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Another Benefit Of E-learning Is That Both Professionals And Consumers Have ...


Another benefit of e-learning is that both professionals and consumers have been able to access others to share discussions on topics that go beyond the pre-assigned topics. E-learning has then opened the doors to people discussing and learning from each other in a way that could have never been done on such a large scale. Previously, it would only happen in a classroom setting and, even then, it would not be as in-depth as people would be shy or apprehensive. Sitting behind a computer screen, people tend to be more open and conducive to the learning environment.
Despite these benefits, the disadvantages can stop many organisations in their tracks and have them ponder the best approach to enhancing the knowledge of their managers and staff. As one e-learning company noted, Introducing the concept of life-long learning is a massive undertaking for most organisations. It needs a major shift in culture, requiring commitment, careful implementation and ongoing support to be successful (Eybers 2007: 1). This buy-in from the entire team is not easy to get, so it can prevent a real return on investment from the resources utilised to implement an e-learning program. This commitment is very necessary because another disadvantage of e-learning is the expense that can be involved in adding and managing a program within an organisation.
The Future of e-learning
As technology continues to manipulate personal and professional lives, e-learning may take different shapes but it will most likely dominate any of the traditional ways that people gathered knowledge. Blogs, RSS feeds, social bookmarking tools such as Wiki, streaming video, podcasts, and online simulations will replace textbooks and clipping services (Alexander 2006: 40). Labelled Web 2.0, the future of learning will build on what the Internet has already shown to be a powerful source of knowledge connection between teachers, students and information (Alexander 2006: 42).
Because of the movement toward a knowledge-based society, e-learning will have to become more diversified and will not be able to support all the learning needs of individuals and organizations by itself (Rosenberg 2006: 1). In this way, e-learning will have to become more personalised and flexible enough to accommodate informational and collaborative solutions that focus more prominently on the specific jobs people do (Rosenberg 2006: 1). This means a movement from coursework descriptions to the knowledgebase, which can offer a more in-depth variety of resources through comprehensive content (Rosenberg 2006: 3) versus courses that may gloss over a particular topic that an individual may want to find more detailed knowledge. Similarly, e-learning will adapt to the learner's level of mastery (Rosenberg 2006: 3).


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