What is e-learning?

E-learning encompasses all training experiences that you provide to employees electronically. This kind of learning also represents the relationship between your trainers and your employees. Remote training can include web seminars, online slideshow presentations, any digitised documentation and video conference calls. What types of e-learning tools work best for you and your team depends on the kind of business you run. You may find that you need to engage your remote team regularly with e-learning modules if there is a lot of new information to pick up. Consider filing all documentation and media related to e-learning in a cloud storage system. At the end of the day, your training courses should be making it easier, not harder, for your employees to do their job effectively.

Regular e-learning modules may be especially worth considering if your employees are having to reskill for remote work. Not all employees may be initially comfortable with remote or hybrid work, so e-learning is a great way to help familiarise employees with the skills that they need in order to handle a remote workflow.

What are the benefits of all-remote learning and development plans?

Although you might consider it more difficult to train employees remotely, there are many advantages to doing so. Key benefits of all-remote or e-learning include the following:

• It creates more inclusive learning opportunities for individuals with disabilities, with difficulty accessing training days and with caring commitments.
• It allows for quicker delivery of training courses due to your company now working asynchronously, giving your employees the advantage of working around their calendars.
• When all of your learning information is kept online, it is easier to access and record, meaning that important training documents do not run the risk of getting lost or thrown away. It also saves you paper!

Integrate e-learning tools into your employee performance strategy by moving data and information to a cloud service. Make sure that this is easy for employees to access, and that the interface is designed to be simple and quick to pick up.

What are some of the disadvantages of all-remote learning and development?

Of course, despite the many benefits of training employees remotely, you may need to take stock of some of the difficulties associated with moving to e-learning practices. Consider these points so that you know which issues to look out for:

• It is harder to ask questions to employees and answer questions in real time. Consider following up with feedback via email or on one-to-one calls with employees after a training session.

• It is more difficult to tell how much knowledge employees are taking on board in unconventional online training sessions. If you have any concerns about this, consider monitoring training performance over a set time frame.

Key trends in remote learning and development

With remote learning and development becoming increasingly digitised, it makes sense to familiarise yourself with emerging trends in these key areas. Consider the below trends to help you find new ways to develop e-learning strategies.

Reskill for remote working

Your top priority as an employer should be to make sure that your employees have the skills necessary to take on remote work. This may involve training your employees in new technology, such as how to set up a video conference call or how to access information via cloud storage or a content management system. Each employee may be at a different level of expertise when it comes to remote working tools, but it is a good idea to run ‘reskill for remote working’ training courses that everyone can attend, regardless of skill level.

Blended vs all-online learning

If your workplace has a hybrid work structure that includes both remote and in-office working, you might prefer to guide your employees via blended learning strategies. Blended learning combines digital learning with some in-office or on-site training. Blended learning helps you to compensate for some of the issues that can arise from an all-digitised learning strategy. This type of hybrid learning gives you more face-to-face time to answer any questions that an employee might have, whether in a group setting or on an individual basis.

Learning metrics and personalised targets

To keep an eye on how effective your e-learning processes are, it is worth using data and metrics to keep track of your employee’s learning progress. Consider running quizzes following training courses to find out how quickly your employees are picking up on new information.

You can utilise quizzes and other skill assessments to help create personalised targets for employees. Look at the results from each quiz that they complete and find out which areas they need to develop. That way, your employees aren’t having to relearn any material that they have already got to grips with, and can focus on strengthening the weaker areas of their skill sets.

Taking advantage of video conferencing tools

It is a good idea to start taking advantage of video conferencing tools for training sessions. This allows you to communicate with your employees regularly as part of a team on a face-to-face basis, even if you cannot meet with them in person. Video conferencing tools often include an instant messaging service so that you can upload useful links and respond to any questions that your employees might have during a training session.

Gamification of e-learning

Take advantage of apps that help your employees to learn via gamification. Gamification is a new e-learning trend that adds familiar game mechanics to online learning experiences, such as puzzles or quizzes. When your employees are learning via a multimedia experience that involves listening, visualising and memorising, they are more likely to remember the information presented to them. A recent study shows that gamification improved the performance of students with low agreeableness and introversion. Gamification was less effective with extroverted students. Therefore, it may be worth offering e-learning games as an option, rather than an overall solution to e-learning. E-learning apps that use gamification can be another helpful addition to your training courses. This is a good idea especially when helping employees to remember what they have learned.

Mastery-based learning techniques

With mastery-based learning, your employees have to show that they have a solid understanding of a particular task or knowledge base before you allow them to progress to the next level. This means that employees cannot skip modules; they will have to complete set training tasks first before moving onto a more advanced training task. Create structure in your learning strategies by setting different tiers of mastery that your employees can achieve through training and quiz-based assessments. State the learning objectives and how to achieve them. Make sure that you have access to all employee data regarding assessments and provide useful feedback to employees on their test results.

Micro-learning strategies

Micro-learning is where you give your employees small training sessions as part of a bigger overall mastery-based strategy. Micro-learning helps break down learning goals into more manageable chunks. You should make sure that employees completing small training modules are working towards long-term goals. It is also important to assess employee learning goals along the way. This is known as adaptive learning; you can tailor each course to suit your employee’s strengths and weaknesses. Consider combining this kind of learning with gamification. This will help create incentives for employees along their learning journey. With these e-learning tips in mind, you should be able to pivot to fully remote or hybrid learning with greater ease. Modernise your workforce by taking on board these new trends in online learning. This will help to make the transition to remote working smoother for your employees. There may be some initial difficulties in adjusting to remote learning. This especially applies to employees who are less computer-literate and need training in video conferencing. However, you may find that remote learning is easier to coordinate than on-site learning schemes and that it is more beneficial. Ultimately, the pros of e-learning outweigh the cons. Further reading: 5 steps to creating an effective training and development program How to motivate your employees Performance improvement plan