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E-Learning Businesses Surge As COVID-19 Spreads Across Continents

by Anand Tiwary July 15, 2020

All schools and educational institutes have now closed down due to the surge in the COVID-19 outbreaks across the globe.

  • How are students adjusting to this shift?
  • What are the benefits of E-learning?
  • How can you implement e-learning and integrate it into the normal curriculum as the situation eases?

Most educational institutes are relying totally on online platforms to continue the educational plans for their students while some institutes have their own online platforms where they have created and launched online courses, quizzes, assignments and hands-on projects for their learners. In this article, we are going to explore some of the major benefits that e-learning provides us with and also why it should be integrated into the regular curriculum to help students perform better. We are also going to explore how students over the world are adjusting to this rapid shift towards online educational platforms and e-learning becoming their primary source of knowledge.

What is E-learning?

E-learning is a simplified version of the traditional classroom where one on one interaction between the faculty members and students is initiated along with other resources such as video modules, pdfs, quizzes, assignments as well as modelled scenarios. E-learning can be utilised via a number of electronic devices. The most common device used by 87% of students is their smartphones. Most online educational platforms today have their own apps that can be launched using smartphones, tablets or any other remote device. This has not only simplified access for students but also made it really easy to learn on the go.

As COVID-19 cases keep rising and the scenario continues to worsen, most industries and sectors are suffering from total shutdown. However, the educational sector has found huge relief through online platforms and existing courses and other such training modules that come under the umbrella of e-learning. Through interactive videos and other tools, teachers and students have adapted to the e-learning patterns with ease. E-learning courses, as well as online platforms with real-time face chats amongst faculty and students, have allowed institutions to not only develop regular classes but also improvise and provide hands-on projects via planned scenarios and other tasks that require the application of the subjective theory. So what are the benefits of E-learning? More importantly, why should institutes make e-learning a compulsory portion of their curriculum to allow their learners to progress at ease. Keep reading through the next sections for answers to these questions.

E-learning and its benefits:

E-learning or distance learning is not a new concept but has been always present in our society. It is only now due to self-isolation and lockdown, they are finding more market potential and acting as the best tool for educational institutions all over the globe. With E-learning, you can enjoy multiple benefits amongst which social isolation and classes from home are merely one advantage. You can eliminate the need for a physical classroom or the need for transportation for both students and the faculty. Thus effectively it maintains social distancing protocols and from the comfort of your home, you can attend or teach a whole class. For most online platforms and e-learning apps, all you require is a simple internet connection or ethernet connection along with a viewing device which may be your android, tablet, iPad, laptop or any device that can be linked to the internet. With such classes and e-learning resources such as pdf handouts or video simulations, educational institutes can continue with their learning goals without any problematic pauses. Here’s a list of some major benefits that you can tap into using e-learning modules and facilities:

  • Easy Accessibility: With e-learning, you do not have any time constraint or the need to resort to physical locations for your classroom learning. You can simply resume your classes and continue with your progress through the course using your electronic devices.
  • Learning on the go: Upskilling yourself is a need that is never-ending. However, due to jobs or other constraints, you may not be able to make it to offline classes or traditional classrooms. E-learning allows you to learn on the go. If you have 30 minutes of commute time then you can even utilise that time to upskill yourself using e-learning training modules launched by a number of institutes. With e-learning, situations such as COVID-19 do not become an interruption for your daily educational needs.
  • Affordability: E-learning can decrease your educational costs by at least 35%. Studies show that both faculty members, as well as students, can cut down a number of costs such as commute fares and cost of other resources necessary in a traditional classroom. Due to the ease of accessing e-learning modules as well as creating them, a number of institutes over the globe have begun to take a blended approach for their curriculum wherein they mix e-learning with their typical traditional classroom learning to help their students progress at their own pace.
  • Easy implementation: E-learning can be implemented and integrated into your regular curriculum using simple steps. If you have not planned for the creation of e-learning modules within your institution before now then you can easily do so now. To create and launch basic lessons, you do not need much more than a working web camera, good quality mic and a recording device. You can either record videos or curate videos from existing ones available online. You can also choose to connect with your students in real-time via platforms and apps to teach them in a manner similar to the traditional classrooms.
  • Consistent, scalable and personalised learning plan: E-learning can simply mean handing out online quizzes for some institutions while others might consider launching full courses along with additional resources such as scenario-based learning modules or support forums and real-time doubt classes. E-learning and digital academies are essentially personalised to fit your needs. It can begin as a small venture which you can, later on, scale up to take over all of your institute’s educational branches. E-learning is also extremely consistent and steady performing because it is nearly invincible so long as you have a strong internet connection and a device to access your academy.

Strategies to implement E-learning :

Due to COVID-19 a number of institutions are taking quarantine measures and closing down their physical outlets to ensure prevention of the spread of the disease. During these trying times, faculty members and other institute heads might be wondering about how they can implement e-learning within their modules in such a short time and resume their educational services. Here, we have compiled a few strategies that you can utilise to implement basic e-learning modules for your learners which can be scaled up or down as per your future needs. Some of the strategies are as follows:

  • Implement online quizzes and identify your learning goals: For institutes which need a low profile e-learning operation, online quizzes and sharing of resources such as pdfs, videos and relevant images are extremely essential. You can easily acquire such resources and implement a low scale e-learning operation.
  • Curate or create: Any faculty member or institution looking to begin e-learning classes regularly needs some course content to present to their students. This content can be curated from available material online or you may even consider shooting your own videos as faculty members explain details of the course and relevant topic in different modules.
  • Remove barriers: There are a number of institutions where faculty members and students do not have the skills necessary to host and attend classes via e-learning or over online platforms. In order to implement e-learning on any scale within your institution, you need to remove barriers such as technological handicaps in order to ensure successful operations.

The above sections highlight the benefits and strategies of e-learning. However, to make sure that your digital academy is a success you need certain tools and a reliable LMS that can host your courses and allow your students to engage and interact freely. Createonlineacademy offers a host of services and packages that you can use to create amazing online courses. They also have a number of course creation tools that will help you to create your digital academy from scratch so log onto their website today and begin your journey to create amazing online courses for your learners.

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