Does eLearning Really Work?

You say, “we have tried instructor-led training and have seen reasonable success. Is eLearning worth the risk?” We say, “hell, yes.” Let us elaborate.

As an immersive eLearning company, we get asked this question often. Most skeptical, yet open-minded, clients of ours worry that they might be embarking on something that isn’t tried and tested. However, when we tell them all the reasons eLearning is, in fact, better than instructor-led-training (ILT) in many cases, they are inevitably convinced to take the plunge.

The Market research firm Global Industry Analysts had the same question, and they’ve found some interesting answers. As per their forecast, the Global eLearning market will triple its revenue from $107 Billion in 2015 and Reach $325 billion by 2025.

eLearning is often better than ILT

With companies increasingly moving towards blended learning, eLearning is considered the second most important training method.

In 2010, a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education (US DOE) found that “students in online conditions performed modestly better, on an average than those learning the same material through traditional face-to-face instruction.” This is still evident by the steady increase of expenditure in online education.

Self-paced or learner-centric eLearning is better.

This is almost obvious, but when we give the learners the freedom to choose when and how they learn, they learn better. US DOE’s data reassures us that “online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions with media and prompting learner reflection”.

The Workplace Learning Report 2018 published by LinkedIn Learning observed that an increasing number of “employees prefer opportunities to learn at their own pace”.

eLearning doesn’t replace instructors. It just makes them more valuable.

Human-interaction and community engagement are important to holistic learning. The US DOE’s study also shows that “instruction combining online and face-to-face elements had a larger advantage relative to purely face-to-face instruction than did purely online instruction”. So, instructors can contribute at a deeper level, facilitating hands-on learning.

If you are thinking, “eLearning isn’t for me”, think again.

eLearning performs consistently irrespective of subject matter and learner profile. Research shows that the “effectiveness of online learning approaches appears quite broad across different content and learner types”.

Moreover, the Workplace Learning Report 2018 observed that 90% of the companies in the US offered online corporate training to their employees in 2018. India’s online education industry is expected to touch USD 1.96 Billion by 2021 which will be a 52% growth from 2016. Online or computer-based eLearning is growing at a pace much higher than any other traditional learning method. More and more companies in the world are believing in eLearning as their primary learning method.

Does it still sound like that much of a risk? Talk to us.

Happy Learning!