Top eLearning Myths That Will Help You Redefine Your LMS
eLearning is quickly becoming a part of everyday life. Since COVID-19 shut the world down, the increased focus on virtual learning and training has created many solutions for companies out there who are trying to upskill their employees and help their organization thrive. Almost all schools and universities have or had some type of hybrid or online remote learning option for students, and since companies have been using computer-based training for a while now, it was only natural for them to follow suit.
Of course, an LMS is only as good as you make it. To do that, you need to know the right things to do (and what not to do). Below are the most common myths about eLearning and LMSs that may boggle your mind and rewrite everything you thought you knew about your learning management system.
Myth: More content means better courses
Too often, people associate more with better, but that’s hardly the case most of the time. Such is true with your training and learning courses on the LMS. Although it’s great to have documents and well-researched content available, today’s learners have short attention spans and even lower retention rates when it comes to those hours-long online courses watching video after video or reading from a screen endlessly.
Consider building courses with a microlearning structure. Microlearning refers to the strategy of breaking larger courses into small sections so that they can be completed quickly. They’re also usually followed by small quizzes, and learners will retain a lot more content than if they had a longer lesson and a more difficult test at the end.
Myth: The LMS is only for eLearning
eLearning courses are not the only thing that you can use an LMS for. These platforms can assist with all aspects of learning and development, including administration, documentation and tracking, sharing, reporting, and evaluations to rate each learner’s progress within the learning courses, as well as how your team is doing as a whole. This dynamic platform can also share resources, participate in group conversations, and more.
No matter the size of your organization, technology is available today so that your LMS can do whatever you need it to do. Whether you’re just getting started or you’re looking to migrate to a better solution, getting the most out of your LMS should be at the top of your list. When you partner with the right people, that’s easy to do.
Myth: Gamification always works
Gamification is a fantastic resource for learning and development. However, that doesn’t mean that there is always a time and place for it. There may be some lessons best taught the old-fashioned way, or in a different format than via a game. For example, what if you’ve got an older audience of learners who aren’t as video game-savvy as the younger generations? They might be more confused by gamified training than amused. Make sure that if you’re incorporating gamification, you do it appropriately and where it will have the biggest impact. (That’s where those administration tools we mentioned above come into play)
Myth: People learn better “in the classroom”
The long-running argument against distance learning was that part of the “learning” came from the personal interaction that takes place. Even in a class with 50 college students and one teacher, there’s still a level of interaction that you don’t get from participating virtually. With that said, however, the caveat is that many people do learn better when using virtual platforms and online learning tools. Because everyone learns in their own way, having an LMS allows you to customize options to fit everyone, instead of hoping people can make it work.
Myth: eLearning isn’t effective for those who can’t self-teach
The modern LMS and other options for eLearning are much more robust than just self-taught courses. Yes, those are available, but there are also live courses, video training, and other solutions that can be created to ensure that everyone within your organization is getting the education that they need to become the best they can be for you and for their own success. For many people, eLearning offers a better alternative because of the variety of ways courses can be “taken.”
And, for some organizations, it might just surprise you to see who excels with the LMS compared to traditional training methods. It’s a whole new world of learning and development, and it offers a lot more than many people think.
Myth: Forget Collaboration and Social Learning
Of course, there is the common misconception that all eLearning is a solo activity. That may have been the case in the past, but today, it’s more than that. eLearning is the exact opposite of this—while there are self-paced courses and programs, many LMS platforms focus on creating collaborative experiences so that your entire organization can upskill and grow together, instead of everyone feeling like they have to do the entire checklist of their training alone. With modern LMS technology, collaborative learning efforts are more dynamic and social than ever before. Embrace that and get your team on the track to eLearning success.
The Bottom Line
Modern LMS administration and implementation are simple, affordable, and not very time-consuming at all, thanks to modern cloud-based solutions and advanced integrations. That makes the myths and misconceptions about how “cumbersome” or “tedious” managing and integrating an LMS will be completely null and void. And, when you partner with the right vendor for your LMS, they’ll take care of everything so that you don’t have to worry about a thing.
From custom-designed LMS platforms created in the cloud to hosted learning platforms, there is so much to gain from this technology. It’s not about whether it works or which is the best way, but how people can embrace all the options to maximize their learning and development.
Here at eLeaP, we can provide you with the solutions you need to improve your employee training program and garner your results. Go ahead and set up a 30 day free trial today to check out how our system can work for you and your team!