10 Valuable Things About Online Learning
March 31, 2009
Online learning is so very different from stand-up training that it is good to take pause to think about it. Yes, both approaches have their benefits and disadvantages, but the ramifications of online learning are huge. First, here are ten things that make self-paced learning courses exceedingly valuable. Then we’ll examine the implications.
Top Ten
- You can learn at your own pace.
- You can stop to look up definitions.
- You can review what you want to review.
- You can control the volume of the “teacher.”
- You can comfortably learn in your own style.
- You can stop and think about what you are learning.
- You don’t have to fly around the country for training.
- You can follow along while doing the task you are learning.
- The content is consistent for everyone who takes the course.
- You usually have an opportunity to interact, practice, or check your knowledge.
What It Means
The themes that underlie these ten valuable attributes could conceivably change the world as we know it. Maybe I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. The implications are that someday, learning will be accessible to everyone with an Internet connection, provided individual governments allow full access. This could ultimately result in raising the literacy and educational levels of people around the world.
The ten attributes also imply that learners are gaining more control over their educational space. Although in traditional eLearning, learners don’t design the content, they have greater control over their learning environment and can modify it to meet their learning and life styles. In the world of Web 2.0, learners will have even greater control, by contributing their own content through Wikis and online presentation tools. Either way, learners are beginning to create their own curriculums by choosing to learn what they want.
Finally, online learning helps individuals become self-didacts, going against the pedagogy of most traditional educational systems. As such, there is the potential for people to challenge entrenched belief systems and harmful philosophies to search for the truth in diverse areas of study.
As instructional designers and online content developers, we can spread the word about the positive effects of online learning.
If you liked this article, pass it on to a few designers who need cheering up.
This page was a short, powerful punch! Several thoughts here…
Such learning democratization can help promote peace and development, and I see eLearning as a powerful tool for NGO-based outreaches (OLPC, UNESCO, etc.).
I’m with you…I think the open-learning movement will shake foundations in our society, including the grip that educational bureaucracies have on us. A welcome side effect of open learning might be that we will witness a slowing of “degree inflation”. Forty years ago, a B.S. meant something. Today it’s hard to break into a field without a M.S. When OL becomes sufficiently robust and available, perhaps the insanity of ever-escalating degree requirements will be revealed. If a person can demonstrate they have the SKAs to do a job, why should the source of their education matter?
Finally, the #1 reason eLearning courses are valuable….
NO MORE BORING TRAINING MEETINGS!
What a great post.
Excellent points regarding the promotion of peace and development through access to online learning. Also, I like what you have to say about degrees. If people get the skills and knowledge they need to perform a job, will degrees be as important? Interestingly, this may already be happening in the field of instructional design!