Technological advancement has provided more and more conveniences in our daily lives. Currently, nearly two-thirds of the world's population has access to the internet.
The pandemic and the sudden need to adapt to the virtual world, almost entirely, made 2020 record the highest increase in the number of users, according to the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) report.
It is also true that about a third of the world's population does not have access to the internet, either because of problems such as poverty, lack of access to electricity or lack of digital knowledge. However, it is a fact that technology has changed the way we consume the most varied types of products and services. The same happened in the area of education, which, through more modern resources, has also been updated.
With the arrival of the internet, education was able to break its most traditional characteristic: the need for students and teachers to be in the same physical space, at the same time, in person. With e-learning it is possible to have greater flexibility of time and space. In this article we will explain what e-learning is and what its advantages are.
What is e-learning?
Electronic learning or e-learning is a non-face-to-face teaching modality, which in contemporary times has found the perfect field of action on the internet, which provides interactive learning, with the use of dynamic content and constant updates.
This modality can be divided into two formats: synchronous learning and asynchronous learning.
Synchronous e-learning is characterized by the teacher and the student being simultaneously in the virtual 'classroom'. This can occur via chat, video call, telephone, etc.
In asynchronous e-learning, both the student and the teacher are not in class at the same time. This allows participants greater flexibility in schedule and autonomy in the pace of learning.
Why have these formats grown so much? What are the benefits? Is it worth investing in e-learning? Read on as we will answer these questions later in this article.
What are the advantages of e-learning?
Faster learning
The learning cycle in e-learning training is faster when compared to face-to-face teaching. This is due to several factors, such as:
Reduction of time spent in the classroom with the start and end ritual;
The pace of learning is customized by the students themselves without the obligation to follow the pace of the rest of the class;
Following the previous point, teaching becomes more personalized, as the employee is able to concentrate on the subjects he has more difficulty with and does not waste time with what he already knows;
There is no wasted time traveling;
With modern content production tools, the creation of an e-learning course can be much faster, being able to be done in a few days and adapted to the target audience.
Reduced costs
The speed of teaching could already be an excellent justification for reducing training costs in this modality. However, we cannot fail to mention that, in distance learning, there is no need to rent physical spaces or print teaching materials; and there is also a reduction in travel expenses, both for students and teachers.
Large companies save thousands of euros annually, for example, by having already adapted their internal training to the virtual modality.
Lower environmental impact
By opting for the online learning format, all parties involved significantly reduce the impact on the environment. A study carried out by Britain’s Open University showed that online courses consume approximately 90% less energy and reduce approximately 85% of CO2 emissions. With the implementation of online courses, your organization will significantly contribute to the reduction of environmental degradation.
In addition to these 3 great benefits exemplified above, we can also mention that the e-learning modality allows the implementation of teaching methods aligned with current trends, the adaptability of each organization, automatic diagnosis and analysis of student performance, flexibility of schedules and greater reach. These are more advantages that we can cite for the implementation of distance learning.
Still having doubts about the benefits that the e-learning format can provide to your company? Share your questions in the comments, which we will be happy to answer.