The world’s digitisation has had a significant effect on almost every aspect of our lives. We typically take advantage of one form of technology or the other in our daily activities. This has had an evident impact on organisational learning and development globally. Digital learning has dramatically gained traction, and more organisations are starting to focus on it as a tool for upskilling their employees.
As a new working environment rapidly evolves, things have become more fast-paced than ever. As such commands an urgent need for organisations to reskill and reshuffle roles, thereby making digital learning a necessity required to meet organisational goals.
What is Digital Learning?
Digital Learning simply refers to learning facilitated by technology or by instructional practice that makes effective use of technology.
It is a modern form of learning delivery that is replacing traditional training methods more and more each day. From eliminating the need for physical training locations to saving time with quick access to information, digital learning provides an efficient way to cut costs, maximise resources and heighten both reach and impact for instructors and learners.
However, digital learning extends beyond providing employees with laptops or tablets. Digital learning requires a combination of technology, digital content and instruction.
Technology
Technology is the mechanism that delivers training content to learners. Its application in learning delivery has made the learning experience far more structured, personalised and measurable than it’s ever been. Using various delivery modalities via software on devices, we effectively measure training effectiveness and optimise the experience for busy corporate learners.
Digital Content
Digital content is high-quality academic material that is delivered through technology. This is what corporate learners consume, ranging from new engaging, interactive and adaptive software to video lectures to games. It isn’t simply a PDF of text or a PowerPoint presentation.
Instruction
Educators are essential to digital learning. Though technology may change the instructor’s role, it cannot erase the need for an instructor. Instructors thoughtfully facilitate the content that will support learning.
Not only does digital learning save your organisation time, money and resources compared to physical classroom training, it does so much more. If you’re making a business case for digital learning in your organisation, these are five major benefits to bear in mind:
5 Benefits of Digital Learning
Increases Learning Capacity
Digital learning provides learners with complete autonomy. As a result, it enables individuals to absorb information more effectively; helping them navigate faster through areas of courses they are familiar with and invest more time in areas that prove challenging.
Digital learning also provides room for learners to quickly go back to unclear sections of a course to gain better clarity.
Boosts High Retention Rates
According to a study conducted by the Research Institute of America, digital learning increases knowledge retention rates by up to 60 percent, compared to 8 to 10 percent for physical training.
Incorporating microlearning strategies into digital learning helps your employees grasp new ideas, concepts, and skills better in small chunks than through long-form learning; thus leading to higher knowledge retention rates.
Additionally, the flexibility digital learning provides for learners to consume content in small bits fits in with their work and personal life.
It Takes Up Less Resources
Digital learning significantly lowers the time and effort spent getting learners ready for training. As a result of deploying the entire training virtually, there is no strong need for individuals to commute to and from training centres.
In addition, unlike traditional classroom training requiring countless manuals and lengthy training booklets, organisations can create and deliver a variety of online training programmes without these costly drawbacks that physical classroom training presents.
Keeps Good Track of Learning and Improves Learner Engagement
A significant advantage of digital learning is the opportunity it provides to enable you to keep track of each learner’s progress with short quizzes and assessments.
These tools are important as they reflect how much knowledge is being transferred during training and allows for the provision of assistance where a gap is identified.
Additionally, digital learning offers a dynamic mix of interactive multimedia content that eliminates distractions and keeps learners connected, thereby improving their overall engagement.
Requires Less Time Investment and Enhances Productivity
Because digital learning provides employees with access to training content at their own convenience, they have the opportunity to take courses at any time rather than attending in-person seminars, thereby significantly reducing time spent on training.
Not only does digital learning significantly reduce the amount of time spent on a course, but it also gives more room for improved employee productivity while performing their jobs.
———
If your organisation has been involved in delivering in-house training- such as compliance training, onboarding and induction programmes or product knowledge, the chances are that you may be sitting on a wealth of existing training materials.
The evolution of digital learning and increasing learner expectations presents an opportunity for your organisation to convert some of those materials into accessible online training content.
Incorporating digital learning into your corporate training strategy helps streamline employee training and development. It provides you with complete control over how, when, and where you want to train your employees to help them develop their skill sets and enhance their work performance.
Ready to drive impactful yet cost-effective learning across your organisation? Click here to learn more about how to make the switch to digital learning with customised e-learning courses.
