Why are e-learning courses increasingly popular with companies?

Autonomy, flexibility, comfort... taking an e-learning course has many advantages for learners. Aware of these advantages, more and more companies are banking on e-learning and distance learning to train their staff in the best possible way.

And recent technological advances, particularly in artificial intelligence, are not going to put the brakes on the e-learning boom. Quite the contrary!

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Definition of e-learning

E-learning is an increasingly popular learning tool in the corporate world. A source of numerous advantages, it is highly appreciated for its practical and fun aspects.

What is e-learning in simple terms?

E-learning is a system based on online learning. Made possible by the democratisation of the internet and the digital transformation of businesses, the main advantage of this educational solution is that it enables courses and modules to be delivered remotely.

In other words, courses can be accessed at any time and from anywhere. This is a major advantage for learners, who gain greater autonomy and comfort in their training path.

Primarily published in the form of software as a service ( SaaS ) and mobile applications, e-learning platforms are now an integral part of the educational landscape. They are used in a variety of settings:

• in the corporate world, for ongoing employee training ;
• at school, to help students learn;
• at home, for individuals wishing to progress in their chosen field.

What are the origins of e-learning?

The origins of digital learning as we know it today date back to the 1990s and the advent of the Internet. At that time, a number of American universities embraced innovation and offered online courses. Of course, at that time there was no question of e-learning platforms as we know them today. Training was delivered in a rather archaic way. Initially, they were based essentially on the transfer of teaching documents and email exchanges, before gradually taking advantage of the technological boom (instant messaging, webcam, etc.). The aim? To streamline the distribution of content and encourage greater interactivity.

• It wasn' t until 1999 that the term e-learning made its official appearance at a seminar on e-learning systems.
• The 2000s marked the start of a spectacular boom in distance learning. More and more companies and schools were integrating these new platforms and contributing to their popularity.

At the same time, the cost of IT equipment is falling drastically, allowing computers and the internet to gradually enter the majority of homes.

Today, the e-learning market is enjoying growing success. In fact, it has recently been helped by the Covid-19 health crisis, which has had a major impact on companies' relationship with digital technology. To give you an idea, it is estimated that the French e-learning market will be worth around €4.2 billion by 2024!

An anecdote to help you shine in society ✨: although we usually date the birth of e-learning back to the 1990s, in reality there are even earlier traces. Between the late 1960s and early 1970s, a number of computer programmes based on digital learning saw the light of day. One example is the CBT (computer based training) programme developed by the University of Illinois.

The different types of e-learning

There are a multitude of variations on the e-learning concept. We take you on a brief tour of the most popular methodologies.

Full e-learning

As its name suggests, full e-learning is a course based 100% on online distance learning. Courses and assessments are followed and completed from the virtual platform.

👤 In general terms, full e-learning is the preferred option for learners wishing to engage in self-training.

✅ This allows them to progress at their own pace and to define an individualised training path, tailored to their desires and needs.

Blended-learning

Here, we are dealing with a methodology that combines face-to-face lessons with the distribution of online content. The idea of blended learning is to offer learners additional training through specific teaching modules.

👤 For example, the trainer can assign each student a particular course to follow, depending on their progress or needs.

To this end, blended-learning is often associated with so-called flipped pedagogy, culturally rooted in the North American education system. In this way, face-to-face courses are devoted more to exercises, case studies and discussions with the trainer, while online courses are reserved more for a traditional form of learning.

Social learning

Also known as e-learning 2.0, social learning is characterised by the horizontal transmission of knowledge. In other words, this method is largely based on the sharing of knowledge and skills between learners, and moves away from traditional vertical teaching methods.

The emergence of collaborative platforms and social networks has gradually democratised social learning. We all have access to some form of social learning on the content that interests us, as long as we know where to look!

✅ Take a look here, for example:

• private groups
• forums,
• the comments section of a publication.

Immersive learning

The concept of immersive learning is simple: immerse the learner in the most realistic situation possible. So, as we're talking about virtual distance learning, immersive learning relies mainly on simulation-based technologies, such as augmented reality.

👤 As you can imagine, this is an expensive form of learning, and not one that all companies can afford.

✅ Nevertheless, we can reasonably imagine that virtual reality tools will become increasingly accessible, allowing the gradual emergence of immersive learning.

Video learning

The video format is praised for its particularly high rate of information retention. Unsurprisingly, it is used in most e-learning courses. Video learning is simply the use of video as the basis for teaching modules.

More engaging for the learner than a traditional course, video is also a very practical tool for the trainer.

Easily and widely distributed, it is synonymous with interactivity and learning comfort.

Mobile learning

One of the great advantages of e-learning is that you can take your courses online from a distance, wherever you are. But in some cases, learning on a computer is not always the ideal solution. Thanks to mobile learning (or M-learning), it is possible to access all the teaching modules via a tablet or smartphone.

✅ The main advantages of mobile learning include

• greater flexibility for learners used to travelling on business ;
• greater freedom in the time devoted to learning;
• the possibility of learning from home, from the comfort of your sofa or bed (and that's priceless!).

Gamification

Motivation is an essential component of any training programme. And e-learning tool publishers have understood this very well. So, to encourage employees to get more involved, the platforms have gradually turned to a more playful architecture. 🎮

For example, some software packages offer learners the chance to take part in a training programme based on a points and rewards system. The more modules an employee validates and the more skills they acquire, the more virtual points they receive and the more bonuses they can claim. For employees with a keen competitive spirit, gamification is a fantastic gateway to the world of e-learning.

But there are also modules that focus on collaboration and problem-solving (escape games, serious games, etc.). In short, gamification is a type of e-learning that relies on a highly entertaining dimension to motivate learners and get the best out of them.

The virtual classroom

To conclude this brief overview of the most popular types of e-learning courses, we can turn our attention to the virtual classroom. Having become essential during the Covid-19 crisis, the virtual classroom is a digital transcription of a physical classroom.

In other words, a trainer teaches a class of learners remotely, from his or her home or any other suitable location. This format is designed to be particularly interactive and to encourage a wide range of exchanges.

E-learning: advantages and disadvantages

There are many advantages to e-learning, which goes a long way to explaining its growing popularity, particularly in the corporate world. However, e-learning does have its limitations, which may explain the scepticism of some managers.

What are the advantages of e-learning?

The advantages of e-learning vary depending on whether you are the beneficiary or the prescriber.

For learners

The most obvious benefit is the ease with which they can learn. This means being able to study at your own pace, depending on how busy you are.

For example, an employee who has a particularly busy week at work will be able to postpone their training until a quieter week, when they will have plenty of time to catch up on the modules they have missed.

Similarly, it should be noted that not all learners progress at the same speed and have the same retention capacity. While some employees will absorb the key knowledge of a training module in 30 minutes, others will need more time, or even to return to it several times before they are able to confirm that their skills have been upgraded.

Another significant advantage of e-learning for learners is the ability to study at a distance. No need to travel and attend face-to-face classes. Employees can devote a whole day to their training course from home or any other convenient location, without having to incur travel costs or waste precious hours in traffic jams or on public transport.

As well as saving time, this gives learners greater autonomy. Each employee can create a personalised training path for themselves and decide to take the courses at the times they deem most convenient. 👌

Finally, the diversity of content offered in e-learning plays a very important role in motivating learners. Video support, interactive quizzes, role-playing exercises... Each employee can rely on the formats they feel are most relevant to their learning path.

For the company

For companies, there are many advantages to offering e-learning courses to their employees. You can

• financial savings: in the long term, integrating e-learning tools is more cost-effective than calling in external instructors and organising face-to-face training days. The courses integrated into the platform remain usable year after year, offering an excellent return on investment.

• Increased productivity: increased skills mean increased productivity. With better training, your teams can achieve better results and contribute to the development of your business;

• Increased well-being at work: with access to learning modules, employees feel more valued. They are also more inclined to project themselves internally over the long term, identifying their development prospects more accurately.

And the drawbacks?

Although very practical, e-learning does have a few drawbacks. Among the most frequently cited drawbacks are :

• a technological barrier for those who are furthest removed from digital technology ;
• the lack of human contact with a real-life trainer capable of motivating us and answering our questions in real time;
• a methodology that can be conducive to idleness if poorly supervised;
• a lack of personalised learning content, particularly if it is not produced in-house or at least verified in-house.

Which tool should you choose? The different e-learning providers

E-learning service providers are primarily training organisations specialising in e-learning. They are used to working alongside companies, and offer turnkey solutions that generally take the form of a subscription to a SaaS solution providing access to learning modules focused on the company's business.

✔️ What's in it for your company? Peace of mind and the assurance of benefiting from the expertise of e-learning professionals. However, these services come at a cost that not all companies can afford. It is therefore common for companies to delegate employee training in-house.

Once again, this involves subscribing to an e-learning platform. The teaching modules can be downloaded from a database (usually for a fee) or created directly by your teams.

Among the most widely used e-learning tools on the market are :

• 360Learning ;
• iSpring Learn LMS ;
• Didask ;
• Moodle ;
• TalentLMS.

What are the current and future trends in e-learning?

Today, companies are looking for increasingly interactive and immersive solutions to encourage their employees to learn. Technologies based on augmented reality, for example, have been very successful in recent years.

At the same time, it is the ultra-personalisation of educational content that is in demand. And it's clear that AI is coming into its own in this respect.

For example, some e-learning software packages incorporate tools based on artificial intelligence, capable of generating learning content from documents (videos, slideshows, text files, etc.) supplied by the trainer. This saves considerable time and money for companies wishing to offer training modules that are as close as possible to the specific features of their business.

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E-learning in a nutshell!

E-learning, or online distance learning, is becoming increasingly popular in the workplace.

A source of multiple benefits for both companies and employees, it is renowned for its simplicity and speed of implementation, particularly via SaaS solutions.

💡 And if you're looking for the best software to deploy within your company, don't hesitate to consult our directory devoted to the best-rated e-learning platforms on the market!