Online learning has been gaining traction this last decade with many innovative and technological strides introduced. This year has seen a surge in the adoption of online learning tools with COVID-19 temporarily closing down schools, universities, and learning centres. The online learning market is projected to be worth over $325 billion by 2025. With all the buzz surrounding online learning, it is only fair we look into how it could exponentially boost an institution’s operations, efficiency, and accessibility in this ever-changing landscape.
The best online learning tool provides an easy way for students to access and use course materials through the internet while making it simple for teachers and the institution to manage the course.
When picking the right online tool, you need to look into the following features and tools that create an optimal learning and management experience.
The right learning management system for you
For many people, a Learning Management System (LMS) is online learning. Though the LMS is only a component of an online tool, it is often the most prominent and visible. These systems function as an online classroom where instructors can hold discussions, upload readings, show videos, play audio, carry out learning activities, assess and grade student work.
Choosing the right online learning tool with an efficient easy-to-use learning management system is imperative to the success of your online learning experience. The role of a learning management system varies depending on the organisation’s objectives, audience, online training strategy and desired outcomes. Before investing in an LMS system, you need to identify exactly what you need from your LMS and who your learning content is aimed towards.
The LMS system should have interactive features
Engaging learners in your online learning program is one of the keys to ensuring they learn effectively and get the most out of what they are doing. When picking an online learning tool, ensuring it has innovative interactive features that seamlessly integrate with your system is a high priority.
One of the most effective ways to make learners more engaged in what they are doing is to make it interactive. With interactive learning experiences, learners have no option other than to get involved and take an active role in their learning. This approach allows users to interact with course content instead of merely consuming it. By letting students actively participate in the learning process, they can help increase engagement and retention.
Reporting and analytics is the engine behind decision-making
The right online learning tool is amiss without the right reporting and analytics systems. A tool must be able to monitor an institution’s online training initiatives and goals to determine if they are on target or require minor adjustments. Elearning platforms also feature analytics that allows institutions to monitor online training on an individual and group level.
With all this information, an institution will be able to revolutionise their approach towards optimisation and improvement. Data gleaned has helped in cutting down an institution’s cost. For every dollar invested in eLearning, companies make back $30 in productivity.
Content authoring and management with online learning systems
The core feature of any online learning tool is the ability to create lessons and manage content created. This is done via embedded authoring and content management tools. These tools include adding and editing slides, images, text, video, audio or any other on-screen element. These features allow you to bring your course to life and represent what the learner will be seeing, hearing and doing.
Seamless content management is a feature that eases any administrative qualms over adopting an interactive authoring tool. It is important to organise your assets, media, and other content because you can reuse the assets again for a new course in the future because it saves time on development and streamline workflow. Content management features also enable you to stay in control of all the tools and resources necessary for developing your e-learning course.
E-learning platforms should be easily accessible
Smartphones and tablets have become an essential part of our lives, it’s only natural to use them for learning as well. When choosing an online learning tool, an institution needs to look into seamless accessibility across all platforms.
An institution needs to look for an easy-to-use online learning tool to ensure optimal efficiency. Instead of using multiple platforms, pick one tool that meets all your needs. It would make operations significantly easier for you.
Utilising the right online learning tool
By utilising embedded programs that are easily and constantly accessible, online learning tools can help organisations build a strong learning culture, increase retention numbers, and achieve their goals. Effective online learning tool design takes into account modern learner trends and dives into the needs and habits of it’s end users.
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