Start About e-learning E-learning Strengths and weaknesses

Benefits of elearning for company:

• Reduction of necessary expenses - no funds spent on hotels, conference rooms, catering etc. Number of people taking part in training is unlimited and doesn't affect its budget. Price of preparing and conducting training is equal for 10 and 10,000 people, so more participants mean bigger cost cuts.
• Time saved in result of lack of preparatory activities (travels, conference rooms booking and preparation)
• Training efficiency as a result of: accurately composed didactic material; reviews and exercises improving memorization; possibility to take part in training several times.

Benefits of elearning for training department:

• Ability to shape training freely - from creating single units to developing comprehensive systems consisting of numerous modules installed on e-learning platform.
• Ability to deliver employees up to date and just in time educational materials.
• Ability to modify, update and improve training materials faster and easier.
• Uncomplicated administration of training and ability to monitor learning process and evaluate participants' progress.

Benefits of elearning for training participant:

• Learning process personalized through adjusting range, intensity, time of duration and difficulty level of training to individual user's capabilities.
• Participant can learn anytime and anywhere.
• Participant's control over learning process and skills development
• Access to databases, training and other useful resources enhancing ability to self-study for those interested in personal development

E-learning is not a perfect solution, but all its weaknesses are in most cases compensated by advantages presented before. Among common weaknesses of e-training following can be pointed out in already introduced categories:

For company:

• High initial costs, rising when Learning Management System must be implemented. With longer time of duration and higher intensity of the training, costs are getting proportionally lower.
• Need of proper IT infrastructure for this kind of training.
• In case of some specific educational needs which demand personal contact (like empathy or leadership training) other forms of education may prove to be more efficient. E-learning is perfect for teaching scientific and technical subjects.

For training participant:

• Less possibilities of interaction with other participants and making social ties through common experiences and personal contact. This weakness can be overcome with interactive features such as discussion board or chat, where participants exchange experiences.
• Problems with inner motivation and self-discipline, crucial when considering self-studying. This can be solved by taking appropriate motivational actions, preventing "anytime and anywhere" learning from changing into "never and nowhere".