You may have wondered whether training with eLearning matters. After all, if you already have a training program or instructional courses in place and it’s working, why bother making a change?

As it turns out, there are seven reasons you should switch your training to eLearning.

Understanding what eLearning is

First, though, it’s critical to differentiate between two presumably interchangeable terms: eLearning and eTraining. Although they may sound similar, they are different. eTraining gives learners the skills they need for a particular task.

On the other hand, eLearning teaches not only the skills needed for task completion but also something far more important. ELearning participants develop new thinking that helps them respond in a variety of situations. They synthesize the learning so they can apply it in unique ways.

Some include the term cyberlearning as another more in-depth approach to eLearning.

7 reasons to make eLearning your go-to training platform

1.    Schoolroom to the business world. eLearning courses aren’t just for schools. While many k-12 and higher education schools incorporate eLearning in their instructional programs, corporate America is also using eLearning.

2.    Comprehensive professional development. eLearning provides the type of comprehensive training employees require to perform their jobs and get promoted. The training results in 218% higher revenue for each employee. And that’s if they spend only 1% of their time (less than five minutes a day) in eLearning activities.

3.    Eco-friendly training opportunities. Few professional development opportunities are as green as eLearning. On-demand professional development creates no travel emissions and requires little downtime and recovery when employees step away from their jobs to attend to learning.

4.    Greater retention. Researchers have discovered that eLearning significantly increases retention when learning new material. Rates of retention have increased between 25% and 60%. When employees engaged in online courses.

5.    Global closeness. eLearning brings the global community together. MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and other digitally-formatted courses witness enrollments from countries around the world. Learners have the opportunity to work together on projects and share ideas. By encouraging collaboration, eLearning also helps participants to transcend nationality and focus instead on solving problems.

6.    Differentiated materials and strategies. Learners who need additional resources or varied formats benefit from eLearning courses. Online courses are flexible enough to provide a nearly customized experience for participants as they chat is discussion rooms, post projects, and work with peers.

7.    A strong market. The global eLearning market size is projected to balloon to more than $300 billion. There’s little chance that eLearning will become another trend that disappears. It’s here to stay.

Additionally, instructors incorporate a variety of eLearning technologies in their courses, including virtual reality simulations and learning management systems. Corporate trainers who use these technologies are investing in their employees.

Whether you are taking a course or making one, there are plenty of reasons to adopt eLearning as your go-to professional development delivery system. eLearning is one of the most effective and inexpensive professional development options available. It yields the greatest gains.

What are you waiting for?