We tend to look at 2020 for all the disasters it sent our way. Yet, the rise in e-learning that resulted from the pandemic has had benefits across industries.
While we definitely would prefer 2020 hadn’t happened the way it did, the challenges it offered reshaped the future of online learning and proved just how valuable e-learning options are in adult education. For businesses, these insights are transformative.
With all the certifications available through e-learning platforms, businesses can better train, qualify, and empower their employees. E-learning makes certifications simpler, and the result is an environment that promotes growth.
Read more: How to organize online training for your remote employees and skyrocket their skills!
Explore the certification options available online and how businesses can apply this mode of education for greater success.
The certifications available through e-learning
A wide variety of certification options are available to the astute e-learner. From the certificates of completion offered in most online courses to the institutionally supported certificates available through virtual higher learning, the paths for employee certification are many. By exploring these options, you can support a workforce dedicated to continuous learning.
However, the key thing to keep in mind is that the digital landscape offers just about anything you could want from a developing workforce, all with ease and simplicity. After all, e-learning certifications can be pared down to three useful categories. These are:
- Certificates of completion — These are the printable acknowledgments of completion you may be used to from your Learning Management System (LMS). With a completion certificate built into employee data management, tracking which workers have undergone each desired training module can be much simpler. Additionally, these resources can make it easy to reimburse workers for successfully completing an online training program, as you’ll have proof of the effort. Consider adding completion certificates for any online course you build or offer to your workforce. As a result, you’ll gain a resource for tracking employee development.
- Social certificates — These are an evolution of the social media era, giving users the tools to add their e-learning achievements to their digital profiles. This is a common feature on LinkedIn, for example, where workers can add their certificates to their profile to show current and future employers what training they’ve undergone. Nowadays, Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) and LMS platforms are adding social certificate integration, giving employees another incentive to complete additional training.
- Verified certificates — The final and most prestigious variety of certifications are those that are verified through an accredited third-party institution. These typically include some kind of proctored exam but can often still be taken online. For your most vital practices like safety training, verified certificates are a great way to ensure comprehension. After all, on-the-job accidents can cost a company anywhere from $1,100 to $1,220,000, not to mention the risk to employee health and wellbeing. Keep your workplace safe and professional with verified certifications.
The beauty of rapidly expanding avenues for e-learning is that all these certification options are now available online through the right LMS and MOOC systems. Any professional trainer or Chief Learning Officer (CLO) should consider these options to promote a more knowledgeable workforce. Many benefits await.
Why employers should use online certifications
Learning as an adult isn’t exactly easy. We all face a host of challenges when it comes to picking up new concepts, ranging from time management to the composition of our brains. Here are just a few examples of these challenges:
- Adult brains have less neuroplasticity than those of children, making it biologically harder to develop new pathways.
- Costs associated with ongoing education can make it difficult to invest in our development.
- Managing all the time demands associated with an adult life typically leaves little time for learning.
Fortunately, however, e-learning offers solutions to just about every challenge you might encounter while trying to learn as an adult. In fact, adult education and e-learning make a perfect fit due to the direct solutions online learning offers adult learners.
The concept of andragogy defined and popularized by Malcolm Knowles as the science of helping adults learn lays out the needs of adult learners. According to the principle, adults need internal motivation, self-direction, and real-world applications to overcome the challenges stated.
Read more: Adult learning theories for instructional designers: Andragogy
Here’s how online certification can help adults learn:
- E-learning modules offer social and interactive platforms that can encourage internal motivation in learners.
- Online learning tends to be cheaper than physical learning, with costs reduced for the learner, especially when it comes to travel.
- Microlearning offers the flexibility needed to manage time as an adult.
By providing these benefits, online learning to certify your workforce can be made into a simple process that is driven by the learner. E-learning helps us combat our reduced neuroplasticity by offering us immediate and social benefits. These benefits are made even more desirable with the reward of a certificate.
Streamlining employee training with e-learning
With the unprecedented need for e-learning solutions in the modern world, all kinds of industries stand to benefit from a streamlined employee training system that includes online certifications. Not only can these offer social incentives through display on social media, but the ease and convenience can make it biologically easier for adults to understand new concepts.
Explore completion, social, and verified certificates, all available through digital coursework. These tools can make a difference in supporting a developing workforce in the modern world through all its challenges. As a result, you’ll have a workforce that is self-motivated in its efforts to improve.
