The idea that an eLearning portal caters only to students seeking out distance learning avenues is a thing of the past. Today, online learning is not restricted to the realms of formal education. It is also increasingly embraced by a diverse demographic of learners who want to upskill.
In the wake of this up and coming trend, it is vital to explore the broad application of eLearning modules and the myriad possibilities it brings along. As businesses look for ways to establish and maintain a competitive edge, leveraging eLearning portals to help their workforce re-skill and upskill is an important part of the jigsaw that cannot be overlooked.
Here is a detailed lowdown on why and how businesses across industry verticals can make the most of this asset:
Benefits of eLearning Portals
An elearning platform is crucial for businesses today as employees are committed to their own growth via periodic training and upskilling programs. As per a Workplace Learning Report by LinkedIn, a whopping 94 per cent consider these training programs an investment in their development and are likely to stick with an employer who caters to that need. Learn how to optimize elearning ROI.
With all the tools to facilitate learning at one’s own pace, eLearning programs are in complete harmony with its target audience – making them a sought-after commodity in the workspace.
Here are five benefits that an eLearning portal can bring to your business:
1. Time and Cost Effectiveness:
In this fast-changing world, upskilling programs are non-negotiable for any conceivable business model. When this upskilling is done as an online learning program, it allows learners to access the content at their own convenience and pace, without the need to cut back on the time they invest in doing their jobs.
Besides, you don’t have to book conference halls or plan a retreat to get through a learning module. This helps save time as well as money.
Related: Top Tips to Design, Develop and Deliver e-Learning Content!
2. Better Scope of Retention:
It is no secret that the modern-day learner suffers from a short attention span and is definitely out of touch with the practice of pouring over long, heavy text. An eLearning platform can deliver important information in modes that your learner is receptive to – bite-sized, simplified content in interactive modules such as podcasts or videos. This engaging nature of content facilitates better retention and scope for internalizing the new concepts, and of course, implementing those in their jobs.
3. Consistency in Learning:
In a traditional learning session, you would typically have a line-up of instructors, who each have their own tools, methods and approaches to teaching. Learners may find it difficult to get attuned to one method after another, while at the same time absorbing the information being shared.
An eLearning platform with its consistent content is the perfect alternative for creating standardized training programs. Here’s all you need to know about eLearning Content Development for Effective Training.
4. Personalized Touch:
If there is one thing wrong with the traditional system of learning, it is the one size fits all approach. An eLearning portal, on the other hand, takes the unique learning preference and goals of each learner into account, allowing them the freedom to navigate their course at their own pace of learning.
Once a learner feels in control, they are far more likely to remain invested in the goal of amassing new skills and training.
5. Ease of Scalability:
An eLearning portal is a one-time investment that can be scaled up or down with ease, allowing you to make it accessible to as many employees as needed. The more learners sign up for the courses or training programs being offered, the more you can expand the purview of the platform and the quicker you can recover the initial investment.
Building an eLearning Portal
eLearning, unlike its traditional counterpart, is fluid in nature without any constrictions of time and space. It is essentially a software application designed to deliver the learning material to the target audience in an interactive, engaging manner.
Here’s how you can build a portal that facilitates this form of learning from scratch:
Step 1: Choose the Right Platform:
Even though an eLearning portal comes with enormous possibilities, your choice of platform plays an important role in leveraging it to its optimal potential. Here are some options to pick from:
- Open-source Platform: This is one of the most versatile portals for eLearning, as it gives you the freedom to customize entire programs as per your goals and demands. It is easy to scale and diversify using third-party add-ons.
- Massive Open Online Courses: These are appropriate for a large audience. Their biggest advantage is that these can be leveraged by anyone with access to the internet.
- Web Conferencing Software:Designed to facilitate online classes through live chats, calls or video conferencing, this is cut-out for one-on-one learning. (10 eLearning Design Techniques for Improved Learner Engagement)
- Content Management Systems: These allow you to create websites and applications for eLearning and generate content within that framework. It is most suitable for customized learning programs.
Step 2: Develop an eLearning Portal:
The first and most crucial aspect of this step is to recognize and clearly define your requirement. The idea is to integrate features that contribute towards the creation of a customized eLearning platform in line with your business goals. Learn How Customized Learning Solutions Solve Critical Business Problems.
Here are some of the basic features to consider:
- Flexible modes of authentication such as social media logins.
- Ease of navigation to browse through different courses and choose the one most suited to the learners’ needs.
- Easy enrollment process
- Notifications for new classes or content
- Seamless channels of communication between learners and mentors
- Engaging, interactive content
- Statistics on performance
- Valid certification
Step 3: Design Mind Maps and Wireframes:
User experience is the key focus of any online learning program. To make sure all that you envisage for your eLearning portal translates into great UX value, create a mind map – a graphical representation of your ideas – and follow it up with detailed wireframes to make sure every little detail and element gets captured and included in the end product.
Step 4: Test Your Platform:
Once the framework is ready, it is imperative to test it on real users to assess its effectiveness and use constructive suggestions, feedback and criticism to better it.
Step 5: Launch:
After all the tweaks and revisions have been made to create an eLearning portal that is interactive, intuitive and versatile, all that’s left for you to do is roll it out for your people.
The Bottom Line
A portal for eLearning is more than just a platform for flexible learning. It is an important tool for transforming the future of your workforce and in turn, of your business. Yes, it takes a considerable amount of money, time and effort to build one, but the returns make this investment every bit worth your while.
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