For the busy professional who needs to stay ahead of the changes and developments in their profession there are a number of elearning benefits of online courses.
One of the main benefits of elearning through well constructed online courses is that you can test your own learning. You can be confident that you understand the subject matter and can apply it correctly in real situations. How often have you walked away from a face-to face course wondering – Have I got it? Have I got it right? Could I implement this in a work situation? A well put together elearning cpd course allows you to answer all these questions in the affirmative.
So how is this achieved through elearning? Well structured online cpd courses achieve this firstly by assessing your understanding of the subject matter through quizzes and tests. For example, multi-choice, matching, or crosswords. You can assess your understanding of the topic and identify any gaps. This self-assessment of your learning means you can take responsibility for your own continuing professional development.
The next phase in a well crafted online elearning courses involves practical exercises. These take you to the next level of implementing what you have learned. For example, you have completed the lesson on stakeholder analysis, completed and passed the quiz. Got that! Now let’s develop this learning further by completing a stakeholder analysis table based on the case study and scenario included in the elearning online course. This gets you thinking and more importantly – doing. You have to identify the various stakeholders involved, make assessments about their level of interest and influence and make some decisions on how best to interact with these stakeholders. This is learning by doing and elevates you to a higher level of learning. With cpd elearning you can do this at your own pace. You can take the time you need to reflect on the topic and develop well thought out analyses or approaches to a given situation.
The third phase involves sharing your thinking and analysis with the online community of peers and colleagues. Meaningful elearning is not done in isolation. Well structured elearning is a powerful mechanism for discussing, interacting and collaborating with your professional peers. This is achieved mainly through on-line forums and focussed discussion groups. Elearning, through it’s wide reach and global nature has the potential to introduce you to a much broader network of professionals with diverse ways of thinking. This in turn challenges and enhances your learning and moves you to the highest level of the elearning hierarchy.
