The five main benefits of Digital Learning

The past month or so has been one like no other, individuals and businesses alike have been forced into stepping back, analysing what's important and adapting their activity accordingly. Most notably, turning things digital - quickly.

McKinsey 2020 shared that businesses around the world have postponed and canceled in-person meetings in response to coronavirus. And, workplace learning is emerging as one of the earliest and hardest-hit business activities. Based on their observations as of early March, roughly one-half of in-person programs through June 30, 2020, have been postponed or canceled in North America; in parts of Asia and Europe, the figure is closer to 100 percent. (Source: McKinsey)

However, in these strange times for us all, is neglecting this side of business processes the right thing to do? After all, it may never be more pertinent for employees to maintain their professional edge and working remotely shouldn’t stop this. 

According to a Brandon-Hall Study, learning through e-learning typically requires 40% to 60% less employee time than learning the same material in a traditional classroom setting. This is because it can be performed asynchronously and whenever the student needs it; this way workflow is not interrupted. It is important to note that saving time doesn’t affect learning quality; it's actually quite the opposite. 

So, if it is so beneficial, why is E-Learning pushed out of the priority queue? Here, we assess the five main benefits of learning online:

Upskilling is becoming more and more paramount

Upskilling refers to the need for people to continually enhance their skills to perform at a higher level. In the workplace, it can typically refer to an individual spending time on a specific set of skills to be in line for a promotion. Or on a personal note, it could simply mean staying up-to-date with technological trends to be relevant in a developing marketplace. 

Whichever way you look at it, in today's demanding world, becoming agile and able to diversify your skill set is a smart move. At work, it can allow you to flourish in your own role or even bring a completely different approach which will enable you to grow into another. More holistically, in an uncertain economy, it allows people to merge unusual skill sets and differentiate themselves from the competition. 

Learning at your own pace 

Having a remote based team can cause headaches for some managers, the lack of transparency naturally instills doubt perhaps. However, once past the initial scepticism, working from home presents an array of advantages to people, none more complex than that they can complete projects in their own time and according to their own schedules. 

The same applies to learning. Recorded lessons, written content, webinars and collaborative online learning software make it easy for anyone with an internet connection to access all the resources they’d ever need. More so, if an individual is looking to upskill or improve their personal brand outside of typical working hours, having insightful, engaging & challenging content on demand is a necessity. By having access to this outlet means that people can achieve their most ambitious goals simply by tailoring their schedule to include what's needed. Yes, it does require elements of self-discipline but when applied, it’s no secret that a person will take more from an hours lesson if they're fully involved and aren’t distracted by other thoughts.

Keep updated in an ever changing world 

As we’ve seen lately, nothing is guaranteed in life and things can change at the drop of a hat. It’s our responsibility to do all we can to stay up to date and address new challenges head on when they do present themselves. Online learning allows us to do this in a way traditional classroom settings never could. Textbooks are rapidly becoming outdated, which is not only a significant cost to the education sector, but to businesses and individuals also as the content shared may already be classed as obsolete. 

In an E-Learning module, material can be adapted and updated in real time. When new information becomes available, we can include instantaneously - rather than having to update and reprint expensive and environmentally unfriendly materials, we can stay accurate through a few clicks. 

Resource efficient 

In terms of overall efficiency, E-Learning offers many benefits. It doesn’t require separate or dedicated meeting rooms, equipment or travel costs. Those undergoing the course(s) have the opportunity to use the materials they have at home if needed and it is very unlikely that they will need to purchase anything else to complete a course. And tied in with these savings is an overall reduction in time and resources we use to travel to and from the training location, we have more freedom to focus on the project in hand. These are win-wins for organisations and employees. 

Accessibility 

Consciously or not, traditional learning environments can pose a variety of obstacles to potential learners. Whichever physical learning location you consider, the costs associated are generally much higher in comparison to E-Learning courses. This has an automatic down pull on maintaining in-person lessons and can even prevent some employees attending the classes due to potential physical or psychological reasons, ultimately meaning that there is a risk that some individuals are missing out on core value. 

There are also many people whose lifestyle can prevent them from being able to attend training classes that are held on specific dates/times or even in regards to location. Employees with young children may not be able to attend a classroom in the morning hours but could devote two hours late on an evening to on-demand learning. For businesses and individuals who are passionate about equal access to personal development, supporting E-Learning is a no brainer. 

Final thoughts

E-Learning is, in most cases, a more accessible, efficient and better performing method of training that people of all ages and industries can benefit from. Employers looking to train large numbers of employees spread out over geographical regions have the ability [through e-learning] to eradicate the complexities attached to traditional training days held in a centralised location by investing in a sequence of tailored learning content for their business. This not only allows them to provide on-demand relevant training to their staff across different aspects to their business but also have the ability to assess the content included and improve it where needed.

Ultimately, for individuals taking learning online means that you can stay ahead of the professional competition and for businesses they can stay ahead of the curve by providing relatable content, on demand. 

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Training your team in Data Protection, and Privacy by Design is a crucial part of your compliance responsibilities - it’s one of the key pillars of organisational measures to look after data as a trusted organisation.

At Trace, as well as face-to-face training and consultancy, we offer expert-led digital learning through our engaging platform inclusive of coaching, videos and bespoke learning services. Whether you are looking for a custom, branded course and content for your organisation, or access to Trace digital learning modules, we can help.

If of interest, find out more at our academy: here.