Both education and technology are constantly evolving, and in some circumstances, their advancements intertwine to provide students and instructors with convenient new learning modalities like e-learning.
Let’s take a look at the basic benefits of e-learning and how it stands to aid in professional development across the board.
Benefits of eLearning
eLearning has several advantages, which explains why it has become such a popular educational resource across the globe. Let’s explore a couple of the key advantages of e-learning.
- Educational Freedom: By removing location and time-based restrictions, students using e-learning platforms can take advantage of educational information at a time that’s convenient for them. Students and instructors alike have the unique opportunity to design a customized study schedule that enables them to learn while maintaining a busy lifestyle.
- Individualized Pacing: In some scenarios, e-learning can be self-paced. That means students can pass through the learning materials provided at their own speed so that they can retain what they’re reviewing. Allowing self-paced learning empowers students to take a closer look at more complex topics or skim through subjects they’re already familiar with.
- Collaboration: Through e-learning, students and instructors have the ability to collaborate like never before. By using online discussions, webinars, virtual classrooms, and 1-on-1 learning sessions, students and instructors can share their insights and ideas in addition to working together to overcome a complex lesson. Not to mention, e-learning provides the perfect landscape for peer-to-peer learning options.
eLearning for Professionals
Professional development takes advantage of several advancements made possible by e-learning. Employers use these platforms to train new and current employees, lead teams through the process of learning new skills, and to conduct in-depth market analysis on topics that pertain to an organization’s specific industry.
In addition to making learning accessible for busy professionals, e-learning platforms also promote inclusivity in ways many work-related learning methods don’t.
Assistive technologies included in many e-learning platforms have revolutionized learning accessibility for individuals with physical disabilities, learning difficulties, and other challenges. For example, the array of formats helps make it easier for individuals with specific needs to access the material in ways that most appeal to them, such as video content, text, or audio-only.
With its flexible, collaborative, and individualized learning capabilities, e-learning has changed the face of education as we know it. These educational platforms stand to advance even more as technology advances, which will, in turn, help meet the needs of each student the programs serve.