With technology developing so fast and advancements in this area quickly emerging, eLearning is on the highway to eternal success. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many of the well-known traditions of learning, opening new doors to trends such as mobile learning, microlearning, and gamification. These are all ways in which students and adults alike can engage in learning new content using new methods. Users don’t have to be physically present to engage with the content anymore; they can easily access a webpage or an application that guides them on their journey.
As with any new trend, online learning could improve. The more effective it becomes, the higher its success rate. In today’s article, we will discuss some of the most important ways in which eLearning could upgrade in 2020 and how users can make the best out of it.
What is eLearning?
The basis of eLearning is the ability for people to access the traditional classroom environment completely online. In many cases, eLearning refers to online degrees, programs, and certifications that are delivered entirely online.
eLearning comes in several flavors, including web-based eLearning, distance learning, eLearning, online learning, and others. eLearning consists of courses that are specifically distributed over the Internet outside of the classroom but support a similar learning environment in which students can learn through direct interaction with teachers.
In many cases, the course can be live and students can “electronically” raise their hands and interact with each other in real-time. The teacher will continue to give you grades, assign your tests and homework assignments, and give you participation points while you study in your environment.
The Learning Experience
Artificial Intelligence has become one of the most powerful tools on the market to this day; that means that using AI to improve the eLearning experience should be considered. Here are just some of the methods that could be discussed:
- Virtual tutoring. If students need to ask questions and have them answered in due time, AI can do that now. Sometimes, Google cannot answer a simple question that pops up in their mind. However, contacting the professor is too complicated and time-consuming, so they end up not getting answers to their questions. Online learning can solve this issue for students by using Artificial Intelligence.
- NLP. Natural Language Processing enables computers to understand human behavior, learn it, and apply it accordingly. That means that by using an online method of learning mixed with concepts from AI, users can now communicate with the paper writer, tutor, or instructor in any language they might like, using proper symbolism or shortcuts to ease up their work.
- Training. eLearning can be used in many ways, including employee training. It can act as a virtual assistant and respond to questions for those in need. It can also be helpful for employees with disabilities. For example, Seeing AI is an extraordinary tool for aiding these subjects.
- New resources. Since AI is innovative, the eLearning experience becomes quite authentic. That means that there is continuous new content being generated and new resources implied in the learning process.
- Personalization. We now know that all of us have different methods of learning; that’s why personalized learning should exist, nevertheless. For a trainer or tutor, this can get quite demanding; however, for a machine working on AI, personalizing content for improving efficiency is a piece of cake.
Let’s Discuss Automation
According to college essay writing service, eLearning managers spend about 20% of their time creating new content, 60% on authoring, and only around 5% on strategy. This shows us that eLearning has not yet reached its efficiency maximum. By using automation processes, content creators and managers could focus more on improving the overall eLearning strategy than on basic development. Automation is one of the newest and most effective trends that could be used in the next generation of eLearning. Some companies have already implemented this strategy into their plan; others are waiting for more incentive. Here’s some.
- Automation allows you to spend more time on developing a powerful eLearning strategy. This means that as a provider, you will have more time to gather data and information about your audience, assess the needs of the population, and come up with results that matter.
- Less time spent on course authoring and other development activities.
- Analyzing the time spent on each one of your tasks by using automation.
- Creating an attractive storyboard.
- Reducing costs by automatically updating courses.
The positive impact of eLearning
E-Learning has become an important tool today and valuable addition to the education scheme. Since remote learning is increasing in popularity and demand, it must therefore improve. We all need a reminder of why eLearning has become so valuable, so here are just some of the reasons why we need it.
- Flexibility to approach training as we wish. Students are more attracted to remote learning because they don’t have to respect strict deadlines on their homework. Since everything is online, they can distribute their work as they wish. If they want to leave all the work for the last minute, they can. If they want to get ahead of schedule, they can. E-learning offers the flexibility that face to face learning never had.
- Individual development is part of the plan. Learning how to be responsible and motivated can be a real struggle for employees and students alike. Therefore, eLearning is the perfect tool to teach individuals how to track their progress but also stay on top of their work. This is helpful for career advancement and thus a necessary milestone in climbing any success ladder.
- More efficient communication. This next generation of e-Learners will be more than effective in communicating with each other. While based in technology, educators and trainers must find new ways of helping students engage with them differently; that means finding more fun ways to communicate and asking for more feedback.
- Effective management. The education sector needs better structure – and this is exactly what eLearning helps with. In the end, this new technology acts as a potential catalyst for managing courses, classes, and students using a better, more effective technique. Records are more easily kept in place and managers find it easier to understand the needs of the student or employee by accessing the eLearning database.
The eLearning Content
There’s too much learning content available for students and employees today, meaning we must find a way to sort through the content and create new, efficient ones. Finding the right materials can be time-consuming but it is one of the most important parts of the process. This year, a greater focus will be put on tools that ensure updated content for e-Learners. These tools will include social learning, which is the way to encourage various SMEs or Subject Matter Experts to create and then share their content. This will produce different types of content for individual learning needs.
Conclusion
The new eLearning arena looks promising so we should have no problem preparing to jump in. In the end, the benefits of eLearning are astonishing with the pandemic being such an important catalyst for change, and the new 2020 trends are quickly becoming more attainable. Let’s see what the future brings us and, in the meantime, mind our progress.