e-learning & ICT E-learning has many advantages By Kirsty Chadwick We are fortunate to live in a world where technology is freely available to us and where almost anything can be done at the flick of a switch. Technology helps to make learning more engaging and interactive. When a learner can experience something visually, like watching a video of someone delivering poor customer service versus a video of someone delivering great customer service, it helps them to grasp the <strong>co</strong>nsequences of their actions. Great service means a happy customer, and a happy customer means that they will keep <strong>co</strong>ming back. Africa has be<strong>co</strong>me the most dynamic e-learning market in the world, with a 38,6% growth rate of cloud-based e-learning products. Currently a $56,2 billion business globally, e-learning is likely to double in size before 2015. Many organisations in Africa who choose to learn in this manner also benefit from the fact that language, literacy and numeracy gaps are over<strong>co</strong>me by highly visual material, which makes vital training available to all, irrespective of differing education levels. Online classes can be up to 60% shorter in duration than traditional classes and, ac<strong>co</strong>rding to Certifyme.net, retention of information is also increased by up to 60%. Blended learning is designed to be interactive and in<strong>co</strong>rporates quizzes, games, audio and video to enhance learning, but also to include the personal touch that one would experience with classroom-based training. Tracking learner progress and providing them with <strong>co</strong>ntinuous support is an important means of sustaining their motivation to learn. Where access to online resources are lacking, online <strong>co</strong>urses can be easily deployed to CD or DVD, which allows access to the same <strong>co</strong>re <strong>co</strong>ntent through a digital platform, as opposed to an online platform. Once the <strong>co</strong>ntent is digital, it be<strong>co</strong>mes much easier to change the format to suit various student needs if internet access is a challenge. Since 2000, the global e-learning market has grown by 900%, and recent studies have projected that by 2019, 50% of all classes taught will be delivered online. One of the major selling points of e-learning is the fact that training is not bound by geography. Consistent training of a universal standard can be provided, as needed, without having to factor in travel time or <strong>co</strong>st. Classroom training presents students with the possibility of having to entertain themselves while they wait for other learners to catch up, but e-learning solves this problem by allowing the learner to study at their own pace. They have access to the material whenever they need it, and they have the opportunity to go back if something is unclear. Another fantastic advantage of self-paced study is that students have a learning environment which is <strong>co</strong>nsiderably more <strong>co</strong>mfortable, and this promotes the absorption of information. E-learning is designed to be simple and easy to understand, while also engaging. It is <strong>co</strong>mpletely customisable and makes the process of acquiring and retaining new knowledge as fast, effective and enjoyable as possible. Training and developing people is about putting the right tools in the right hands, and <strong>co</strong>urseware needs to be delivered in the way that will help learners to absorb and understand it best. E-learning has the potential to solve many of the problems that face education today, with the right educational approach and a solid support structure, there is no telling how far it will go. l 26 November 2013 | <strong>Education</strong> Southern Africa
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