Revisiting eLearning

I belong to that generation where I witnessed the transition from reading a novel out of a book to reading it from an iPad or Kindle. And it was not a step by step gradual process but its influx was with a big bang. This is not a sudden realization that dawned upon my mind one fine day but rather an honest confession of a mind who loves to read, learns and researches a lot on a daily basis.

The pleasure from reading out of a book can never be substituted by anything else. Being an avid reader, I agree to that. BUT, it is not possible to plan life situations every time as per our will.

With the availability of online books, one can have access to anything they are looking for in the most trying times. A student appearing for competitive exams might need to look up formulae and he is unable to find his Class IX mathematics text book! A click on his laptop or a quick search will do all the wonders; an entire module will be up on the screen.

An adult might need to brush up his English language skills and the book store may be out of Wren and Martin. Well, today the information is all available at his fingertips.

A new employee might need to look up something in a jiffy or be educated on a new subject; with the click of one button he will have a plethora of information available to him online.

This is where the concept of ‘eLearning’ and ‘learn on the go’ makes an entry in style. Both are synonymous to each other.

The thirst for knowledge of a working professional can be met if he has access to smart phones, tablets, laptops and the like. He can plan his learning schedule as per his convenience. The visuals along with the online tutorials can provide a sense of gratification to anyone not being able to attend a classroom lecture but has access to the internet. Moreover a company might find it cumbersome and cost intensive to organize training sessions at an Institute located further away from the workplace. There can be chances for the on the field sales people to lose out on potential business as they will be missing out interacting with their clients during those days. A simpler and pragmatic form would be to guide them through an online course which the sales team members can look through at ease and educate themselves on, without putting their work in jeopardy.

In short, with rampant globalization and proliferation of transborder data flow, eLearning is a boon. The world today has been transformed to what Marshall McLuhan says a ‘global village’. He need not restrict himself to information imparted by subject matter experts from his own country but can view informative sessions from experts all over the globe and can choose topics pertaining to his area of interest or need. The interconnectivity and overflow of information are sure to quench the thirst of an eager learner.