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What is what is eLearning?

Oct 12, 2023

You're likely to hear about someone who is courses online. And chances are you've perhaps even completed an online course or two yourself by now! Utilizing digital programs and devices is bound keep growing. There's endless benefits to using technology to help accelerate and improve learning goals.

There are many tools, but not all applications are created equal. This article we're going to break down the definition of eLearning and then look into some methods that are commonly used to apply it to school classrooms, or in corporate training programmes!

Skip ahead:

What is eLearning?

The term "eLearning" is used to refer to many different terms, including electronic education, learning via virtual and remote education. These all essentially are the same: that a student is accessing some aspect of their learning through a digital or electronic channel. But, there are distinct differences among the most important concepts of eLearning:

eLearning Term The definition of the term eLearning
eLearning The way in which the student is able to access an element of their education using an electronic or digital channel regardless of the distance between the school with the students.
Digital learning The same definition as eLearning. But, it was not the original term used before the popularity of eLearning increased.
Virtual learning Education that is provided for the students almost completely through digital channels.
Remote education Learning that is offered to a student from another location, which may leverage the use of physical or digital tools in order to aid learning. It is also referred to as distance learning.

Advantages of the e-learning

  • Accessibility: Anyone having an Internet connection is able to access and read the data provided by these tools. The tools also provide a variety of formats for interpreting the new information sources.
  • Cost-efficiency is generally a factor in determining whether the expense to install one or several E-Learning tools remains less expensive than the cost of hiring additional personnel. This is true especially in the case of digital learning software that helps in automatizing repetitive, administrative and time-consuming chores.
  • The ability to track progress that could be required to ensure compliance, organization reporting and student reports. It's fast to generate reports which are generated automatically through the program and, since they are already online it is easy to share them to colleagues or educational facilitators as well.

Other important eLearning terms to know

For help in understanding the broad field of eLearning it is helpful to refer to this simple chart with definitions for other frequently used words!

Word Definition
Instructor-led An approach to teaching where there is at least one person (the teacher) who is the instructor of the class. The instructor could be present teaching the class, or conversing with students online.
Self-sufficient An approach to teaching where students are required to track their own progression. Content for courses is available through a computer system. Students are required to use the system and work on assignments with no need to be instructed by the instructor.
Synchronous learning If students learn while teachers are instructing. This is the type of learning that takes place during class time.
Asynchronous learning The students are learning the material at a different time from what the teacher teaches. This is the type of learning that happens when students need to review the material prior to class, for example.

The recent rise of online learning

While it's been in use for quite a long period of time, it was not always as well-known in the same way it is today. Prior to the advent of eLearning, it was much more common to find remote learning methods and especially in rural locations. Communities who were not able to offer a greater variety of classes or offer developmental assistance to delayed students were able to rely on remote education programs to bridge the needs. Though, by 2012, 21.4% of higher education students had registered in at minimum one online course.

In 2020, there was a record increase in learning online because the pandemic had forced most students to take online courses rather than through in-person classes. Having access to tools like Zoom helped learners and educators to connect remotely so 60% of higher education students took online classes often. The market for investing in new tools then increased 6X when comparing 2017 to 2021 and is already projected to hit US$166.60bn by 2023.

Fundamental eLearning principles

There are several important principles on which the vast majority of digital learning tools rely on. These fundamentals are crucial since they constitute the core of building a great program or device that can help make eLearning much more accessible and useful.

Interactivity

In a physical classroom, students are able to ask questions, get practical experience using various labs or experiments, and get instant feedback from fellow students or instructors. Effective eLearning software must also strive to provide an element of interactivity to the learner. Without the interactivity, students are likely to be disengaged, lose interest in the course material or struggle to grasp core concepts.

Learner-centered

Engagement

In order to keep students engaged in the long-term is a major issue that teachers must confront. In order to overcome this issue research has shown that students would like teachers to employ a range of methods for teaching in order to keep their attention during classes. eLearning tools can help to increase engagement through finding new ways to maintain student interest, improve lesson retention as well as inspire creative thinking by assisting in any other way the students' performance within the classroom.

Accessibility

Students must be able to read and understand the material in a course so that they learn successfully. The software used in eLearning must be able to adapt to various learning requirements. There is a plethora of accessibility regulations relevant to online learning that are helpful for eLearning users and facilitators to keep in mind.

Common types of eLearning tools

eLearning is a broad and all-encompassing term for all kinds of digital tools or program that aids a student to learn more efficiently. Although there are many applications available today however, there are a few important categories you need to get to know:

Learning management systems (LMS)

  Examples of LMS tools:  

Virtual engagement tools

Virtual engagement tools are great for helping students interact with other students and the course content. There are many ways to accomplish this, including facilitating group projects, taking questions in class, taking polls and collecting feedback, creating visual collaboration, or gamifying the process of completing tasks.

  Examples of tools for virtual engagement:  

Student progress tracking software

Although certain LMS platforms let you keep track of student progress but you may want to choose an alternative platform that allows you to track progress separately if you don't want to utilize eLearning software in the bulk of your curriculum. The ability to keep track of scores and progress online allows you to easily send performance updates to supervisors or parents.

  Progression tracking examples software for eLearning:  

3 challenges that are common and solutions for digital learning tools

  Challenge 1: Accessing online learning in regions with limited or none Internet connection  

Digital divide is a common challenge for integration of eLearning tools in a mass the scale needed. It is more typical for areas in the rural and developing nations to not have access to the Internet, which makes it challenging for students living in the areas that are not connected to take part in online classes.

Solution: Educators working in these fields can use an array of eLearning and traditional methods. The eLearning methods utilized should be less dependent on Internet connectivity, but should concentrate on the main eLearning principles including learner-centricity and making it easier to engage or access.

An example of an eLearning device for those areas that have access to Internet access is an e-reader. They will let students read a variety of literature from the same device, monitor reading progression, customize the screen for ease of use as well as view difficult words in a built-in dictionary.

  Challenge 2. Onboarding new users the e-learning tools  

It can be a challenge to master the art of reading, write, document or even communicate online. This is especially the case when you're working with younger team members or those who do not possess a great deal of technology expertise.

Solution: See the eLearning program you use provides any materials for learning available to share with your class. Ideally, try to make these materials available in a format which is simple for students to digest for example, printing hard copies of an instruction manual.

Additionally, you can also make sure that you have a step-by-step training program that will guide your students into the use of tools for education. It's crucial to communicate the benefits that the eLearning tools can bring and help students understand why it's worth it to take on the latest technology. In this phase, you must remain available and prepared to answer any questions that your learners may have about the chosen software and be patient as they have to get used to the new technology.

  Challenge 3: Aligning eLearning tools to the rest of your technology stack  

One commonly forgotten aspect about the use of eLearning programs is that they'll have to work with the rest of the devices or software that you're using.

Solution: Talk to the eLearning vendors that you are purchasing from to confirm technical compatibility before committing to the purchase. Check frequently on the vendor's website, or as a sales representative.

If you have the technical capabilities to develop custom software and integrate with your platform, you may be able create your own integration. Also, talk to your supplier regarding APIs available and open source components to the platform which can allow you to get your technology stack aligned.

How to use eLearning at schools

eLearning is primarily known as a tool used in schools. There are distinct applications that are suitable for high school, elementary as well as university students. It is also possible to use more or less eLearning supplements, depending upon the program's type as well as the amount of interaction that the program requires.

Connecting to parents and guardians

In the primary school levels, parents and guardians are actively involved in their children's education. Tools for eLearning can produce and distribute reports automatically and save time for teachers to have to draft the messages on their own. A few tools are also able to collect the feedback of parents or other notes that will further enable the development of your child.

When the school board or advisors are required to look over how a student's learning progress has changed through time, you could use eLearning tools for the historical information. This report can then contain the subjects which a student is learning in the past, as well as performance and any delays or concerns that the student has displayed. It is much more accurate rather than using memory or notes written in handwriting that could not be able to provide the complete context of the specific situation.

Making assignments more accessible

Anywhere in the education system, teachers need to ensure that their content is accessible to a diverse array of learning abilities. Some eLearning platforms have the ability to customize their learning experience by allowing students to reduce audio volume or review material multiple times, modify color or size or even use text-to-speech. Certain tools are also able to automatically translate and define or spell out content which can help students who don't get immediate access to an instructor for that type of help.

If you're a teacher then you're likely to be in charge of overseeing the growth of at least 20 students simultaneously. For professors who teach at university classes can include between 100 and 300 students simultaneously! It is difficult to manually examine each student's progress, and remember the specialized learning requirements for each unique student. However, you may not be able to see the full picture on how your class is actually doing in the course.

If you look at overall class reports presented in your eLearning tools, look for outliers and trends. Trends may help you identify which topics students complete the fastest or least, which lets you know what is interesting or challenging. The outliers can help you identify students that are successful or struggling in understanding the concepts of their course. There is even a possibility of pairing your academic stars as mentors with students in need of extra assistance!

Providing additional educational assistance

Due to the insight that you get through eLearning tools from the teacher's viewpoint, you can determine those students that require additional assistance. Then, you can connect these students with an educational assistant or share additional support resources directly with them through the tool. It's a fantastic method to ensure that your students receive the assistance they need without bringing the issue to the attention of the class. This is also a great option for distant learning course in the event that you are unable to provide support to your student in person.

What is the best way to utilize eLearning for corporate training

Cost reduction for education programs

Programs for training to ensure compliance or onboarding have typically been run by instructors. Costs of hiring an instructor to teach your staff includes travel, rooms, and the cost of hiring the instructor as well. If your training is intended to earn a certificate, you might also need include certification costs as well as required textbooks and even equipment.

With eLearning platforms, the cost for running training programs decreases a lot. If you decide to still have instructors lead the training program it is no longer necessary to arrange travel or physical classrooms. Instead, it can be delivered via the use of videoconferencing tools. Additionally, you can record and replay the lesson at another time, too!

Improving product knowledge

Tools for LMS are an extremely popular form of eLearning technology since they permit organizations to develop product knowledge base. Teams within the company can make videos to explain the latest products, features, policies and other necessary training. If new hires are brought to the company, they are able to use this center of information to build product knowledge. In the same way, it's a great resource for existing employees or client that requires refresher on the product! It's easy and fast to update an LMS with more video or other content whenever an update to a product or feature is released. Having a centralized information base that contains product information reduces the chance of spreading misinformation throughout the company.

Making sales programs more effective

Sales teams have a complex job that requires them to know every feature of a new product and position the product to customers in order to demonstrate how the product meets the customer's specific needs. In large quantities, it can be challenging and time consuming creating new content that is specific for each lead.

Software for e-learning can be a great aid in making sales campaigns more effective through creating, hosting and sharing information. Sales managers then have to choose the product information videos or information sheets they'd like to send to the potential customers. It's straightforward to keep track of the progress to determine how much content the sales lead has taken in. Sales managers can be notified of the fact that information was not deleted or not completed and then prompt the lead to contact the individual directly for further assistance.

Onboarding new hires in scaling programs

If you're part a rapidly growing company, chances are you're not able to educate all newly hired employees. eLearning software could be an ideal place for employees who are new to the company. They can learn about the company's policies as well as processes, products and goals. HR managers can use the software to keep track of how training is progressing on the required programs. It also makes sure that each new employee receives the exact amount of training information needed to start their journey, so that no one gets left uninformed or forgot within their first couple of days!

Ensure compliance requirements are adhered to

The compliance regulations typically include a knowledge or training aspect. In the case of employees, they may be required to upgrade their CPR or security knowledge at least every few years. Having training programs built and managed in a central eLearning platform allows team managers as well as compliance auditors to demonstrate that training has been done. eLearning platforms can pinpoint precisely which employee completed specific sections of training and at what point in time. Plus, you'll also get notified when compliance training is due for renewal!

Enhancing accessibility at the workplace

Like eLearning used in the educational system, you can also leverage the technology to enhance accessibility at work! For example, team members who need more time to study information can access it from an eLearning platform, which can help improve participation, motivation, and aligning with the goals of the project.

Conclusion