace. Online learning enables participation in online discussion forums. You can conduct virtual classroom sessions, attach eBooks and other media. In the age of social media, this type of interactive platform will encourage your employees to like, share, and comment on course content. They can post their views, queries, and doubts. Thus, starting a discussion thread with trainers and other learners. This can help with developing engaging sessions and can extend learning beyond the formal course environment.
Final Word
So, we now know that online learning is far more effective than traditional learning. Though the latter has advantages, like group learning and face-to-face interactions, it’s now very outdated. Thus, online learning is the way to go as it has many benefits for both your company and your employees. Plus, it has made learning more efficient, personalized, and accessible to learners when they need it.
