Considering the benefits, eLearning is getting adopted by everyone from education to businesses. Its usability in the education sector is inevitable accountable to a proven high retention rate of learning but corporates are also realising major benefits from shifting to online learning. The year 2017 witnessed approximately 77% of US corporations using eLearning, many even quoted an annual increase in the revenue due to the shift. IBM reported savings of almost $200 million after switching to eLearning.
The above mentioned facts may go on and on but that’s not the point, benefits of eLearning is one thing but realising them is another. Several big names have adopted best practices along with long hours of planning before implementing eLearning in their space. However, there is still a long list of organizations which were unable to generate fruitful results through eLearning mainly because of their poor approach. Below is a quick runthrough of such mistakes that one should avoid while getting into an eLearning space.
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Ignoring the learner’s behaviour
This is certainly the most common mistake which directly affects the learning outcome expected from the learners. Before planning the shift to online learning the most initial question should be whether your learners are even ready for this switch or not. A judgement on the behaviour of learners will aid in knowing their comfort with the technology along with the readiness to adapt to the ongoing trends. Involving learners from the beginning is suggested for better results.
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Choosing the wrong software
Currently the eLearning market has a variety of tools and softwares which generally confuses the trainers while choosing the right one. LMS, CMS, Virtual classrooms and several add on plugins, it sure is tough to decide the combination and the right platform. However, if one has clear needs and a proper knowledge of differentiating factors between the softwares then accurate implementation can be achieved. There are several eLearning providers which provide services like consultancy to help people in choosing the right fit for them.
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Overlooking the importance of course design
Usually people overlook the fact that even if the goals are same, traditional and online learning are two different things. Hence, both the course design and pedagogy has to be specific depending upon the mode chosen. Even the format of content should be very distinctive to make it effective for the learners.
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Setting up a miscalculated pace
It is an obvious suggestion to set up a pace considering the adaptability phase while converting the learning into an online mode. Yet due to an acceptable inclination towards saving time and money trainers tend to be over ambitious with setting up the pace for online learning. This inturn reduces the overall efficiency to what was already in place. It is important to spare a dedicated time for planning and analysing the factors to set the pace for online learning to reap the maximum benefits.
Although, these are just some of the mistakes that people make while entering the online space, you can add even more to the list. The takeaway is that more than implementation, accuracy of implementation should be considered while entering into eLearning. A proper planning and consideration of several factors such as, need, goal and timeline will aid in implementing an effective online learning environment.