What Are the Disadvantages of Online Learning?

Did you know that “90% of corporations now use e-learning compared to just 4% in 1995?” Yes, in the last decades, several companies have embraced this powerful tool. However, many others believe that online training poses multiple roadblocks. Corporates believe that e learning management system can lead to a less personal, unengaging, and too flexible training schedule. Therefore, today, we shall help you by pinpointing the five perceived disadvantages of online learning. What’s more? We will also be explaining their respective solutions!

What Are the 5 Major Disadvantages of Online Learning? What Are Their Solutions

1. Too Self-paced: There Are No Set Deadlines

One of the significant upsides of e-learning is that it is self-paced. What does this mean? You can ask your employees to take classes at their convenience. For instance, if they want to revisit a course, they can. Again, if they’re going to rewatch a video, they can. If a learner wishes to take a break from the material, s/he has the liberty to pause and come back to it when s/he is feeling refreshed.

However, because of this inherent freedom, several L&D teams believe that eLearning can lead to zero knowledge absorption. Trainees may not have the motivation to carry on. They might complete a course just for the sake of it and see the activity as a tick box exercise rather than an essential part of the curriculum.

In a self-paced environment, an e-learning module can remain unattended for aeons. Usually, employees prefer to assimilate new skills and knowledge through active corporate training sessions accompanied by their peers.

The Solution:

Now, here is the thing. In face-to-face sessions, the schedules are so rigid that a trainer may move too fast. In certain instances, learners may not even have the time to grasp the knowledge delivered. However, in online training, employees have the freedom to decide — when to move on and when to go back to something they didn’t quite understand.

If you wish to induce more discipline, you can couple your eLearning sessions with result-oriented assessments, available in a platform like PlayAblo. Please keep track of their achievements via a solution that has an analytical dashboard. Introduce deadlines and incorporate rewards for learners who complete a module and showcase their knowledge through quizzes and questionnaires.

1. No Personal Touch

You can make eLearning interactive these days using multiple elements such as video conferences, webinars, and face-to-face video chats. However, it is a common myth that online sessions still are not the same as conversing with a real person. In short, eLearning may not serve as a substitute for interacting with and learning from another human.

The Solution:

There are several approaches to solve the problem mentioned above. You can opt for crowdsourcing communication – where learners review each others’ blogs and post comments. It leads to useful feedback sharing and the build-up of personified communication. Additionally, you can use voicemail, a straightforward, asynchronous technology – which allows trainers to manage their own time while delivering a unique, personal touch to online course communication.

Semi-personalised notes are another excellent method for communicating course events and maintaining contact with students. Finally, distributed instruction to match distributed learning is a built-in model that promotes the scaling of high-demand courses.

1. Rigidity

eLearning is one of the best methodologies to learn specific skills and transfer targeted knowledge. But when the skillset becomes more complex, sometimes it is challenging to put together an effective e-learning programme. Some of these competencies can be learnt only with detailed research, deep thinking, and engaging in certain activities. After all, the best learning is a result of learners discovering solutions on their own. It happens by asking questions and obtaining clarification. However, eLearning can make such tasks difficult.

The Solution:

Now, speaking of rigidity, eLearning is, in fact, extremely flexible. You can always incorporate the activities as mentioned earlier in a full-fledged, agile LMS. Additionally, you can engage in online sessions anywhere and anytime. PlayAblo’s microlearning splits courses into digestible sessions, while mobile learning makes courses available on any device. Features like gamification render complex topics easy and enjoyable. What does this mean? You can modify eLearning to fit it into your business’s schedule instead of having to fit it into an external trainer’s timetable.

1. Absence of Instructors

ELearning is indeed structured. When one develops an online training programme, the development is done based on what the developer think is the right curriculum. However, with time, learning materials can become outdated. They can also have errors. In offline classes, trainers converse with learners. They discuss the requirements and their respective solutions. Instructors take student feedback and offer lessons based on questions and gap areas.

The Solution:

The best way out for this problem is to invest in an eLearning solution such as PlayAblo, which is embedded with tools like live classes and webinars. If your end goal is to transform your online learning platform into a complete education environment, live video sessions and interactive virtual classrooms are essential. You will need a platform that can easily integrate software, which allows trainers to conduct virtual sessions. You can also include feedback forms to collect student feedback and then incorporate them in the next session.

1. Slow Evolution

Once an e-learning course is developed, it can consume a long time if one needs to include changes later. If a business model undergoes a change or the market conditions transform, online training can instantly become obsolete. L&D teams are sceptical of the time and energy spent to get the course up and running. On the other hand, in traditional training, conducted in the training room, you can easily change and update the course with live trainers. Live training is fluid and usually evolves as per evolving business needs.

The Solution:

To promote a continuous learning culture in your company, you need to ensure that your training modules can scale and grow with time. As your business expands, your learning needs will evolve. Only then you can increase your revenue. In such a case, you can opt for a cloud-based solution. A SaaS Learning Management System comes with high scalability since you already have the infrastructure in place. The addition of new users does not serve as an obstacle in this training model.

Conclusion

E-learning comes with a plethora of benefits. However, HR professionals must understand the limitations that are inherent with these training strategies. They must consider these limitations carefully when developing training plans to determine the right solution for your business. And with the help of the correct countermeasures, you can make eLearning an enriching experience.