What are the Benefits of Online Learning?

Although online learning has been gaining momentum for several years now, the events of the last few years have pushed us all to find ways to conduct our every-day-lives at a distance.  

One of the many things that we’ve discovered can work just as well, if not better, online as it does in person is learning. So this National Online Learning day, let’s have a look at why this transition has worked so well, and what the benefits are for taking your training online. 

It’s Much Easier to Arrange 

If you’ve never had to arrange an event for more than about three people, count yourself lucky! It can be a real challenge to find a date, time, AND location that’s convenient for everyone.  

With online learning, however, people don’t need to arrange travel, accommodation, meals (especially for particular dietary requirements), or out-of-hours childcare.  

There are even “On Demand” courses that can be accessed as-and-when it’s convenient to the delegate taking the course.  

It can be Easier to Re-Arrange 

Sometimes events happen that cause a disruption or require pre-planned events to be re-scheduled. This is much easier without the need to rearrange travel or accommodation, and it’s much less hassle for the organiser of the session (where a trainer and venue have already been booked and paid for, and so a set number of delegates is needed to make the event viable). 

In some cases, the cancellation or re-scheduling terms are much more relaxed due to there being fewer constraints.  

There are Often More Options 

Due to having no venue, travel, or accommodation to arrange, there’s often a wider range of course topics, levels, and dates available. If the course is pre-recorded rather than live with a tutor leading it, there could be endless numbers of courses and spaces running at any one time.  

It can be Less Time Consuming 

Thanks to there being no travel time or the need to be at a pre-arranged venue, delegates can fit other tasks around the course. This could be as simple as checking your emails or putting a load of washing on during the lunch break – something that’s not so easy to do when you’re sat eating lunch with other delegates! 

This is particularly the case for on-demand courses. 

It’s More Accessible and More Comfortable for Learners 

There are many reasons why online training is more accessible for everyone, including: 

• Less time consuming 
• More flexibility 
• It can be formatted for different types of learners (e.g visual, auditory, text-based, practical, academic, formal, informal, short sessions, etc) 
• It can be formatted for better accessibility (e.g audio description, large text, assistive tools and apps, short duration, repetition, keynote recording, sound level adjustment, dark mode, colour scheme adjustment, etc) 

• Progress at the delegates’ own pace and allow time for them to absorb the information (especially for on-demand courses) 
• Less daunting (especially for those who find social interaction challenging) 

It’s Often Cheaper than In-Person Training 

Simply because there’s less cost to the organiser – no venue, materials or hospitality costs, plus less tutor time needed and no travel or other expenses (food, parking etc) for the tutor either. 

In fact, there’s a wealth of free courses available to get delegates started, such as our catalogue of Free E-Learning here.