Why e-Learning so Important?

Well, it is the catalyst that is changing the whole model of learning in this century - for school pupils, university students, for employees, for the ongoing training and development of professionals like doctors, nurses and teachers - in fact for just about anyone who wants to find out something on either a formal or casual basis. Here are eight ways why I think e-learning is revolutionizing learning,  and to illustrate them, I´ve included some examples of e-learning freely available on the Internet.  

E-Learning means that you no longer need to spend long periods travelling to a

location to attend a course; you can now have access to learning when you want

it, at the time you want it - day or night, wherever you want it - at home, at

work, in your local library.  For many students this has opened up a new, much

more flexible and accessible world of learning that was previously closed to

them due to disability or family circumstances, or perhaps due to the fact that

the course they wanted was on the other side of the world.  In other words,

there are now no longer any geographical constraints to learning; e-learning

brings learning to people, not people to learning.  So, for example, if you´d

like to attend a lecture at Gresham College in London , you don´t have to go

there, you can watch it live on the Internet, or if you can´t make the time,

watch a recording. This example,  A Giant Leap from Big Bang to Big Ben" is a

recorded web lecture given by Professor Frank Close back in 2000.

E-Learning means that learning no longer needs to be a passive experience, with

the learners all sitting in front of the teacher and "learning by telling",

e-learning makes learning an active experience.  The emphasis is on

interactivity or "learning by doing".  So, for instance if you want to find out

about print making, you could work through the interactive demonstration, "What

is a print", from MoMA the (Museum of Modern Art) in New York. You don´t just

watch how to make prints but you are involved in it yourself.

E-Learning makes learning exciting, engaging and compelling.  Hard and boring

subjects can be made easier, more interesting and appealing with e-learning. 

So, for example, if Shakespeare leaves you cold, then see it brought alive with

videos, in this example,  "Shakespeare Subject To Change", from Cable in the

Classroom.  Or, if you find it difficult to understand the concept of blood

typing, then play the "Blood Typing Game" from the Nobel e-Museum, where you

have to save the lives of car crash victims by giving them the right blood.

Learning is a social activity, and e-learning means that powerful and enduring

learning experiences can be achieved, not just through content, but through the

use of online communities and networks.  Here learners are encouraged to

communicate, collaborate and share knowledge.  In this way, e-Learning can

support "learning through reflection and discussion".

E-Learning empowers learners to manage their own learning and in the most

appropriate way for each learner.  We all learn in different ways - reading,

watching, exploring, researching, interacting, doing, communicating,

collaborating, discussing, sharing knowledge and experiences. e-Learning means

learners can have access to a wide range of learning resources: both materials

and people, and in this way each learner can have an individualised,

personalised experience, where they access the learning that is best for them.

E-Learning is also helping to embed learning within work processes, as

organisations begin to recognise that learning is not something that only takes

place in a classroom. In fact, 70% of all learning occurs whilst a person is on

the job,  that is not in formal training or education but in everyday working

life as employees carry out their jobs - finding out information, reading

documents, talking to other colleagues etc. It is these kinds of informal

learning activities that e-learning can also support and encourage within an

organization. So if employees need answers to problems quickly, they don´t want

to have to book a place on a 3-hour course weeks in the future, they want an

answer now and fast.  Hence, short, simple solutions like "Instant Advice" (3

minute video clips from Ninth House) or 10 minute JEDlets are more appropriate

for organisational learning needs.

Learning has moved from the classroom onto the desktop and now into the pocket. 

It´s a fact that we are all becoming more mobile; about 50% of all employees now

spend up to  50% of their time outside the office.  We all do a lot more

traveling (on buses, trains and planes), as we visit other offices or campuses

and there is quite a bit of evidence to show that people would like to make more

use of this "dead time" for learning purposes. The term m-learning is used to

describe the use of PDAs and mobile phones for learning. PDAs are a very useful

device onto which learners can download learning content and then view at their

convenience.  So, if you´d like to download an example of how you can view and

hear a PowerPoint presentation on a Pocket PC, take a look the Presentation

Studio Mobile client from Webex.  Or if you´d like to see how some formal

learning content could be delivered on a Palm or Pocket PC, download the mobile

sample from Trivantis.

E-Learning has helped organisations with their bottom line.  Many organisations

have reported improved time to competency and faster time to market, and a

reduction in learning times has meant savings on salaries and opportunity costs,

and increased customer and staff satisfaction has led to higher customer and

staff retention rates.  For organisations, e-learning is playing a major part in

helping keeping them agile and competitive in their market.

These are just some of the reasons why e-learning is becoming so important. But

are there any downsides to e-learning?  Well, you have to have the appropriate

technical infrastructure in place, learners also need to be fairly proficient

with computers and the Internet too, to benefit from online learning

opportunities, and within organisations, the corporate culture can determine

whether e-learning (and m-learning) works on not.

So this is where the e-Learning Centre comes in; we help organisations who want

to create e-learning solutions that work.  It´s not just about getting them up

and running with the latest gee-wizz technology -  the key to helping them

succeed is understanding their learning problem, their learners, their

organisation as a whole and the technical infrastructure they have in place. 

Then they are ready to begin building and implementing successful learning

solutions.

Jane Knight

e-Learning Centre

November 2003