Rapid Adoption To E-learning: The New Learning for the Training Profession

The importance of upskilling / reskilling to adapt to the ‘next normal’ is emphasised through COVID-19.

Major world events are often an inflection point for rapid innovation – a clear example is the rise of e-commerce post-SARS. While we have yet to see whether this will apply to e-learning post-COVID-19, we have already seen companies investing in more/new technology to manage remote working, but what would be interesting to see how sustainable this would become post normalcy being restored. Also, E-learning is one of the few sectors where investment has not dried up. What has been made clear through this pandemic is the importance of skilling / upskilling people, of new ways of doing things, adopting and adapting to new technologies, etc. across borders, companies, and all parts of society. If online learning technology can play a role here, it is incumbent upon all of us to explore its full potential.

For those who do have access to the right technology, there is evidence that learning online can be more effective in a number of ways. A research study by WEF shows that students retain between 25-60% more material when learning online compared to only 8-10% in a classroom.

In his book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, scholar Yuval Noah Harari outlines shifting from the continuing focus on traditional academic skills and rote learning, on to skills such as critical thinking and adaptability, which will be more important for success in the future. Could the move to online learning be the catalyst to create a new, more effective method of learning overall – education, corporate, others?

The ongoing pandemic and the uncertainty of a time frame as to when normalcy would get restored, has forced many institutions/organizations to quickly adopt novel methods & technologies to continue with their learning/teaching agenda. This is not only at the higher levels of academics, but even at the lowest levels (primary schools)! Needless to say, adopting online/virtual learning which has been around for a while in the coporates has now seen an exponential rise over the last 2 months.

Further, a slew of companies, especially in the IT sector have started thinking (and some already announced!) that remote working would be the norm going forward. This shift, however, does not mean that these organizations would stop or curtail learning initiatives. The proportion of programs going virtual would just shoot up exponentially and hence the need for learning professionals/training companies to adopt and adapt to the new way of life would be a necessity to sustain themselves.

That being said, our own experience @HeRitage People Practices over the last 6-8 weeks has seen a huge rise in the number of inquiries for online learning programs. Further, based on the very positive feedback received for the programs that we delivered, looks like the trend is here to stay and our ability to develop and deliver customized, crisp, engaging and effective learning modules, on relevant topics, is where we have seen our ability to add value.

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