E-learning is the logical evolution of face-to-face training. Just as smartphones and social networks changed the traditional forms of communication, technology has done the same in the context of learning and development.
E-learning is a booming industry, surpassing $300 billion in 2021, with an expected 20% annual growth projection by 2028. But do you know what e-learning involves and how to take advantage of it in your company? In this article, we explain everything you need to know.
What is e-learning?
You’re probably familiar with terms such as remote training, online education, or virtual classes. They are all part of the e-learning umbrella, a learning model based on new technologies, or, in other words, a learning activity accessed through a device connected to a network.
It’s not surprising that e-learning has gained so much popularity in recent years since this learning style is increasingly compatible with our modern way of life, in which we constantly rely on technology and the digital world. In the same way, companies can trust e-learning to enhance their employees’ training and obtain other important benefits.
What is the purpose of e-learning?
The main characteristics of e-learning include the use of technology and educational resources, the physical separation between the trainer and the student, and the use of devices with a network connection, such as mobile phones, tablets, or computers.
But if we ask ourselves what it’s for, Elliot Masie, creator of the term e-learning, answers this question very well:
“E-learning is the use of network technology to design, deliver, select, manage and extend learning.” Here are some examples of how it can be implemented:
- Corporate training: Both in employee training and the onboarding process. E-learning offers the advantage of adapting to the location and schedule of employees, unlike a face-to-face teaching method.
- Remote education: E-learning has played a significant role for universities, educational centers, and training institutes that offer distancelearning. It gives students autonomy when deciding what content to learn, when, and at what pace, allowing them to combine studies with working hours.
- Collaborative learning: It also offers spaces to participate, debate, or share knowledge with other students, such as virtual classrooms, forums, chats, or training apps.
- Micro-learning: Microlearning is a learning modality that relies on short-form powerful content. The training is provided in mini-courses or express courses that allow employees to learn quickly through digestible content.
How can companies use e-learning?
Besides revolutionizing education, e-learning has marked a before and after in the corporate sphere. Every day there are more companies, large and small, seeking to change the way they develop their employees. These are some of the opportunities e-learning offers with this in mind:
- Onboarding strategies
Because everyone knows how difficult it is to start a new company without a good onboarding plan, e-learning lets you develop an inspiring, efficient, and 100% virtual online onboarding process that achieves better results.
- Employee retention
Training with e-learning content allows employees to get involved and participate more, guaranteeing better results. Offering your employees the chance to improve their skills and develop new competencies, is one of the most effective ways to empower and retain your workforce.
- Knowledge and compliance with legal regulations
Almost all companies must conduct compliance training to ensure that employees comprehend company policies in security, conduct, and privacy, among others. An online course is the easiest way to get this information to all workers, especially in the case of updates or policy changes.
- Fulfill ESG criteria
Corporate sustainability currently plays a vital role in the future of any company. E-learning is perfect for aligning your employees with your SDGs, not only with specialized training in sustainability or diversity courses but with apps that allow collaborative training, gamification use, and improving internal communication.
6 benefits of e-learning for companies
We’ve looked at some of the many ways e-learning can be applied to company training. Each of them comes with a whole host of benefits that make it an essential consideration for any business. Below we explore some of them:
- Reduces learning time
E-learning allows the use of other types of formats and resources, such as multimedia, interactive elements, games.
These types of elements, in addition to being more engaging for the student, make learning faster since they facilitate the assimilation of concepts in very short periods of time.
- Facilitates time management
One of the major drawbacks of classroom training is that not all employees are able to attend.
E-learning allows all your professionals to have the opportunity to train, as they will have access to learning 24/7.
- Enables measurement of employee progress
E-learning content is delivered through online training platforms or tools that usually allow you to monitor and analyze learning data in real time.
- Encourages collaboration
E-learning solutions facilitate collaborative learning and communication among your employees by providing tools such as chats, forums or blogs that allow users to share ideas and experiences.
This can be especially interesting if you have a hybrid team, working both face-to-face and remotely.
- Offers customization
Not everyone learns in the same way, or at the same pace.
E-learning allows you to speed up or slow down the learning process as needed. Sometimes, it is necessary to refresh your knowledge on a topic before you can continue. In a classroom course, going back is impossible, but it is feasible with e-learning.
- Promotes scalability
Most organizations need to engage employees in continuous learning, to help them develop their skills and expand their knowledge. All of this is based on changes that may arise in their roles such as the introduction of new processes, tools, or products. Being able to modify and adapt learning to meet training needs is key.
Different types of e-learning content
An online course with static presentations and endless quizzes is bound to make your employees switch off. That’s why e-learning uses interactive resources, multimedia, and the best technology to engage your students, generate commitment, and secure training success. These are some of the most common:
- Videos
Videos are a fun, easy-to-use format in which you can add questions, storytelling, or interactive elements to encourage participation.
Simulations
This type of e-learning content reinforces the social skills of employees. The students complete tasks through a simulation in a safe virtual environment and comprehend the possible outcomes needed to face real challenges in their jobs.
- Webinars
They are also video conferences, virtual classrooms, and virtual classes. With this technology, you have greater capacity in your training and, at the same time, more significant interaction with the participants in real time.
- Exercises or games
Exercises and games encourage interaction and participation, and the opportunities are endless. Experiment with question-and-answer competitions, group images, texts, questionnaires, and more.
If you want to know more about interactive resources for your courses, check out this post.
How to implement e-Learning within your company?
Implementing e-learning in your company will save you time and money compared to face-to-face training. But where do you start with your online training program?
Identify the training needs of your employees
Knowing what your employees’ weak and strong points are means you will be able to decide the courses you should include in your training program to improve the performance of your workers.
Define your goals
For example, acquiring new skills to fill gaps or weaknesses in the team, enhance the company’s competitive advantages, increase production or even improve the emotional well-being of your employees.
Select your learning platform
Now that you have clear objectives, you need to choose the right tool for training your team. A Learning Management System is software that allows you to create and manage your company’s training program while an app allows employees to learn at their own pace while having fun.
Plan and create content
It’s always a good idea to design a plan in phases and allocate a team and a budget. Once you do this, you can start creating your e-learning courses and distributing them to your students. Not sure where to start?
To create your e-learning courses, you can use authoring tools, which allow you to develop unique courses in a few minutes, outsource your content to professionals, or acquire a pre-designed catalog of courses.
Track training performance
To know your training program’s success, you need to track how many employees have enlisted, how many started, their progress, and their qualifications. The good thing is that LMSs offer built-in statistics that allow you to see the whole picture.
All the e-learning tools you need for your business
If you made it to this point, it’s because you are looking for e-learning tools for businesses, and there are many different solutions you can use to create or enhance your training program. At isEazy, we specialize in e-learning technology development for companies. Discover all the tools we offer:
- isEazy Author: create e-learning courses in minutes
isEazy Author is an authoring tool or e-learning course creation software that allows you to create fantastic courses in a few minutes with professional results. Try it for free!
- isEazy Factory, e-learning content providers
isEazy Factory is the perfect solution for e-learning content creation outsourcing. Get courses with a high educational level, responsive designs, and a wide variety of interactive elements backed by a powerful audiovisual factory. Learn more!
- isEazy Skills, a courses catalog for soft skills and digital skills
With isEazy Skills, you will have all the soft skills and digital skills courses and programs you need for upskilling your team. Discover more than 180 courses in key business areas: Sales and customer experience, Leadership and high-performance teams, Communication and interpersonal relationships, among others. Learn more!
- isEazy Engage, the training app for frontline workers
isEazy Engage is a training app specially designed for frontline workers, with communication, knowledge, and task management in one place. Use microlearning and mobile learning strategies to train your employees and give them high-impact micro-content. Learn more!
- isEazy Game, a gamification app
isEazy Game is a gamification app that allows professionals to acquire and reinforce knowledge in an agile and fun way. Reinforce the achievements of your employees, enhance their sense of belonging and improve learning with gamification features like question-and-answer games, challenges, levels, rankings, and more. Learn more!
- isEazy ESG, training and development app to achieve the SDGs
ESG is a priority for businesses today. To meet these goals, isEazy ESG offers a complete catalog of more than 65 courses developed with the latest neuro-learning techniques and digital engagement to align your professionals with business goals regarding any of the 17 SDGs set by the 2030 agenda. Learn more!
You can use our tools together or separately to help you at all stages of your training program. Ready to reinvent your training?
