Let’s be honest, the concept of “e-learning” has been around for decades. Over time, the idea and execution of learning using the internet has changed drastically, however with these changes, certain myths have also developed. In this post we are going to examine the top 5 myths surrounding e-learning and see if there is any truth to them.
Myth #5: Online training solutions are expensive, complicated and for large companies only
Nope. If you take a look at our pricing, you will find that Courseplay (our online training platform) is affordable for organizations of any size. Just because you only hear about how blue chip companies use e-learning doesn’t mean it is not available to small and medium businesses. Maybe this was the case in the 1990’s or early 2000’s but the technological advancements over the last few years have allowed enterprise-grade technology to be available to everyone. Smaller organizations are just as price sensitive as larger ones and the savings of using a cloud-based software apply to SMEs as well.
Contact us to learn about how we can implement our online training platform in your organization. Consider this myth busted!
Myth #4: Organizations using e-learning need a dedicated team of IT engineers to deploy and manage it
This is similar in a large sense to the previous myth. In many cases this still holds true for “on-premise” implementations, where the training software is installed and maintained on the company’s servers, however with the introduction of cloud computing, this does not hold true with cloud-based platforms like Courseplay. We have implemented our platform for tiny 10-person startups as well as large 3,000 employee enterprises. Updates and maintenance are fully performed by our support team. In some cases technical support is provided by the client’s IT team, but we do offer L1 technical support as an add-on as well.
With Courseplay, we can perform an end-to-end implementation within 5 working days. So stop worrying about the logistics and get busy training!
Myth #3: E-Learning is fully automated and replaces faculty and instructors
This is one of the biggest concerns that training and HR teams have for implementing an online training solution like Courseplay, and one that we take especial pleasure in busting. Online training platforms can automate many things for clients, like scheduled reports, test corrections, email reminders, and starting and stopping courses, however the need for human intervention should be an unquestionable fact. Instructors still need to create and upload courses, respond to student queries and conduct live sessions to solve problems and discuss important topics. With modern training solutions like Courseplay, the focus of the faculty role shifts from administration to instruction. Repetitive tasks like sending out emails are replaced with skill-intensive tasks like creating new and engaging courses.
At Courseplay we love instructors and education professionals. If you’re such a person and looking for an innovative job, apply to work with us!
Myth #2: Creating e-learning content is tedious and expensive
This is a common misconception that we have had to correct with many of our clients. While it is true that e-learning content *can* be expensive to make, it doesn’t mean that all e-learning content is expensive and difficult to make. At Courseplay we frequently share content creation best practices with our clients that stress how easy it is for anyone to create engaging “talking head” videos that do a fantastic job in explaining important concepts in an engaging way. We recommend that subject-matter-experts should create content themselves for a personal touch. Even our Chief Everything Officer creates his own training videos from time-to-time.
If the requirement is to create slick and sexy interactive, animated SCORM content, then yes, it can get expensive fast and it may be recommended depending on the use-case. But if the idea is to quickly roll-out low-cost training videos, it can be done yourself using minimal hardware and software. Courseplay allows you to upload slide-shows to create quick and easy presentation modules and upload ready-made SCORM and video packages, so this myth can safely be considered busted.
Myth #1: Employees don’t like e-learning
This one is quite a damaging myth and was a complicated myth to bust. Employees are people and people are complicated. Until recently (Courseplay officially launched in July, 2015) online training platforms were complicated to use, packed with boring content and conflicted with work schedules. Training content was gimmicky, slow to progress and clichéd. Training programs adhered to strict timelines and employees felt forced and confined. Modern platforms like Courseplay changed all that.
We recommend to clients to allow their learners to choose when they train, which device they use and where they train from. Let them access their training programs from their mobiles on their commute to or from work if they want to. We recommend that clients enable engagement features like leader-boards and certifications on their courses so that learners feel a sense of healthy competition with their peers. We recommend that clients use different types of content, be it videos, classroom sessions, slide-shows, quizzes, and assignments to eliminate the feeling of monotony once and for all. All this is possible by default on Courseplay.
The key takeaway here is that training is a personal experience but it doesn’t have to be complicated, tedious or expensive. If you have fallen prey to any of these myths, speak to us and let us help you bust them at your organization once and for all, and as always, happy learning!