How do you eat an eLephant? One bite at a time, of course! And the same thing applies when it comes to consuming a workplace training program. Sometimes small, bite-size chunks of information – delivered over a period of time – can be more effective than gorging on a week-long classroom training session.
And if you have busy employees who work outside of the office on a regular basis, then eLearning is the ideal method of delivering those smaller, more manageable information bites.
There are a number of key benefits of eLeanring and adopting this ‘little and often’ approach to corporate training. Here are our top three reasons to consider why you should consider eLearning for employee training:
ELearning fits more easily into the day of the learner. It can fill the gap nicely between tasks or fit into a ten-minute downtime. Asking learners to answer a drip-feed of questions, for example, means that the learner can dip in and out of training when they can. This means that there’s no need to ‘down tools’ to attend a more formal classroom session; and the productivity of the learner in terms of their normal day job is barely compromised
ELearning works well when personalized and customized to suit the needs of the learner. It can be designed so that only those topics appropriate to the learner are delivered. Good eLearning programs will first carry out a diagnostic assessment to find out what the learners already know – and what areas they may be weak in – so as to focus specifically on where they may need help. This not only eliminates wasting of valuable time, but it also has the effect of increasing retention levels as all of the training content is relevant and interesting.
To learn more about the benefits of custom eLearning, see our article on Corporate Training: Why Custom eLearning May Be the Best Choice.
ELearning has the ability to empower the learner to take control of their own professional development. And by allowing them to be decision-makers in their training, engagement and motivation levels are often increased. ELearning provides a platform that allows the learner to be an active rather than a passive participant. It means that they’re not being ‘lectured at’, but utilizing a valuable resource to increase their own career prospects. ELearning also removes one of the biggest risks – fear of failure. The participant can gauge his or her knowledge levels in a discreet and private environment – so there’s no fear of feeling silly or unprofessional in a classroom environment. When not faced with the prospect of being judged, participants are much more likely to push themselves that little bit further, and to forge on beyond their comfort zone.
When you aggregate these three considerations, you can see why the ‘little and often’ nature of eLearning can be so successful.
If you’d like to find out more about developing eLearning courses that improves employee performance or see some of the work we’ve done, then contact Interactive Services today.
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