Thousands of years of learning and civilization have taught us one single thing: Everybody learns differently. Every individual learns at their own pace and their own level. Probably the most surprising thing about this is, we don’t act on it. Our model of education has ignored it. We work on the basis that the best method is the one that is easiest for the tutor or facilitator. This is a little crazy. It is detrimental to every single aspiring student.
The fact is, we are all individuals. We all have minds of our own. Why then do we think that it’s best to put twenty or thirty people into a classroom? Why expect them all to learn the same thing at the same time and to the same level?
We then go on to suggest that the people who are most responsive to this model are the ones who are the best; they go to the top of the class. Of course, we now know different. Putting a bunch of people in a classroom in front of a facilitator, who may not even be that dynamic, does not equate to learning or training.
And, what about the material being taught. Do we assume that the content is the same for every course, pupil, or business? Of course it is not. And, didactic teaching led by a facilitator or teacher does not cut it either. It was merely convenient, and not even remotely efficient or instructive.
Thankfully that model has now been replaced. e-Learning has not only come of age, but it is also tearing up outdated and old models of learning and succeeding. It is individual, dynamic, relevant, and consistently outperforming facilitator-led learning on every stage. No matter what your business and no matter how big or small, e-Learning can help you. This is why you and your business should be using it.
e-Learning is a private experience. Learning at your own pace and in your own space is a private and personal experience. That means at no point are you in a room full of colleagues being asked to compete and put your so called ‘lack of knowledge’ up for scrutiny. It leaves you alone to listen, to make up your mind. No one has to sit there in fear worrying about the things they have forgotten or did not know.
Many learners want their learning and acquisition to be a private experience. Your knowledge is not something that has to be on display. It is something you can foster and develop. You are encouraged to think about things. You understand that it is okay to make mistakes.
Every sound theory on learning tells us that making mistakes is the best thing we could do to enhance our actual education. And, yet in other facilitator environments, a leader will ask for a right response and negate the value of a so-called wrong answer. Such an approach leaves a learner feeling humiliated and worthless.
e-Learning gives you permission to think about other things, then to come back and explore some more. It is generous, patient, and understanding. It will wait for you to come to a realization that is relevant and works for you.
e-Learning is closer to your reality and experience. The best tutorials can now be tailored to your personal experience. That is something that a single facilitator could never do. It can link directly to your business. That means it is relevant. How much learning have we undergone that is dry and theoretical? It is like reading a massive book on how to go to sleep when all you need to do is sleep.
A course that speaks to your real circumstance means that instead of listening to dry theory you can apply your learning to your life. You don’t have to wait a term, a month, day or even an hour. It’s simple. You just try it and see. It’s that easy. Stop your instruction at any time and practice. That is a technique guaranteed to make your learning relevant and interesting.
Any student understands that if something is relevant, a part of our brain opens up, and we take it in. The alternative is a facilitator droning on and on and on about safety or marketing.
e Learning also works in mediums that you are already using. It works with tech, computers, and talks in your language. No one is going to suggest you convene in a distant classroom and have to listen to someone talk for half a day. These ways of teaching learning and receiving information are outdated. They are fast becoming completely irrelevant in the world of business.
e Learning is consistent. Nobody has an off day. Nobody is late, upset or traumatized by anything. Your course waits for you. It will simply deliver the content in whatever format you have chosen. The lesson is waiting to come alive. It is whiteboard animation at its best. The best e Learning can combine video, animation, and dynamic graphics. It can make your learning experience more relevant and interactive and above all consistent. Content can be tightly controlled and if you want to stop the process at any point, nothing will happen.
Compare a youtube cooking demonstration to a cookery program. One you can stop, store rewind, repeat, and replay anytime you want; the other you are lost a few minutes in. Which one will help you learn how to cook the recipe? Which one will give you more solid results? And, once you have mastered the technique yourself, it will be a part of you. Online learning is changing the way we do everything from education to cooking and even exercise.
The more consistent the learning process, the easier it is for you to judge your development. The more consistent the process, the less room there is for error.
e-Learning delivers more learner control. You are in charge of the process. You choose the speed. The barriers are removed. If you are distracted rather than losing out, you can come back to it anytime. That means that you could choose not just the speed but also the level you work at.
It is so much easier to choose content that is going to appeal to you. Therefore, you’ll be able to specialize in offshoots that not everybody else will be interested in. At the same time, forums allow you to interact with other learners. A forum can cut to problems that occur. If there is an issue with understanding or content, then that can be adjusted and altered. No one is going to be upset or offended if the lecture is irrelevant or boring. If you have control over the process, then it makes sense that you can offer feedback about your experience. Partaking in an interactive dialogue is an essential part of any living educational experience.
The real juice. The reality of how we learn is not news. Educators have known the theory for a long time. It is simply that the technology to deliver it did not practically exist. It was rough around the edges. Production values were low. Video was basic. There was no real understanding of how technology could be combined in differing formats. The opportunity to deliver relevant content in novel and interesting and interactive ways was not there. This has all changed. The technology is here.
A marketing company or training organization can elicit what you need from training and provide relevant content for you. What is more, it can be provided cheaply so that your overhead remains low. The equivalent in taking a course meant thousands of dollars in terms of fees. It meant employees spending days and weeks away learning, All of this has changed. Welcome to the new way of learning.
e Learning is more efficient. Factually it is proven the e-Learning is more efficient. Some figures suggest that could be as much as 60 percent purely in terms of the amount and quality of information being taken in. In reverse terms, that implies that a course covering content in a traditional manner would take 60 percent longer to deliver. That implies a massive gain in terms of learning and a considerable saving in your costs.
So you simply have to decide how you want your business to proceed. The ramifications are huge. Learning must happen. It is vital to your business and every individual in your business. That is where your creativity lies. It is the secret to your capacity to thrive in the marketplace.
What do you want to know about? What amazing knowledge and debate would you like your employees and company to avail of? There is no shortage of choice. From marketing to project management and from safety to time management and everything in between. There is an opportunity for learning.
Every single aspect can be channeled and made relevant for your business and industry. It’s an opportunity that would have been impossible only a few years ago. But, it is here now and waiting for you to take advantage of it.
Photo by Tran Mau Tri Tam
Milo Senalle
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