Elearning is the future of education. While it will not completely replace the learning that happens in a traditional classroom, it nevertheless integrated itself fully into the educational system.
Teaching is never an easy thing because you never know how the introduction of new concepts and lessons will be received. Whether it happens online or in a traditional classroom, you have to make sure that the lessons will not just be received, but also accepted well.
To do that, you have to address the common challenges that online courses usually face. These are the ones that usually hinder the learners from fully absorbing what has to be learned from the course. These particular challenges, once addressed, will not only help reach the goals and objectives of the elearning course. It can also help provide the learners with a very enriching learning experience.
So what are these challenges? Here are top 4 that online courses should address.
Motivation. Lack of motivation is a great hurdle in elearning – especially since it is done online. In a traditional classroom, there is usually no way out of the classroom without attracting the attention of the instructor. In most cases, once you are in, you have to sit through the lesson to completion. The same is not true for an online class. It is easier to leave if you do not find the course appealing enough. This is why this is a great challenge in elearning. The course has to build the motivation within the learners so they will complete the course – and go through succeeding courses if any. The key to doing this is to make the course engaging and interactive enough to boost the enthusiasm for learning. Once it is obvious that the learning experience will be a great one, the learner will surely start participating and feel more motivated.
Value. The relevance of the course is also an important challenge to overcome. Some people will not give an elearning course notice if they do not deem it to be valuable. It has to help them improve something in their life – whether that is in their personal or professional life. If it helps them solve a problem, that course is deemed valuable. If it allows them to learn a new skill or knowledge that can improve their daily lives, that will also make it relevant. It helps to reveal the value of the course early on so the learners will know if that value can specifically be applied to them.
Technology. Another hurdle that elearning courses have to face involves technology. On one side, the course should be sophisticated enough to be accessible across all devices. On the other side, the learners should have access to these devices so they can enjoy the course and learn from it conveniently. This can usually be addressed if you find a great learning management system that will allow you to create your elearning course.
Time. This final challenge that you need to address in online learning is time. The fact is, people who opt to learn online are usually those who are too busy to enroll and learn in a traditional classroom. This is where elearning can be helpful. However, you have to make sure that the course will allow learners to complete it at their own pace – at least if this is possible given the subject that will be taught. A great way to overcome this challenge is by dividing a lengthy class into bite-sized courses. That way, the learners can choose to continue the course when it is most appealing to their schedules.
Unless an elearning course addresses and overcomes these challenges, the learning experience of the audience will be compromised.
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