The Many Benefits of Elearning

admin — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 23:55:24 +0000

Elearning

Elearning refers to the application and use of ICT (information and communication technologies), educational technology and electronic media to facilitate learning and education. As the Internet and computer have evolved, more and more institutions have begun using the process, either directly on the Web or through local networks. Compared to traditional classrooms, online studies offer more benefits.

Cost Effective

Study after study has shown that e-based learning costs are lower compared to classroom training, and it reduces the cost per learner and per course, plus e-deliveries are much cheaper when compared to traditional methods. In addition, online education training is less expensive, and one research study showed 2,900 hours of classroom training can be reduced to 50% of that number online.

Better Pacing

E-learners can study at the pace that suits them, and they won’t be held back by a slow member, something that’s hard to do in a classroom. Contrary to what some believe that online learning is slow, the study process can be much faster.

For starters, social interaction and time wasting is reduced and starting and finishing up lessons is faster. In addition, participants can skip the nonessentials and just focus on the subjects they need to learn. Taken together, these factors cut learning time by 35 to 45% yet still manage to convey the required information.

Efficiency

One of the biggest advantages of elearning is it has proven time and again its efficiency. A study conducted by the American Psychological Society pointed out that students learn more using computers compared to traditional teaching methods. This study has been given support by independent research and verified by test scores.

Several studies also reveal that electronic and online learning is very suitable for knowledge, information, procedures and processes, and that gains are attainable in learners’ attitude concerning studying, scoring and training. Electronic and online learning has also increased the number of people who pass the tests.

Environmentally Sound

Online learning doesn’t just benefit the learners though, as it also provides a number of benefits for the environment. According to research done by Open University, distance and online learning courses use 85% less CO2 and 90% less energy per learner compared to campus based students.

The biggest savings came from the reduced need to travel as well as not requiring the use of a campus. Both of these translate to less pollution and energy use, proving that home based computer learning is more effective. Furthermore, emission from computers is much lower when compared to conventional delivery methods.

Online learning also saves trees because there’s less need to use paper. The vast majority of e-based learning modules are stored on the web as email, PDF, virtual classrooms, videos or other Internet based tools. In other words, there’s no need to cut down trees to make paper for books, notebooks etc.

In other words, there is substantial evidence to prove that elearning offers a lot of advantages and benefits for the learner, educational institutions and even the environment. As technology improves, the benefits will be even greater.