What is e-learning?
E-learning is a form of distance learning that takes place over the internet. It is also known as e-learning. E-learning can include training, exams, fun quizzes, and certified training.
1. Cost reduction
The most glaring benefit of e-learning is that it’s good on the wallet. Half a day of traditional training is as effective as one hour of e-learning training E-learning increases productivity. In 2019, spending on training needs in the United States was billion! Of this amount, 29.6 billion corresponded to expenses related to transport, the rental of training rooms, internal development and the necessary equipment. E-learning reduces many of these costs, as it cuts down on the costs of hiring an instructor, booking rooms, printing materials, and travel expenses.
2. More flexibility and convenience
An average full-time employee cannot devote more than 1% of their time to learning
Employees often struggle to fit a continuing education program into their busy schedules. A survey of 204 employees [ 3 ] showed that 93 of them believed that lack of time was a main reason why they were unwilling or unable to complete a training course. 56 others indicated that it interfered with their work. An average full-time employee cannot devote more than 1% of their time to learning. That’s only 24 minutes a week! E-learning allows your employees to learn when their schedule allows. In addition, it takes much less time than traditional face-to-face learning.
3. Better knowledge retention
As online learning allows students to learn in their own way and in a self-regulated way , it helps in absorbing more information. If a person needs to spend more time on a particular point, they can study it as long and as many times as they want. So, as you can easily imagine, e-learning has a great impact on knowledge retention. A survey conducted by WR Hambrecht + Co showed that e-learning leads to a 25-60% higher retention rate!
4. Increased turnover
The American Society for Training and Development (2011) surveyed 2,500 companies and found that those that offered comprehensive training programs enjoyed 218% higher revenue per employee and higher margins. net 24% higher [ 4 ]. Other research has confirmed that people who learn online really put their newly acquired knowledge into practice. 87% of the 204 employees who responded to the survey indicated that they put their new skills and new knowledge into practice at work! This translates into tangible benefits, whether in increased sales, improved processes or improved customer satisfaction.
5. Ease of updating
Nowadays, everything related to information and knowledge is likely to change very quickly! When the training materials are printed, the only way to update them is to reprint everything, which can be extremely expensive (not to mention the trees won’t be happy 😉). Online training can be very easily updated, without costing a fortune. Plus, as soon as your content is updated, that update is immediately available to all your students!
6. Disadvantages of Online Learning
1. Requires self-discipline and good time management
41% of a sample of 204 employees indicated that lack of intrinsic motivation is a barrier to their desire to participate in online learning. Why is this the case? While we can all agree that self-discipline and time management apply to all types of learning, online learning is less guided than traditional learning . Generally, e-learning eliminates deadlines and scheduled meetings. Therefore, your employees need to be able to take the reins of their own continuing education.
7. Less social interaction
When you think of a traditional classroom setting, you probably also imagine lively group discussions and students raising their hands to ask questions of their instructor. It is clear that these situations do not happen naturally with online learning. For some people, face-to-face interactions are key to bringing the material to life. However, it is absolutely possible to bring touches of social interaction to online learning by setting up competitions, question-and-answer sessions with an instructor, or discussion forums.
8. Not suitable for all subjects
Which of these two topics would you rather learn online: getting a plane to take off or government guidelines on how to dispose of chemicals properly? Our choice, which we believe should also be yours, is undoubtedly the latter. It goes without saying that you absolutely wouldn’t want to board a plane piloted by someone who had never flown anywhere other than on a flight simulator. Complex subjects, operational techniques and all practical subjects that require a physical environment must be taught in person. However, repetitive topics taught in environments where staff tend to change regularly lend themselves naturally to online learning.
9. Lack of on-the-job learning
E-learning cannot replace knowledge acquired through on-the-job experience
Online learning is often very theoretical and lacks a practical component. Theoretical knowledge covers facts, theories and reasoning, while practical knowledge is based on the field and on real tasks. For example, e-learning is a great tool to learn all football theories (its history, rules, etc.). On the other hand, it is of no use for practice and does not teach how to play it. Only the field can learn that. It is therefore important to never forget that e-learning cannot replace knowledge acquired through experience in the field.
10. Technological dependency
The new generations of people entering the labor market have already fully embraced new technologies. This is one of the reasons that e-learning is becoming more and more popular. However, not all people have yet fully integrated technologies into their daily routine. A 2016 survey showed that 26% of adults were not comfortable using a computer. It is therefore important to start by knowing if your employees have the basic computer skills necessary to be able to take online training, and if they have the necessary equipment. Do your employees have access to internet-connected devices? Do they have working speakers so you can listen to the videos and audio tracks of your trainings? If just accessing online learning is a chore, a person’s motivation can only plummet.
Is e-learning right for your organization?
In the event that you are considering replacing your traditional teaching methods with online learning, we can only strongly recommend that you weigh the pros and cons that we have presented in this article, but also to carefully assess the complexity of the subjects you want to deal with and the level of motivation of your employees. If you are still wondering about the effectiveness of online learning compared to face-to-face learning, we advise you to read this article .
Easy LMS is one of the systems that will allow you to easily implement e-learning within your organization. With Easy LMS, you can create and manage effective training courses , give demanding exams and offer personalized certificates . All of these features come with a great analytics tool and automation options .
