How to Be an E-Learner
By Nuala Sweeney
Congratulations! You've been selected for e-learning. Here's how to excel.
If you take advantage of all its capabilities, e-learning can be a compelling way to extend the reach and impact of your knowledge. But because much of e-learning is self-paced, you'll need motivation and personal tenacity to succeed. Usually, you must organize your own training schedule, choosing when and how you navigate through modules. Although you may feel more in control of your learning, effective time-management is a must. It's up to you to start, finish, and excel.
How can you be sure that you're getting the most you can out of the experience? Here are some tips to help you take advantage of all e-learning has to offer.
Allocate quiet time. Those who have been successful with e-learning agree that it's critical to commit to a training schedule. Decide on a consistent time of day, make an appointment with yourself, and write it on your calendar just as you would any other meeting. Because it's important to avoid telephone and email interruptions, try to make your learning appointments for times that won't be full of people clamoring for your attention. Be jealous of your time and attempt to keep it free from disruption.
Discuss your schedule with your manager and co-workers. Because you're not off site in a classroom, people may be tempted to interrupt you while you're learning. It's vital to discuss your training schedule in advance with those around you, so they'll understand the times that you'll be unavailable and why it's important not to disturb you.
Be considerate of others. If your course uses audio, put on headphones to minimize the sound. Just as you don't want your manager or co-workers to disturb you while you're e-learning, they don't want to hear constant noise as they're trying to work. Be aware of co-workers' needs for a quiet environment.
Set realistic learning goals. Take time to consider your goals, including specific work issues that you think could be resolved with further training. Set learning objectives for yourself that will challenge you but that you can realistically accomplish. Following the training, track your results and match them to the previously established goals. If there's an objective that hasn't been achieved, or that you feel could be improved, review the relevant portion of the training.
Be an active participant. There's no question that the more you put into your e-learning experience, the more you'll get out of it. Become an active "long-time learner," enthusiastically participating in all that e-learning has to offer--sometimes more than once. For instance, you may return to the course regularly for reviews and refreshers, particularly as new on-the-job challenges arise. E-learning is perfect for that because, as long as you're at your computer, school is always in session.
Create a peer e-learning group. Peer-to-peer learning is one of the most powerful training techniques. Many e-learning courses now include the opportunity for real-time collaboration with a community. It's well worth your time to utilize this feature. For instance, you can participate in chat sessions to share ideas and learn from the experience of others. If your course doesn't provide a built-in community, try to determine who else in your company is scheduled for the same training. You can arrange to meet in a chat room or virtual classroom (or in person) to discuss and practice the concepts you've learned. Participating in a community can maximize learning and increase your rate of retention.
Accommodate yourself. In self-paced e-learning, there's no teacher setting the schedule. If you study for a long period of time, be sure to take frequent breaks. In fact, most effective learning takes place in 20- to 30-minute chunks. If you study for longer than that, you won't be fresh enough to absorb and retain new knowledge.
Reflect on what you've learned. After breaks, and when you complete the course, try to recall what you learned. Mentally apply new concepts to your work situation, actively seeking specific, real-life situations that could benefit from your new knowledge. Test how effective your newly won skills are and return to the courseware for additional tips if necessary.
Use all available resources. E-learning is made even more relevant through the inclusion of online resources. Many courses offer a variety of tools and job aids. Take advantage of suggestions for additional reading or practice that will help you maintain your new skills.
Share what you've learned. To better retain your new knowledge and skills, share what you've learned with your manager and co-workers. You can also participate in chat rooms or discussion lists on the topics you studied and share your ideas with the community. Sharing maximizes your learning experience and provides tangible benefits to those around you.
Participating in training can improve your image with current employers and make you more marketable to prospective ones. With the dawn of e-learning, training can now be more flexible, personalized, and fun. To make e-learning effective, however, you must see yourself as the person in charge of product development. The product, of course, is yourself.
Published: May 2001
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Nuala Sweeney is vice president of PrimeLearning.com, a corporate e-learning solutions provider. Visit www.primelearning.com or contact info@primelearning.com.
ref:http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=9030933
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