Don’t get me wrong in this post. I am a big fan of elearning. I have been since the 90’s. I was actually doing a great deal of elearning towards the end of the 90’s and after but it seemed to trickle away or maybe I was just caught up in the face to face world. Part of the decline though was the backlash I believe that occurred as many organisations jumped into elearning believing it would save them money and be more efficient as a learning pathway, which did not happen. Research was confusing. Some indicated this was the future and other research indicated that true learning was not happening and application of skill was hampered.
We are now in a situation where elearning has been extremely beneficial as face to face learning has been difficult, if not impossible. Elearning is here to save the world. The amount of emails to attend free webinars and buy this software etc over the last few months has been phenomenal. Has anything really changed though in regard to elearning’s ability to teach, train and educate. Yes, the software is a little better, a little more intuitive. Yes, effective learning design is being applied (well sometimes) Yes, the audience is a little more tech savvy and knows what to do. But, really, is it more effective?
As the old saying goes, lets not throw the baby out with the bath water. A couple of short intensive sessions online still doesn’t equal a day with a group of interested learners and a competent facilitator. Online questions are limited and asked only by those assertive learners. Communication tends to be more one way than two way. So much is lost when video is not turned on and facial expressions can’t be seen. Tone of voice can’t be heard. A question that takes a face to face group off on a tangent can be so rewarding. Full group interaction, immersed in a problem solving activity can be so beneficial to the future application of the skill and builds communication and emotional intelligence capability.
So, lets not go full throttle into elearning and forget that face to face learning, in a stimulating group environment should still be essential to effective learning. We can still do face to face but we are just going to have be better at reducing risks and managing the learning environment in a safe manner. Lets blend the technology with the face to face and get the best of both learning environments. Elearning should support face to face learning. Not the other way around. Having spent way too much time by myself over the last few months communicating with people, participants and friends online I think I am missing something from the interaction, the human aspect, the recognition of another’s feelings, the ability to bounce back and forth seamlessly from one idea to another, to debate and challenge, to respond vocally, facially, with empathy.
I had a face to face session last week with a small group and I can’t wait till the next one. The difference was unbelievable.
Do you remember what I am talking about?
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