Sunday, November 15, 2009

learn something new everyday…

I was going to take a class on time management, but I could just never find the time for it… I have an incredible admiration for people that have the drive and determination for a full time career and school at the same time. I feel like I barely have enough time to fit in daily exercise – I can’t imagine trying to fit an an extended education. It just amazes me how some people are able to go to work full-time, go to school, and have time to fit in other things like family, friends, social lives, exercise, etc. Where do they get the time? While all of that seems like a daunting list of things to manage and fit in, there is an growing trend of working professionals seeking out extended education. A lot of that has to do with the learning methods and capabilities that are available these days to make it more feasible.

On-line/remote learning is a growing trend for learning institutions and colleges to help gain a broader reach of students while decreasing costs. With the cost of educational tuition growing at an exponential rate, e-learning can be a cost effective alternative for many that may not otherwise be able to fit it into their lives. Many universities and colleges already offers extensive remote learning programs to students on a full-time and part-time basis. The technology improvements and developments in delivery and learning are only getting better, and students are becoming more comfortable and familiar living and world where people are connected by technology rather than physical presence. 

With the growing trends in the educational methods and the remote nature of how business is done, it is only natural that companies start to adapt and change the way that they train and educate their employees in a similar fashion. Companies are increasingly tapping into e-Learning and e-delivery technologies, techniques, methods, and capabilities to help train their employees and drive continuous education. However, even as popular as these trends are becoming, there seems to be little knowledge or awareness of the difference between e-delivery – or virtual instructor lead training (vILT) – and e-learning. vILT is training or education that is lead by an administrator, teacher, or trainer that delivers or presents the content to a class of students that are attending the class remotely. e-Learning typically refers to a self paced training or education program that is taken by a student without a live administrator. Both methods have success in delivering education and results that are effective and efficient, but depending on the content and/or the student one may be a better fit than the other. This is just one of the many questions that companies have to answer when implementing remote training and education programs. Organization, administration, collaborations, tools, methods, techniques, communication management, and many other factors come into play.

The market is saturated with technology solutions that can help, but which one is right for your organization, and how can you ensure that they deliver the needs of your business? virtualwirks has had some experience in this arena and we would like to help you answer these and other questions. 

-Tadd

1. Kaylyn says:

   December 4, 2011 at 2:43 am

   Hey, kleilr job on that one you guys!