What constitutes a great e-learning program?

Ever since the advent of the internet, the ceiling to how much you can learn in a lifetime has ceased to exist. If you have the required initiative, you can learn anything you want. Top universities of the world like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and MIT provide many of their courses for free over the internet. Websites like Coursera, EdX, Udemy, and Linda open many doors for people who miss out on traditional educational pathways. However, many of these tools and resources would never exist if we didn’t have the appropriate technology to realistically implement e-learning. Professionals working in the education industry understand this well. Since e-learning also has uses in corporate settings, the outreach of e-learning products has never been higher. Thus, it is imperative to know and understand the elements that e-learning courses are founded on.

What are the elements integral to an efficient e-learning course?

There is a lot of e-learning information out there. However, not all of it is necessarily useful. The fine line between a serviceable e-learning course and a non-serviceable one is predicated upon the presence or absence of the elements detailed below:-

• Strong Content:- If the content of e-learning is not at par with the intended learning outcomes, even the most efficient learning management systems cannot make the course worthwhile. After all, e-learning information technology is also created with the content of the course in mind.
• Efficient Delivery Channels:- e-learning platforms offer educators a lot of freedom when it comes to designing the courses. However, that freedom also poses the need to make some important decisions. Deciding upon appropriate delivery methods is one such choice that you need to make while designing e-learning courses. For instance, the e-learning information tools you use to teach lessons are just as important as the content of the module.
• Provision of Feedback:- Learning is a two-way street. If a student is willing to learn, the teacher must push the learner to overcome the gaps in his retention. The only way to make that happen is by providing consistent feedback. Thus, for any e-learning course to be successful, the implementation of a readily accessible feedback channel is a must. To meet that end, you can leverage e learning information technology, and integrate instant messaging into an LMS.
• Functional LMS Design:- Without a learning management system that does its job well, e-learning mechanisms cannot work. Thus, to create a beneficial e-learning course, you must develop an LMS (Learning Management System) that supports ease-of-use, structured distribution of course modules, progress monitoring tools, and a seamless feedback channel (as mentioned above).
• Assessment Tools:- In any kind of educational setting, tests help with retaining what you learn. Thus, an e-learning program that is worth its salt helps students assess their abilities via evenly-spaced tests and quizzes.

E-learning has come a long way during the past few years. However, the five core elements as mentioned-above must be respected if you wish to create a great e-learning program.