Technology seems to be advancing faster than ever, and this includes the evolution of eLearning. This is something that constantly adapts to the demands of the market. The days of unnecessary travel and tight schedules in those rigid training outlets are behind us. If you happen to be just beginning your journey with eLearning, it’s possible that you’ll face a challenge or two while you’re navigating into whatever you’re studying. To assist you along your way, let’s talk a bit about a few types of eLearning that you may come across.
Fixed eLearning
This is one of the oldest types of eLearning. It’s where students use a software program that’s set up in such a way that there’s more of a traditional method of passing the information on to the students. Each person learning receives the exact same information – what that is will be determined by what the instructors choose to set up in an eLearning software program. Because the material relies on the wishes of the instructors, this type of eLearning is rather rigid and doesn’t adapt to the preferences of the students. This is best suited to learning environments where the students have similar schedules or skills.
Individual eLearning
This type of eLearning is where students learning without the benefit of peer communication. This type of learning can be used for workplace training for new hires on an individual basis when needed, for example. Individual eLearning assists learners to retain information based on personal attributes like goals to be achieved as opposed to relying on things like the standards set by peers and teachers. However, because it prevents all communication, it results in isolation. You’re not only required to learn on your own, but you also have goals to complete on your own.
Adaptive eLearning
Unlike the first two types of eLearning we discussed, this one puts the flexibility of the learner at the forefront. All of the learning materials are meant to fit the learning preferences of the student. This means that adaptive eLearning pays close attention to things like individual performance, abilities, and skills. Utilizing these factors to tailor to your own personal learning needs means that you have the ability to switch things around when you need to or change the course to fit your goals for completion.
Asynchronous eLearning
With this type of eLearning, students can study independently from a variety of locations. For example, with the recent pandemic, students had to study from their own homes, and asynchronous eLearning made this possible. If this is done in a manner that’s engaging, it might even include content generated by the user. This might be something like instead of doing multiple choice quizzes, learners might submit a video of themselves demonstrating the skills they’ve learned in the class.
Interactive eLearning
In this type of eLearning, both the students and the teachers are able to freely communicate, which allows both of them to make alterations to any learning materials they see fit to change. Having an open line of communication also means that the interaction is better, which then results in a better process for learning if there are any sort of questions. This works best in an environment that allows for flexibility yet is close-knit and limited.
Each of these processes is suited to a variety of environments as well as a multitude of personal preferences. Before you settle on one option or another, you should gain a good understanding of what your goals are and what will work best for you and help you reach those goals.
