The word e-learning is very trendy, especially given the Covid-19 situation, which has prompted a large number of organizations and individuals involved in training to decide to implement it (with greater or lesser success) in order to be able to continue with their activity.
But what exactly do we mean by e-learning? Contrary to what many people may believe, e-learning is much more than simply teaching at a distance via a screen. The popular term comes from “electronic learning” and, by definition, is a teaching and learning process that takes place over the Internet, characterized by a physical separation between teachers and students.
Many trainers have considered that transferring their classes from face-to-face to videoconferencing, without modifying the structure of the sessions too much, is a good way of doing e-learning. The reality, however, is that distance education has a great potential that is being wasted if we limit ourselves to that.
E-learning makes it possible to combine, in the same module, an infinite number of multimedia resources such as text, image, audio, video, interactive activities, games, etc., which, if they follow a common thread, arouse the learner’s curiosity and stimulate him/her in different ways, thus improving the assimilation of information.
Thus, e-learning should be considered as a training modality that provides flexibility (physical space-time and economic barriers are easily eliminated) and personalization in the learning process. In addition, it can be a source of cost savings which, together with the characteristics mentioned above, provide the opportunity to access what is known as “lifelong learning”, lifelong learning throughout life, adapted to our personal needs at each moment of it.
The great potential of this new trend has prompted many companies and organizations to start researching and developing new techniques to enrich it even more. In the coming months and years, the e-learning we know will continue to transform, accompanied by innovative uses of technologies such as artificial intelligence or immersive training, which will allow a total adaptation of the contents, rhythms and formats for students, thus allowing us to squeeze the maximum potential of each one.
In short, e-learning is an increasingly widespread technological trend that offers many (practically infinite) possibilities, armed with a good authoring tool, to optimize and perfect the educational processes of both young people and adults.
If you have any doubts about how to get you or your organization started in the world of e-learning, you can contact us and we will be happy to analyze the situation with you and give you our advice. We are a team with more than 20 years of experience in online education.
