E Learning can be summarized as – learn anywhere, access anywhere, anytime of the day (or night). As long as the knowledge is being acquired and in a convenient way it should not matter how it is gained.
Old school thinking still claims the importance of in-class education is what actually matters and to some extent it is true but the advancement in technology is making it more and more feasible to opt for an e-learning system.
Knowledge for everyone
Before the pandemic appeared and forced the closure of offices and educational institutions, few of the teachers were already employing the use of non-traditional teaching methods like recording lectures and solutions and making them available on the internet for anyone anywhere in the world.
Traditional learning methods lack universality and travelling is necessary when E-learning is not employed.
Verifiable impact of virtual learning
A host of self-learned freelancers who have gained expertise through the internet are successfully working and earning livelihood by implementing what was acquired online. This is the proof of e-learning effectiveness. Physical presence of a tutor is important but it is no longer necessary as long as the learner is willing to learn.
Pandemic/Lockdown/Curfew
COVID-19 has been a terrible experience for this and a couple of previous generations but it also has been a game-changer in the commercial sector as well as educational. Most of the schools have been shut down or physical classes have been reduced to a bare minimum. We even have a generation of toddlers who haven’t set foot in an educational institute due to the fear of virus spread.
E-learning has reduced the damage of educational loss and learning has continued somehow.
Work from home is the new normal
It is safe to say that e-learning is already the new norm in 2021. The impact is evident from the ‘work from home’ concept. About 50% of the workforce has been asked to work from home. Likewise our education system has adapted with the situation and students are taking classes from home.
Teachers are getting training to conveniently deliver the lecture in a captivating way to indulge students in e-learning. A host of applications has been developed for the sole purpose of remote learning.
Impact on corporate sector
E-learning is not limited to school and colleges only. Its application is as wide as can be thought of. Companies having overseas offices need to upgrade the performance of their employees all over the world by providing them training every couple of years or so.
An expert in a certain field who is required to travel to another city or the country for this purpose does not have to set foot out of his room now. The training program can be conducted from anywhere in the world through the internet and it is virtually as productive as an in-person session could be.
Interesting related article: “What is e-learning?”