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E-Learning
By Rajesh
Rastogi
Training in key business and professional skills in today’s competitive
environment cannot be ignored if you want your employees to develop
and help drive the growth of your company.
Need for e-learning
New values In the old days, corporate value and value creation were
defined principally through material and financial assets. Nowadays
a premium is put on intellectual capital. To retain their competitive
edge, organizations have started to investigate which training techniques
and delivery methods enhance motivation, performance, collaboration,
innovation, and a commitment to life-long learning.
New technologies The life of knowledge and human skills today is shorter
than ever, mounting the pressure to remain up to date with ones education
and training throughout a career. In the age of globalization and technological
revolution, four-year degrees are just the start of a forty-year continuing
education. Life-long learning is quickly becoming an imperative in today’s
world. Competitive Edge Corporations view learning as a competitive
weapon rather than a bothersome cost factor. Business success depends
increasingly on top-quality employee performance, which in turn requires
top-quality training. Corporate executives now understand that developing
employee skills is the key to creating a sustainable competitive lead.
Cost Effective In the run to remain competitive in today’s labor-tight
market, companies are exploiting advances in technology to train employees
rapidly, effectively, and at less expense.
Globalization As trade borders become less significant, global competition
intensifies. International expansion has led to larger and more complex
corporations. Today’s businesses have more locations in different countries
and employ larger numbers of workers with diverse backgrounds and educational
levels.
Abundance of information More information has to be delivered in increasingly
bigger organizations, testing internal planning, logistics, and distribution.
Corporations worldwide are now in search of more innovative and competent
ways to deliver training to their geographically dispersed workforce.
Types of e- learning
There are fundamentally two types of e-learning: synchronous training
and asynchronous training.
Synchronous, means "at the same time," involves interaction of participants
with an instructor via the Web in real time. Asynchronous, which means
"not at the same time," allows the participant to complete the WBT at
his own pace, without live interaction with the instructor. A new form
of learning known as blended learning is emerging. As the name suggests
it is an amalgamation of synchronous and asynchronous learning methods.
Asynchronous Methods
Embedded learning Embedded learning is information that is accessible
on a self-help basis, 24/7. It can be delivered to the place of work,
or to mobile learners. Electronic performance support system (EPSS)
is a type of embedded learning. The advantage is that embedded learning
offers learners the information they need whenever they need it.
Courses The clear advantage of a self-paced course is convenience.
Participants can get the training they need at any time. This can include
just-in-time training where a participant gets exactly the training
he or she needs to perform a task.
Discussion groups A discussion group is a gathering of conversations
that occur over time. They are also called message boards, bulletin
boards and discussion forums. Discussion groups can be used to support
a group of participants taking the same class or can be used to support
participants performing related tasks. A discussion group is a very
competent way to supply expert answers to a large group people. A single
answer to a common question can help many.
Synchronous Methods
Virtual classroom Virtual classroom duplicates the features of a real
classroom online. Participants interact with each other and instructors
online .instant messaging, chat, audio and video conferencing etc.
Blended Method Most companies prefer to use a mix of both synchronous
and asynchronous e-learning methods according to their requirement.
Conclusion
All in all e- learning is here to stay and only you can decide the
degree of involvement in e- learning your company may require and the
best methods applicable to you and your employees.
Rajesh rastogi has been managing and maintaining various e-learning
softwares e-learning for the past decade and a half. A storehouse
of knowledge about LMS (Learning Management Systems) He has been working
in close co-ordination with web development experts to develop user
friendly distance learning programs.
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