Blog Contributor: Ehsan Memari, SkyPrep
Whether you’re new to developing online learning programs or are an experienced player of this game, you must have come across a mixed bag of opinions about eLearning.
So, how do you know what’s correct and what’s not?
In this article, we are debunking 5 of the most common myths about eLearning, one myth at a time.
Let’s get started!
Myth 1: Only academic designers and professional coders can develop eLearning courses
This is definitely not true! You don’t have to be an academician or a professional coder to design an eLearning course.
Modern online learning platforms have made it quite easy for you to develop winning eLearning courses tailored to your audience. Your content can be resourceful, engaging, and effective –all without coding!
All you need is the right online training platform that offers heaps of templates and a user-friendly interface. With these tools, everything is just drag-and-drop. You can also include recorded webinars, video lessons, and attractive visuals in your courses.
Each platform also offers extensive guides to walk you through the steps to get started. And, you can easily design exercises and incorporate media into your eLearning content without any programming knowledge.
Myth 2: eLearning is not for every learner
Not at all! Every kind of learner can seek benefits of eLearning. In fact, online training software are designed keeping a wide range of learners in mind.
Do you think your learners are more ‘hands on’? Well, you shouldn’t worry, as eLearning can be modified as per your requirements and training style. Due to the unique design of contemporary eLearning platforms, all demographics can use online learning resources.
You can personalize your courses and even design them with topic-specific content so that none of your learners is left behind.
Myth 3: eLearning tools are super expensive (and not good for businesses)
Fact-check: Dow Chemical reduced its training expenditures from 87 USD per worker to 11 USD after introducing an eLearning model. In general, the business saved 34 million USD just by switching to the online training model.
Sounds too good to be true, right?
Investing in an effective eLearning tool is actually going to be the best investment for your company. In fact, it’ll help you save tons of money. Here’s how:
You won’t have to hire subject matter experts and experienced professionals to deliver training again and again
You won’t need any special classrooms or equipment for training which saves infrastructure-related costs
Your employees won’t have to travel to attend trainings and you won’t even need to bring in trainers, which means no transportation costs!
You need to develop a course just once and you can reuse it multiple times.
Bonus point: You can, in fact, earn money by selling your courses online. It couldn’t get any better!
Myth 4: Interactivity means heavy animations, sound effects, lots of movement on the screen
Nope. You don’t need to hire a highly paid graphics designer to add heavy animations to your courses!
Interactivity is not about how much movement there is on the screen. By definition, it means “conjointly or communally active”.
You may think that introducing a right or wrong question, in which the platform offers you feedback on your choice, satisfies the benchmark for being interactive. However, in actual, interactive courses as the ones that fine-tune and adapt based on the user’s response. For instance, a student comes across trickier questions as he/she shows expertise over the easier topics.
Adding heavily animated videos, introducing sound effects and making text dance on screen are definitely entertaining. But, what’s the purpose if they aren’t appealing the mind in a way that enables learning?
You should focus on designing real interactive courses that stimulate learners to learn something new, challenge their intellect, make choices, fail and attempt something new until they do well.
Myth 5: eLearning has to be fun, else my employees won’t like it
No. eLearning has to be beneficial, not just fun. You’re trying to train and educate your employees and not ‘entertain’ them.
The objective of your online training program should always be to improve your employees’ performance and corporate results. You can achieve this by providing winning, appropriate and valuable knowledge to your learners.
Don’t concentrate excessively on trying to add a ‘fun’ element to your online learning program. Remember, your employees desire to be challenged, and they’ll cherish a fulfilling eLearning experience.
Key Takeaway
These are just 5 of the most common myths about eLearning. You’ll find tons of more such myths that might get you thinking, ‘Am I doing the right thing by investing my time and money in developing an eLearning program?’
Just remember this: the success of your eLearning initiatives depends on how properly you understand the entire process of eLearning; and most essentially, how you recognize the value it can add to your business in terms of performance enhancement.
Author Bio:
Ehsan Memari is a blogger for SkyPrep, a provider of leading online training software for organizations to train employees’ partners and customers. Ehsan is a regular contributor to blog posts related to knowledge sharing, L&D, and eLearning. Follow him on Twitter @ehsanmemari.
