Why self-paced online training isn’t for everyone – and how LDN do online differently.

Hasn’t the world changed? In a short period, we now have a ˜new normal’.
For some, this has meant working from home, for others, reduced hours, being stood down, or unfortunately retrenched.

What has become certain is that life is uncertain.

Yet, the need to expand our skills and be more ˜employable’ has never been more critical. If this resonates and you find yourself ˜googling’ online training or qualifications, there are a couple of things to consider.

Not all online training is the same.

Training providers vary in what they consider ˜online’ learning. When researching, find out how the program is delivered and what happens if you get stuck.  Is the program fully self-paced? This may mean you are given a pdf workbook, login to an online portal of content, pre-recorded lessons including videos, materials, quizzes and message boards, then it is up to you to go through the content and complete assessments. Research what live support you get from trainers via email, chat or phone.  Is this included in the price or extra? How quickly will they respond to your questions or give you feedback?

This style of learning works for some. Why? It’s inexpensive (compared to face-to-face training), you can do it at your own pace, (working around family commitments or work) and you can do it from anywhere.

Sounds like #winning – right?

We know how people learn best, and therefore combine the best of face-to-face training interactively, just delivered via technology to give you the best learning outcome. We use the most compelling aspects of online interactive technology but don’t leave our learners muddling through on their own.

How do you know if self-paced online programs will work for you?

Even with the best intentions, do you sometimes find yourself procrastinating, or struggling to find time to juggle all the urgent versus important things each day?  Let’s face it, we’re not all cut out for self-paced learning. The allure of training in your own time, when convenient, is attractive. However self-paced online only, without live sessions requires steely self-discipline, especially if there is no set timetable.  Also, watching a video and reading materials isn’t always the most exciting way to learn, even if you are passionate about the subject. Especially if the only sliver of time you have to yourself is at 3 am on a Wednesday.

These factors are critical contributors to why online training programs have lower completion rates than traditional face-to-face programs, so you should ask yourself, œAm I a self-paced person or can I find a way to make a structured program work?.

With LDN, you learn in real-time. 

For most people, we find sticking to a structure and having physical materials helps them get things done. When you undertake our programs, you’ll turn up at a specific time on a particular day, just like a real face-to-face session. If you can commit to the time, you’ll get through the content.

We will send you the workbook in the mail so you have something actually in front of you before the live training starts.  No reading pages and pages of text off a screen, nothing to print.  We provide everything you need to participate.  You can find out more about how we do this here.

Checking for deep understanding

Our live facilitators check for understanding throughout the session. When a question arises during a face-to-face learning session, it’s dealt with in the moment, so you can then continue your learning with that question answered. If you’re learning in a self-paced format, you may be less likely to ask questions to fill in the gaps of your knowledge if it means sending an email, then waiting for a response and may keep going even if you don’t quite ˜get it’. This may later impact how successful you are with your assessments, and more importantly, it creates a gap in your knowledge.

If you’re someone who likes to ask questions as you’re learning, learning in a live interactive format is going to deliver you the best outcome.

Doing it on your own doesn’t work for everyone

The solitary nature of some online self-paced programs may suit students who are uncomfortable in a classroom situation. But if you’re a person who learns well in a group and likes to bounce off ideas, self-paced will likely be a little lonely for you. Traditional eLearning is often geared toward ploughing away at the program content with few opportunities for social interaction, apart from writing and responding to threads on message boards.  This doesn’t make a program’ interactive’, and often the best learning happens when participating or listening to an evolving live conversation!

With LDN you’ll learn with a live facilitator and a group of other learners.

You’ll get one of our excellent facilitators live on your computer or device from where ever you are. And you’ll learn with others – just like a real training room. You’ll be able to see your facilitator, interact, discuss, join break-out rooms and simulate many of the activities you can do in a ˜real’ training room. This is as close to a live training experience as you can get without physically being in a room together.

Completion rates and satisfaction

If you’re looking at self-paced accredited training, ask your provider, œWhat’s the completion rate of people undertaking their program?.  This will give you a good idea of how well they support their learners through their learning and assessments.

We’ll be there for you.

Our support doesn’t end when the live interactive online sessions do. You have time after the interactive sessions to complete your assessments with our facilitators and support staff available to support you via video chat, phone and email.  Our results demonstrate quality.  The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NVCER) surveyed graduates of our accredited programs and reported:

• 97.1% were employed or enrolled in further study after training.
• 96.8% were satisfied with the overall quality of their training.
• 93.7% would recommend the training, 96.4% would recommend us as a training provider.
• 89.3% achieved their main reason for doing the training

See the full  NVCER report here.

By focusing on the vital component of learning collaboratively, with a real-time facilitator and your peers (yet also supported by online collaboration tools) LDN uses the technology to enhance your learning experience – and that’s what gives our learners the best outcome.

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SOURCES

https://workplacedimensions.com.au/wp-content/uploads/NCVER-Australian-vocational-education-and-training-statistics.pdf
https://www.ncver.edu.au/research-and-statistics/publications/all-publications/online-delivery-of-vet-qualifications