Online learning is a form of distance learning that takes place over the internet. It is interchangeable with the term e-learning. Online learning can include online courses, exams, gamified quizzes, and certification training.
5 benefits of online learning
Advantage 1. Reduced costs
The most obvious advantage of online learning comes down to economics. A half-day of classical training is equivalent to a one-hour e-learning course [1]. E-learning increases productivity. In 2019, U.S. training expenses amounted to $83 billion! Of that, $29.6 billion [2] was spent on travel, training facilities, in-house training development, and equipment. Online learning cuts many of these costs, including those associated with hiring an instructor, booking a facility, printing materials, and travel.
Advantage 2. Increased convenience and flexibility
The average full-time employee only has 1% of their time to devote to learning
Employees often struggle to fit ongoing education into their busy and rigid schedules. In a survey of 204 employees [3], 93 employees indicated that time constraints contributed to why they were unable or unwilling to complete a course in one attempt. Another 56 contributed it to work interruptions. The average full-time employee only has 1% of their time to devote to learning. That amounts to just 24 minutes a week! Online learning allows your employees to learn on a personal schedule that suits them best. It also takes much less time than face-to-face learning.
Advantage 3. Improved employee knowledge
Online learning allows people to learn in their own style and at their own speed, which helps them absorb more information. If someone needs more time with a particular topic, they can go through it as slowly and as many times as they need. As you can imagine, this aspect of online learning benefits knowledge retention. WR Hambrecht + Co found that online learning increased the retention rates of the learning material by 25-60%!
E-learners truly bring what they learn into practice
Advantage 4. Increased revenue
The American Society for Training and Development (2011) surveyed 2,500 companies and found that companies that had comprehensive training programs had 218% higher revenue per employee, and 24% higher profit margins [4]. More research confirms that e-learners truly bring what they learn into practice. 87% of 204 surveyed employees indicated that they had put their newly acquired skills and knowledge to practice at work! This translates to tangible benefits, whether it be increased sales, improved processes, or satisfied customers.
Advantage 5. Ease of content update
In today’s world, information and knowledge change fast! With printed materials, the only way to keep up with these changes is to reprint the material, and if you did that it would be quite costly (not to mention the poor trees 😉). Updating online courses not only allows you to keep up with these changes without breaking the bank, but makes the process easy as pie. The best part is that any change you make to your online content becomes immediately available to your whole learning audience!
5 disadvantages of online learning
Disdvantage 1. Requires self-discipline and time management skills
41% of a sample of 204 employees indicated that self-motivation was a barrier to participating in online learning. Why? While we can all agree that self-discipline and time management are always at play when it comes to learning, online learning involves less guidance from an instructor than traditional learning. Typically, online learning also removes scheduled meeting times and deadlines. As a result, your employees must put themselves in the driver’s seat when it comes to their ongoing education.
Face-to-face interactions are a must to bring the material to life
Disdvantage 2. Diminished social interaction
When you imagine a traditional classroom, lively group discussion, and students raising their hands to ask the instructor questions likely comes to mind. Admittedly, these moments do not arise as naturally in online learning. For some individuals, these face-to-face interactions are a must to bring the material to life. Nevertheless, it is possible to bring more social interaction to online learning through competition, scheduled Q&A sessions with an instructor, and discussion channels.
Disdvantage 3. Not suitable for every topic
Which would you rather learn via online learning: how to fly a plane, or government guidelines on disposing chemicals? Our choice and we imagine your choice as well, is the latter. It is safe to say that you wouldn’t want to be a passenger on a plane with a pilot who had only ever flown a plane in a flight simulator. Complex topics, operative techniques, and practices that require a physical environment are best conducted in person. Yet, more repetitive topics in a high turnover environment lend themselves naturally to online learning.
Disdvantage 4. Lack of practice-based learning
E-learning cannot replace the knowledge that comes through hands-on experience
Online learning is often theory-based and lacks practice-based learning. Theoretical knowledge refers to facts, theories, and reasoning whereas practical knowledge is based on hands-on endeavors and tasks. For example, online learning would be a great tool to learn the theory-based side of football, like its history and the rules of the game. However, it cannot be used to transfer practical knowledge like how to actually play the game. Only getting out on the field can do that. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that e-learning cannot replace the knowledge that comes through hands-on experience.
Disdvantage 5. Reliance on technology
Younger generations entering the workforce, and technology being adopted broadly, has driven the popularity of e-learning. However, not everyone has integrated technology into their daily routine. 26% of adults were found to be computer illiterate by a 2016 study. Therefore, it is important to assess whether your employees are computer-savvy and whether they have the appropriate setup for online learning. Do your employees have convenient access to electronic devices and the internet? Do they have working speakers if there is video or audio in a course? If accessing online learning becomes a burden, motivation might plummet.
Is online learning right for your organization?
If you are thinking of replacing traditional learning with online learning, we encourage you to weigh the complexity of your training topics and your employees' level of motivation along with this list of advantages and disadvantages. If you have more questions about online learning’s effectiveness compared to face-face learning, check out this article.
Easy LMS is one of the systems you can use to implement online learning in your organization. With Easy LMS you can create and manage effective training courses, challenging exams, and grant customizable certificates. It comes with a great analysis tool, and automation options too.
Useful resources
- Chapman Alliance
- Training Mag
- Industrial and commercial training
- Cegos
Online education is the new standard practice among educational institutes worldwide. The spread of COVID-19 has catalyzed the popularity of e-learning, but is it viable for learners in the long run? Let’s learn more about both sides of the spectrum – online education advantages and disadvantages.
Online Education Advantages
There are substantial benefits of online learning, which we covered in an earlier post. 94% of the respondents of the Emeritus Impact Survey believe online education positively impacts their careers. In broad terms, it allows students and professors to connect from the comfort of their homes, even if situated hundreds of miles apart. Learners can attend classes while saving time on their commute. Another advantage is that it supports asynchronous learning. Students need not be part of live lectures or discussions and can access instructional material at their convenience. Let’s get a detailed overview of the advantages of online education:
A prominent advantage of online learning is the convenience facet. It allows students in cyber classes to promptly communicate with professors and peers. Students are exploring situations where the convenience of online learning supersedes the face time required in traditional courses.
Another advantage is the ease of participation in virtual classrooms. One of the several aspects of online education is the potential for students to interact asynchronously. Online learning enables students to communicate in real-time in chat rooms or asynchronously through bulletin boards and similar forums.
Students are often unable to reach out to their professors due to tight schedules and rigid timetables in the physical setup. Some of them might even be too shy to raise their hands in class and openly ask questions. With online education, they can immediately reach out to professors by sending them a direct message on their designated learning platform. In addition, they can also collaborate with their peers to work on group projects if they have a suitable window between lectures.
Online education enables students to learn from anywhere and at any time. Therefore, students can seamlessly meet deadlines by finishing assignments at any time during the day. Moreover, one saves a substantial amount of time by not having to travel to the institute. The Emeritus Impact Survey states that 81% of the respondents find it easy to balance education with their personal lives through e-learning.
When students transition into the working world, time management becomes crucial. A distinct advantage is that this skill is cultivated in students while taking online classes, increasing their overall efficiency. They must construct a study schedule while managing attendance and other responsibilities.
Each student has a unique style of learning. For example, while some identity as audio-visual learners, others learn well during lectures. Many online tutors integrate a combination of these to help learners assimilate the material comprehensively. Students can customize their learning styles to suit their requirements with online education.
Online Education Disadvantages
By far, it appears that online learning has numerous advantages for all individuals involved. However, while cyber learning has a positive impact, it does present some challenges too. To avoid significant roadblocks, we must adequately consider, plan, and account for these challenges. Therefore, let’s learn more about the disadvantages of online education.
Even though many students dislike constant prodding from teachers, it is efficient in increasing retention. However, a lack of face-to-face communication with the instructor restricts and minimizes feedback, leads to social isolation, and may result in a lack of motivation. In addition, a lack of focus is a detriment since it makes it more likely for students to drop out. Therefore, it requires a more committed individual to find the motivation to complete courses.
Online education strategies are highly effective in boosting students’ academic understanding. However, there is a lack of communication skills development. It is an area that we often overlook during online sessions. In addition, due to the lack of face-to-face communication in a digital setting, students may be hesitant to collaborate effectively when they receive assignments and group projects.
The need for reflection, solitude and a lack of connection is all too commonplace now, due to the digital learning environment. Signs of social isolation will likely emerge due to prolonged hours of learning online. Social isolation combined with a lack of dialogue can lead to mental health issues like excessive stress, nervousness, and anxiety.
Students may face technical challenges like inadequate internet access, device hardware failure, and unreliable electricity. While internet penetration has significantly increased in recent years, access to a consistent connection with adequate speed remains a challenge for some – resulting in a loss of coherence in learning due to a lack of regular internet access.
How Does Online Education Fit Into the New Normal?
After a firsthand experience with the advantages of online education brought on by the pandemic, it is clear that it is here to stay. Because of COVID-19’s unpredictable nature, online learning is a fundamental approach to ensure that learning never stops. Online learning has opened a segue for students and professionals to acquire new skills across various industries. It is likely to evolve and become more accessible to learners with upcoming technological advancements.
Long Term Benefits of Online Education
- It minimizes fundamental setbacks such as timing, additional expenses, and traveling. It improves the likelihood of more students graduating and choosing higher education
- Professionals with online learning abilities are preferred in today’s market, as they are more compatible with the advanced digital workspace
- Online education is synonymous with resource efficiency in terms of time and money. It enables more enrolments in educational courses
Online Education Is Here To Stay
The COVID-19 pandemic has bolstered the transition to digital learning for good. Learning is a lifelong pursuit. It seldom concludes with a degree. Most individuals continue to learn digitally and develop a new skill set to help ease the job and stay up-to-date with the latest technological breakthroughs. The Emeritus Impact Survey tells us that 78% of the respondents saw an immediate improvement in their work post acquiring new skill sets through online learning. Overall, one cannot overstate the relevance of online education in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Connecting Bright Minds Across the Globe
While online education bridges the physical gap between two people’s locations, academic institutions also have another advantage. They can recruit faculty and experts from various locations to teach their students. It is a big plus for students as it enables them to connect and procure firsthand insights from them out of the comfort of their homes. Usually, this would be highly improbable and expensive too.
Salary Hikes With Online Education
According to The Educators, online learning has aided 42% of US corporations to increase their revenue. As per e-learning statistics for 2021, about half of US organizations are capitalizing on the benefits of online education. Moreover, with the increased convenience and saved time, students invest their time learning new, industry-relevant skills. Gaining such skills allows them to negotiate higher salaries and continue to enjoy salary hikes.
In conclusion, online learning has alleviated various learning constraints, such as budget and timeline, that traditionally curtailed students’ learning trajectories.
While online education has advantages and disadvantages, the rewards far outweigh the downsides. Furthermore, with the advancement of tech frameworks, tech inadequacies will gradually be addressed, resulting in online education being a more comprehensive learning platform. These factors are sufficient to validate online education as a viable solution to various pertinent learning dilemmas. Moreover, these disadvantages are easily addressed with personal initiative and motivation!
Emeritus offers a diverse range of online courses from around the world! See something you like? Reach out to us.
By Riddhi Chotalia