In recent years, online training has grown in popularity and this phenomenon is not about to run out of steam. Indeed, studies show that in 2015, e-learning was a $ 165.21 billion market and could reach $ 275.10 billion by 2022.(1)
Has your company followed suit?
E-learning is now a must for businesses. Employees or workers increasingly expect to use it. Whether for induction training for contractors, for learning procedures or for more specific training on, for example, health and safety practices, online training is now preferred.
The main reasons why online training is so attractive to companies are their low costs, the flexibility and accessibility they provide, and the strong potential for developing new skills they can generate.
With the current spread of e-learning training, design strategies, as well as management and hosting tools, are experiencing a real boom. Learning becomes more and more motivating, while the retention and transfer of information becomes more effective
Here are the top 5 essential strategies and tools for online training.
Gamification and Storytelling
According to a study conducted in 2017, 52% of Canadians admit having played video games in the last month.(2) Increasingly advanced technologies and reinvented reality are not unrelated to this phenomenon.
The gamification of learning is an element to take into account when conducting e-learning training. Here, the game is put forward as a learning strategy to present concepts and develop the skills of learners. Gamification is popular for increasing participant engagement through active participation. In gaming situations, they face various conditions and perform tasks to collect points or to win a race against the clock.
On the other hand, storytelling involves the staging of characters in situations significant to the learner. The learning-emotion combination is known to optimize the retention of information.(3)
Blended Learning
Your training lasts 2 days? It has theoretical and practical aspects? Blended learning could be an ideal solution.
Reduce classroom time by half and maximize learner potential by first dealing with theory through online training. Keep only the practice and enforcement for the classroom. Take the opportunity to add some gamification to your online training to prepare your learners for their hands-on training. There is nothing like a rally to encourage the discovery of clues in the learners' workplace.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is a now well-known phenomenon in large industries. Indeed, mining companies use simulators to test the skills of workers in emergencies to ensure that their reactions and responses are accurate and adequat.
This type of learning immerses participants in a controlled and immersive virtual environment in which they can interact and thus practice their skills safely, where the right to make mistakes becomes an important source of learning.
Virtual reality has the potential to dramatically change the online training industry. In addition to simulation tools, 3D scenarios are gaining popularity as their design process is easier and less expensive. With advances in technology, the use of virtual reality is not likely to disappear.
Micro-Learning and Mobile Learning
Your training last 3 hours? Reorganize your training into several short online modules in the form of videos and accompany them with quizzes and task aids. These short sequences facilitate the retention of information by providing the opportunity to improve the performance of a specific task.
This strategy is growing due to the increasing use of smartphones in day to day life. For example, by applying a few QR codes in strategic locations to your facilities, your online training is available at the right moment.
LMS – Learning Management System
Who says online training, says LMS. A learning management system where your online courses are hosted, is a powerful and essential tool nowadays. An LMS allows employee compliance’s management with respect to training requirements, skills, work procedures and professional qualifications.
The software lists all the useful information for, among others:
- Organize training activities according to the schedule of employees
- Validate whether employees have the qualifications needed to assign a task
- Obtain performance indicators to know and follow the evolution of the budget allocated to training
- And of course, manage the results of your learners
Hosted on the Cloud, the software is accessible through any Internet browser, from a PC or mobile device. The person in charge can thus consult the files of the learners in any place, whether it’s from the administrative office or the building site.
Where to Begin?
Specific trends and tools dedicated to the online training industry exist to make your job easier, make the task more enjoyable, be more efficient and save time. No need to integrate all at once. Prioritize the tool that best meets your needs and that will have the greatest impact on your operations.
Whether at the level of the management or the hosting of the online training, these technologies are here to last. Where is your organization? It's never too late to take advantage of e-learning and its many benefits.
- http://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/e-learning-global-market-outlook-2016-2022
- http://theesa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ESAC2017_Booklet_French05_Digital.pdf
- https://elearningindustry.com/7-tips-integrate-storytelling-next-elearning-course
