Online training has become a very popular method of education, whether it is used for training employees on the use of internal software, processes, or even showing customers how to use particular products. By placing training materials on the internet, businesses can significantly reduce printing and distribution costs. Online training is also an effective method for businesses to reduce overhead associated with instructor-led seminars while allowing them to reach a broader worldwide audience.
Besides the cost savings, there is also a great deal of time saved. Training often takes a backseat to normal everyday work activities at companies despite it being vitally important to one’s productivity. It is very difficult and often impractical to interrupt a project to take a week-long training class. Online training offers the flexibility of being self-paced, so that employees can manage time appropriately, keeping important projects on track while also advancing skills for increased productivity.
Upon learning about the advantages of online training, many companies will proceed to upload their training manuals and Power Point presentations online for employees or customers to access only to discover that they are either not being used or are proving to be ineffective. Why is that?
Before answering that question, let’s first discuss the different types of learning. We can all be categorized by one of three types of learners: visual, audio and kinesthetic. Here’s a quick overview:
- Visual learners need to see something to learn it and hence, may have trouble focusing on a lecture if there are few visual aids. They tend to remember written directions.
- Audio learners are good at remembering what they hear. Lectures therefore may be effective for them regardless of what visual aids are used.
- Kinesthetic learners need a hands-on style of learning. They typically don’t need written instructions and may be bored during long lectures.
As human beings, we use all three of these types of learning. However, very few of us are balanced in all three. We tend to be strong in one and weak in the other two. I’m willing to bet you’ve already determined which one you are.
A good instructor-led class uses techniques that reach all three types of learners. There may be an audio lecture with lots of visual aids, followed by a hands-on exercise. Different students may struggle at different times during the class but in the end, the majority will have met their objectives due to this balanced approach.
Likewise, a class with few satisfied students may be due to an instructor relying on one of the three learning styles (perhaps his or her own) and failing to use techniques for the other two.
Online training is no different. By simply placing a written manual or Power Point presentation online, you are really only addressing one style of learning. Even the best Power Point presentations that I’ve seen that may use audio and video clips are still only using two styles. Kinesthetic learning is completely absent.
A powerful online solution for eLearning is Flash, which integrates all of the multimedia elements for all three styles of learning. Thus, you can easily recreate the ideal classroom environment by having audio lectures with plenty of visual aids, followed by hands-on exercises.
Flash is an incredibly powerful medium, so the possibilities for kinesthetic exercises are almost endless. If the subject matter is software or a device of some sort that may be complicated to use, a simulation is an excellent exercise. You can have the Flash exercise look and feel like the software or even a handheld GPS device, allowing the student to make selections and run through various scenarios simulating a real world application. There can even be some additional audio and visual aids to help the student through the exercise.
Perhaps the subject matter isn’t software but a process. You can still allow the student to make a choice and based on the choice, provide different results for a rich, scenario-based learning experience. It’s the same as a software simulation except that the visual cues may be illustrations or audio/video clips instead of screen shots of the software.
The hands-on exercise can also be delivered as a game. While games may sound taboo in the workplace, they can be very powerful learning tools especially for subjects that most people may find dull, such as statistics. By providing real-life scenarios, adding characters and setting forth a challenge, the student will be interested in trying it and will likely complete it successfully.
There are many tools available for creating multimedia-rich Flash online courses. And the great news is that with the right tool and expertise using it, these courses can be cost effective while producing measurable results.
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