What does eLearning mean to you?
In the course of the conversations I have with clients or potential clients, I have noticed something. The term ‘eLearning’ means different things to different people.
For starters, nobody knows how to spell it.
Is it lower case ‘e’, upper case ‘L’, as in
eLearning? Or upper case ‘E’ and lower case ‘L’, Elearning? Hyphen or no hyphen?
e-Learning? E-learning? What looks right to you?!
Ultimately, when it comes to the spelling, there’s no right or wrong answer, if it is a term you are using in your business you just need to pick one and run with it, consistency is the most important thing here.
But I think it is indicative of something wider
The frameworks about how we learn and the role that technology plays in that learning are evolving so quickly that people are struggling to keep up, not just with the terminology. Just a few years ago the idea of interacting with learning content online seemed innovative and exciting, now people are surprised if you can’t click on a screen and make something happen.
Employers have a responsibility to keep their eLearning (I’m a fan of small e, big L) fresh and engaging or their employees will dismiss it as a hurdle rather than an enabler. If it’s not intuitive and exciting, it just won’t capture their attention.
For some people, when you mention ‘eLearning’ they assume you are referring to educational resources for children. I think many are still shell-shocked from the digital baptism of fire of home-schooling during the early stages of the pandemic. But eLearning methods and technology are just as important for the professional development of employees in the workforce, as they are for educating students.
For others, it conjures up the early iterations of the format, which were basically glorified powerpoint presentations, where you clicked through page after page of weighty text with a few rogue bits of clip art for colour and variation. (sadly many companies’ eLearning content still looks like this… would you like to find out a little more about how we make online training a bit more… fun?)
What does eLearning mean at Splash Interactive?
• For us at Splash, eLearning means any content with an interactive element
• It’s a versatile framework that can be used for compliance training, leadership and management training, upskilling and reskilling employees, and in support of diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.
• What makes us different is that we start with the content, and think about how we can make it the most engaging.
• We will always consider using tools such as video (link to video blog), animation, voice over, and gamification to bring the eLearning to life. (link to how we work page).
Putting aside the terminology, what is consistent in all the conversations I am having is that employers appreciate the need to give their workforce access to engaging and accessible learning in a digital format regardless of their physical location. According to Glint Data, having opportunities to learn and grow is now the number 1 factor that people say defines an exceptional work environment, with support for well-being coming in at number 4. This current focus on the value and importance of learning cannot be ignored by organisations who wish to retain their workforce and give them the support and opportunities they deserve to progress through their organisations.
Sophie Key is the co-founder of Splash Interactive.
She has successfully run Key Productions (keyproductions.tv) with her husband Sam Key for the last 10 years, which continues to produce high-end corporate videos.
