The new benefits of eLearning — how modern digital learning is revolutionizing corporate training
eLearning. E-learning. Elearning. No matter how you spell it, it has many benefits in the workplace. A majority of employers now use eLearning tools because they recognize how effective these solutions can be. Consider that the eLearning industry is currently valued at more than $100 billion in the U.S. alone—and corporations are a huge part of that success.
But if you think you already know the benefits of eLearning, you might be surprised at how far the industry has come in terms of optimizing workplace training. Whether you’re still on the fence about eLearning or wondering if your learning management system (LMS) is outdated, it’s important to recognize how the modern digital learning process is taking classic eLearning to the next level.
The traditional benefits of eLearning still hold true
More than 8 in 10 Americans now consume their information on digital devices. eLearning is a natural extension of that trend. It accommodates the tools and habits that already define people across all age groups and demographics.
The immediate benefit of digital learning is the ability to reach a lot of people fast with a consistent message, thereby making training more accessible to a broad, distributed audience. But that’s just the beginning. In addition:
- eLearning platforms support microlearning, which takes far less time than traditional learning and supports better learning engagement and knowledge retention.
- These learning platforms allow trainees to learn at their own pace. Self-driven, self-paced lessons mean nobody has to worry about falling behind.
- eLearning provides trainees with immediate feedback right within the learning environment. Employees can see results in real time and watch their growth and progression over time.
- Employers can also see their employees’ progress and growth at a glance.
- eLearning materials are easy to update and modify. Simple updates can immediately be pushed to everyone in the system, even if you have thousands of employees at several business locations.
These benefits alone are reason enough to invest in eLearning for your company, but they’re just the beginning.
The new benefits of eLearning
Learning management systems and other eLearning programs have come a long way since the CD-ROM days. Traditional eLearning courses rely on digital training lessons and quizzes delivered either online or via downloaded software. But eLearning is so much more than just SCORM modules that people click through or videos that people watch passively.
Today, eLearning developers are focusing more intently than ever on how to ensure a fully optimized and engaging experience for every learner. As a result, we’re seeing exciting innovations like BYOD flexibility, adaptive learning, social learning, knowledge curation and performance support.
BYOD
BYOD stands for “bring your own device,” and it’s becoming ubiquitous in many industries. Many frontline workers are now using their personal mobile devices to complete sales, scan tickets, locate products on the floor and communicate remotely with customers.
But the BYOD trend also has important implications for training, specifically in the context of mobile learning. Using a mobile-friendly LMS like Axonify, employees can access their eLearning courses and complete 3 to 5 minutes of training on the bus, at home or in the break room before starting their shift. Our system isn’t just mobile-accessible but mobile-optimized.
Adaptive learning
Adaptive eLearning is about customizing the training material according to the user’s behavior and responses. This type of personalized learning experience is one of Axonify’s defining features. Our training platform uses artificial intelligence to determine where each trainee is excelling and where they’re struggling. Lessons and questions are optimized for each user to meet their needs and ensure that they get precisely the learning they need.
Adaptive learning fills an important need that traditional online courses can’t satisfy. You can’t present the same training materials the same way to every employee and expect them to get the same result. Through the power of machine learning, we’re able to present learning material in a way that’s more in line with personalized coaching than traditional training. Trainees develop more new skills and practical knowledge in less time.
Social learning
Social media is another ubiquitous staple of our modern society, and it has transformed how we communicate and relate to one another. Forward-thinking eLearning systems are leveraging this trend to make training a more engaging, motivating and communal experience.
For example, Axonify harnesses the power of social learning by enabling employees to share their knowledge and engage with their work communities in the same place they access their ongoing learning. Participants can encourage one another, send congratulations and engage in friendly banter. The Association for Talent Development notes that these interactions can foster trust between fellow learners, which has many advantages outside of the LMS.
Enhanced analytics
Every LMS has progress reports, but these reports haven’t always offered significant insights. With a traditional LMS, participants could review their scores and completion rates, and administrators could see scores, completions and overall participation. It’s a good start, but it doesn’t tell you much.
For instance, you want an LMS that includes:
Confidence-based assessments
Determine not only how well your employees perform but how confident they feel in their abilities. This is a major distinguishing feature that Axonify offers.
User behavior metrics
Do users engage more on desktop or mobile? What time of day are they most active? Metrics like these can be extremely useful.
Deep experience data
See important trends like which questions are commonly answered incorrectly, which lessons typically take the most time to complete, and which lessons have the lowest participation.
Custom business targets
Set custom goals or KPIs for your business, and see visual measurements of how effectively or ineffectively your training is helping you to hit those benchmarks.
Performance support in the flow of work
Performance support is the ability to access information in the workflow in the moment of need, rather than asking people to try to memorize everything they may possibly need to know to do their jobs.
When someone is just starting out, you can’t expect them to remember every step of every process. But if your eLearning system is equipped with checklists, product spec lists or other cheat sheets that can be reviewed on the fly (and from any device), you can go a long way toward boosting productivity and reducing mistakes while also helping to solidify important training concepts.
eLearning is evolving—is your training program evolving with it?
If many of these features and benefits are unfamiliar to you, that’s an excellent sign that it’s time to upgrade your learning materials. It may cost you money up front, but you’ll save a fortune over time as optimized training requires less time and fewer resources while contributing to better results for your company.
The easiest way to make it happen is to upgrade to an LMS that already has these advanced electronic learning features built in. Once you experience the benefits of modern eLearning, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.