Learning On The Go: Why Flexibility Is The New Normal
In the current extremely competitive job market that constantly experiences fast-paced changes and dramatic technological developments, staying committed to your professional growth and fulfilling the continuing education requirements helps you adapt and flourish in your career. This is particularly true in the creative sectors, where success depends on creativity in not only the production and delivery of products and services but also in working processes.
Creative experts who keep on teaching themselves new skills and expanding their knowledge and viewpoints can prevent stagnation in their career as well as creativity. With many professionals handling tight work programs, personal lives, and chasing global opportunities, it’s not hard to see why flexibility in learning has become the new normal. Here are 6 reasons why flexibility in learning is the new normal.
1. Continue Making Money While Learning
A flexible learning modality allows you to keep working and making money while you study during your free time. Depending on your arrangement with your instructor or school, you can complete all your coursework online. So you don’t have to take a study leave or forego your earnings to study. Moreover, you can come up with your own study schedule to familiarize yourself with the learning materials, complete the required assignments, and sit for tests. A good study schedule plays an important role in helping students perform better.
2. Expand Your International Professional Network
Geographical boundaries limit the diversity of your instructors and classmates when it comes to on-campus learning. But for a flexible learning model like e-learning, your instructors and peers could be spread nationally or even throughout the world. “A flexible learning modality gives you access to a considerably larger and extensive range of ideas and opinions from different professionals across the globe. So besides offering you a much diverse learning experience, this modern model grows your global professional network.
3. In-Line with the 21st-Century Business
The simple fact that a flexible learning model is technology-based is an important reason why learning on the go is the new normal. People nowadays spend most of their time on their cell phones, tablets, computers, and other technological devices. This means they are comfortable with technology. Additionally, most jobs demand workers to use technology. So it makes sense to leverage technology in their training.
4. Quantifiable Results and Reporting
Many businesses do offer a lot of training, life coaching courses and many other self-development courses to improve their skills, which results in better effectiveness during the workday. Every business should be eager to measure the effectiveness of any training that their employees undertake. This way, they would be able to determine if their investment was helpful in attaining business goals. When a business adopts an online training model, it becomes faster and easier to obtain the information required in evaluating its effectiveness. Data like rates of course completion, forum commitment, examination grades, and course completion timeframe can be collected as reports right from the Learning Management System (LMS).
5. Instant Feedback and Recognition
When learning integrates interactive aspects like questions and branching situations, learners get instant feedback. Instant grades from assessments allow learners to measure how well they are performing, and what parts of the learning resource they should revise before moving on. Furthermore, gamification features that integrate badges, leaderboards, and certificates offer students with a sense of recognition and accomplishment that inspires them to learn. Convenient and automated response and recognition make manual response and assessment unnecessary.
6. Outcome-oriented Learning Experience
Flexible learning models like concept learning guarantees learners an outcome-oriented learning experience, which offers them the autonomy to select what to learn next. Concept-based learning also enhances recollection because it defines the relationship between topics, establishing a solid network of knowledge instead of an assembly of disconnected pieces of information. When students master how to arrange information in an orderly manner, it’s not only easier to remember in the future but also apply in real life.
For instance, company training could consist of extensive training goals such as the ideal practices of promoting the company to prospective customers. Each of these broad training goals could be broken down into a set of micro-modules that provide training on valuable skills and knowledge the student requires to eventually become more competent at the envisioned skill.
Flexible learning modalities provide employees with the autonomy to study at their own convenience. It also enables them to use a pace that works for them. Employees can learn new skills in far-off locations and in a reliable manner.
