Online learning can take many forms. It could be informal, sharing educational articles on the office WhatsApp group, or it could be an internal online learning course designed through an LMS. It can also be canned software in the form of a downloadable mobile app. Either way, it’s a significant change from the typical 3-day seminar or week-long workshop. It is clearly faster, cheaper, and more versatile; but what are the other advantages of “portable learning”

Traditional (offline) learning and training often require corporate gymnastics. You may have to close the office for a week and pay everyone to attend the seminar, which isn’t necessarily the best for tight corporate budgets. Or you might need to break them up into “ training shifts ” which could multiply costs even more. Lodging, venue rental, food, and transportation are all expenses you can eliminate by providing online learning.

More importantly, you won’t have to sync everyone’s schedule in a single online training window. It’s also easier for employees because the Off-site training creates additional challenges, such as daycare, pick-up, or babysitting.

6 Key Benefits of Online Learning you must know

Table of Contents

Accessibility anytime, anywhere

A benefit to consider when evaluating online training is increased accessibility. Traditional training is typically isolated to one location, while online learning gives employees the power to access mobile support tools from any geographic location. Then there are the advantages provided by the other “offline” approach.

Many learning management systems now have apps and support for downloadable content, which means your employees can get the information they need without an Internet connection. As a result, they are more confident in the workplace and can mitigate risks. For example, they can quickly watch videos or tutorials that show them how to complete a task, instead of struggling and making costly mistakes.

Increased confidence

Some of the smartest, most talented, and most successful people in the world still struggle with imposter syndrome.

So while you may not notice it, your star performers are likely experiencing crises of confidence. Mobile learning helps them get through it in a subtle and effective way. They can discreetly access JIT resources And they’ve been keeping your company’s tech “secrets” for longer than you think, so your team’s camouflaged insecurities are safe.

Additionally, an LMS with a mobile app or offline access allows you to collect more relevant data. For example, employees can report informal learning activities for credit, giving you the opportunity to track your offline participation rates and develop online training activities tailored to your needs.

Enhanced Personalization

Apart from group work sessions, which are rarely fruitful, traditional training is a general affair. The courses are led by a teacher without the scope to monitor individual employees. Online training is sometimes said to be more isolated.

But from a training perspective, corporate students are easier to track. You can see which units they are fighting, how quickly they finish, and/or when they lose interest. This shows you which areas of your e-learning course need improvement.

You can identify and develop online training courses for individual employee specifications. It ensures that everyone gets the maximum benefits from your e-learning course.

Expanded variety

A seminar will generally cover a single topic. There may be subtopics, but their nature means you can only focus on one topic area. Small businesses can do this once a month. With the larger ones, it could be once a year. Online training can offer hundreds of e-learning courses that can be studied at will by the employee.

They can follow online training courses over traffic, at home, or even on vacation if they wish. Instead of one workshop a year, an organized employee can take a new course every week.

Greater work-life balance

We tend to focus on the “mobile” aspects of online learning. But this portable quality also has other advantages. You can study with your children. Everyone will gather at the kitchen table, and they’ll do their homework while you do yours.

These are benefits you don’t get from offsite seminars. In this sense, e-learning could become a tool for career advancement along with family bonding, giving your employees the ability to achieve a better work-life balance, which improves overall satisfaction.

Additionally, the LMS allows them to simply download the online training materials they need, and then fill them in at their leisure, rather than trying to reorganize their schedule around family commitments and internet connectivity time blocks.

It may interest you: Strategies to build an effective learning program

Online learning has distinct advantages over conventional face-to-face training. And an LMS with offline features provides even greater benefits.

So what is the positive side of learning online? It is easier to plan, so logistics are greatly minimized. Employees can read discreetly, which helps them believe in their own abilities.

You can customize online learning courses, down to a single online learner. And you can offer hundreds of e-learning courses instead of just one. Finally, and most importantly, it is convenient, both for individual corporate students and for the organization as a whole. And it costs less too!