E Learning In A Pandemic
It isn’t the most surprising of statements to say the Covid 19 pandemic has changed the world we live in. Some aspects such as lockdown rules will hopefully be temporary. However, the question is what permanent adaptions to our lifestyle will we make? Obviousy our work lives have been dramatically affected with huge swathes of people working from home and not gathering with colleagues in offices or meeting rooms.
This has had a major impact on training delivery. The traditional model of getting together in a classroom with a facilitator and many other people has obviously ground to a virtual halt.
Fortunately, at least for training and development, there is a solution. Technology has come to the rescue. Much of our learning can be delivered remotely. There are two basic modes involved – virtual classes and digital or e Learning.
Instead of the traditional ‘chalk and talk’ experience we can now develop ourselves without leaving home. However, as with most things, there are pros and cons to consider.
With virtual delivery this is where students gather at a pre arranged time with a teacher and view the input remotely. Both can speak with each other and screen sharing allows the use of presentations and graphics. Often delivered with platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, the advantages are that the cost is reduced, people do not have to undertake time consuming and costly travel and there are no fees for hiring a venue.
In the ‘debit column’ there are some issues which do make this a less than perfect solution. There is a different type of contact between teacher and pupil. Experienced trainers will ‘read the room’ to make sure everyone is engaging and this is not always possible virtually. There are often difficulties with broadband speed – how many virtual meetings have you been to which haven’t had problems with people logging on or the experience being interuprted by freezing or lost sound. Also an frequently experienced benefit of traditional training is actually meeting fellow students who will often be involved in your industry and you can learn from shared experience.
Digital delivery or e Learning as it is sometimes called is different again. This often involves the student making a purchase and undertaking the course as an individual. Again there are elements to consider as to whether this is the right approach for you.
There will often be no contact with an instructor or other students so ‘what you see is what you get’ and if you need further guidance or explanation you would have to look elsewhere outside the course you have purchased. You need some technology to access but nowadays most courses are designed to work on any device including tablets and laptops. Another aspect to look out for is quality. There are many providers out there. Some are huge companies such as Psittacus, Flexebee or Learning 247. There are sites such as Skills Platform and Reed where numerous sellers display their wares. Of course you will also find numerous e-learning NHS sites. Your search will also show there are also hundreds of smaller providers out there. Before committing it is worth checking how they assure the quality of the product you are purchasing.
A fuurther benefit to e Learning is that you can undertake the course at a time and a place to suit yourself. You can usually ‘pick up and put down’ by part completing and finishing later. Often you are able to download a certificate for CPD evidence once the course is finished.
E Learning is widely available and there are a huge range of courses available as any Google search will tell you. Because there are so many providers, it is often competitively priced. The courses are very often focussed on a specific topic so the training can act as a magic bullet if there is a specific requirement for knowledge that you have. For example the Eudition e Learning Dementia Awareness course will, within an hour, give an overview of