Benefits Of eLearning For Learners
There are many benefits of eLearning and this article discusses a list of the benefits from a learner or student’s perspective. Online learning or eLearning is a paradigm shift from traditional classroom learning to an easier and effective technology-driven learning model.
The pandemic has proven both the growth and relevance of eLearning in recent times. Learners can enjoy access to relevant, self-paced, personalized, and mobile content at any time from the comfort of their homes.
What makes online learning or eLearning so appealing to learners today besides being available at the press of a button? Let’s find out:
1. Lectures Can Be Taken Any Number Of Times
One of the biggest benefits of eLearning is the accessibility to content at all times. As a learner, you can refer to learning material and review and reinforce learning at your own pace and time. Lectures or tutorials can be attended as needed, on-demand and with ease.
Furthermore, preparing for exams is not a daunting task anymore. As and when you feel the need to refer to the learning material, you can. You can also appear for practice and mock tests online and gauge your readiness/preparedness.
2. eLearning Is Cost-Effective
When compared to traditional forms of learning, eLearning stands out as highly cost-effective. This is primarily because expenses incurred on travel, study material, and accommodation (when the training happens in another city/state) can be curtailed. It is extremely cost beneficial to any organization/institution as well.
3. Makes A Positive Impact On The Learner
Online learning clearly has a positive impact on student scores. With scoreboards being made available to view for all participants, it inculcates a competitive spirit in them. It motivates them to work harder in a highly competitive environment.
4. Longer Knowledge Retention
Longer retention of information has also been observed with online learning.
5. Flexible Learning Environment
Taking time off to join a new course or acquiring a new skillset is often both demanding and impractical. Online classes lend credence to the concept and make it possible to study while working. One does not need to quit one’s job to enhance one’s skillsets anymore. You can continue to work while honing your skills.
6. Smooth Pursuit Of Knowledge While Keeping Everything Else Balanced
Wouldn’t we all wish to master the ability to juggle a job, social obligations, and studies without it being a lot of work? Well, eLearning makes this multi-tasking possible without taking its toll on health and efficiency. Online learning enables a smooth pursuit of knowledge and creates a comfortable learning environment while keeping everything else balanced, as the pace and time are yours to choose.
7. Learner Feels More Comfortable
As opposed to a conventional classroom, the learner finds themself a lot less anxious in expressing thoughts and views as some people find speaking in public fairly daunting. Since the learning platform is virtual, learners find themselves more at ease to express themselves and ask questions.
8. Easy Communication And Improved Teamwork
Scheduling timelines to match the convenience of group members can come in the way of effectively executing group projects and often ends up defeating the purpose of effective teamwork. Virtual communication literally stepped in as the perfect solution to this. Communication via emails and chat rooms to name a few has made teamwork both possible and effective.
9. Makes Learning Stress-free
A convenient pace, a comfortable space, and doing away with the commute sounds like the perfect way to learn, doesn’t it? Online learning does just that and makes learning stress-free. The need to go through all the material at once is also not necessary anymore. Most programs provide the learner the facility to pause the program at any time and resume from where they left.
10. Accessibility And Flexibility
Students also have the advantage of balancing other activities with their study time. This is possible primarily because of the accessibility and flexibility of online learning. This balance allows the learner to fulfill various other commitments outside of their academic pursuits.
11. Learner Feels More Engaged
Implementing spaced learning makes eLearning programs more engaging; games, stories, simulations, and collaborations are components of online learning keep the learner always invested in the program.
12. Pre-Tests For Exam Preparation
Pre-tests that are often conducted before the start of the program ensure that all learners going through the program have the same base knowledge required to understand the content.
13. No Miscommunication
Most of us will argue that the interaction with the instructor is not there in eLearning which is needed quite often. With discussion boards and chat rooms being available along with the study material, this lack of interaction is also taken care of. Participants can now raise questions whenever in doubt.
14. Assessments
Assessments in eLearning help judge the effectiveness of the program. Learners can take the test multiple times till they feel they have acquired the knowledge that they set out to gain. There is no frustration or embarrassment for the student who is not able to understand the concept well enough or is unable to keep up with the rest of the class.
15. Up-To-Date Learning Content
Since it's fairly easy to make changes to online material especially textual changes, online courses are always up to date and students are not provided with information that is not relevant to them anymore.
16. Easy Accessibility To Learning Content
When we think of online learning, we often feel that we need to be online or logged in at all times while we are going through the learning material. Though this is true in some cases, most organizations/institutions realize that it might not be possible always.
Under such circumstances, learners are provided with standalone versions of courses that they can go through offline. Generally, only the assessments are online so that the scores can be captured, and certificates of successful completion can be issued to the participants.
Organizations/institutions are also realizing that the attention span of today’s learners is fairly limited. This has led to eLearning companies designing short microlearning nuggets and videos that do not take much time to go through and are equally effective.
While a classroom learning model cannot be totally ruled out for dissemination instruction, online learning is definitely the way forward and both organizations/institutions and learners are realizing this.
