One thing is clear: pure e-learning will not be able to replace traditional training and education even in twenty years. We need human contact to guide participants individually and personally. But wait – digital learning formats also have their advantages! Find out now how e-learning can help you in training or coaching.

E-Learning in Trainings and Coachings

About a quarter of all trainers and coaches have already organized a webinar themselves. This was the result of a survey of members by the German Association for Coaching and Training e.V. (dvct) in 2017. For many, this experience has not been a reason to continue pursuing the subject of e-learning. We also find: E-learning alone is not the solution. However, the emphasis here is on 'alone'!

Since 2006, the term e-learning has been a fixed part of the Duden dictionary. According to Wikipedia, the first learning machine was probably invented as early as 1588: in the form of the mechanical book wheel, which allowed the user to view individual books without moving from their place. We see that people have been trying to make learning easier through machines for hundreds of years.

Today, the term 'e-learning' – the abbreviation for the English electronic learning – refers to any learning format that uses electronic or digital media. Many active trainers and coaches criticize e-learning as a substitute for traditional face-to-face learning.

5 Reasons Against E-Learning

At events such as the Petersberger Trainer Days or the BDVT Camp, we continually hear concerns from trainers about pure e-learning. Even in future scenarios from specialist magazines like Training aktuell, e-learning is only a part of the education of tomorrow.

The five most common reasons against pure e-learning are:

• Lack of personal contact

• Lack of addressing the individual needs of the participants

• Technical problems: e.g. dependence on internet functionality

• Technical complexity: Required technical know-how (from the participant and the trainer or coach)

• Lack of practical applicability of some content

These reasons prevent many trainers and coaches from offering their services entirely as e-learning. Rightly so! Because especially the first two points are essential for the success of many learning units. We humans value personal relationships and are much more likely to trust a person we have met face-to-face. And without trust in the trainer or coach, it is difficult to achieve learning success.

Why You Shouldn't Condemn E-Learning Anyway

But wait – don't dismiss e-learning immediately because of all the disadvantages! Because the digital learning format also has its own advantages. Those who completely forgo e-learning also miss out on the benefits of digital learning. This was also evidenced by the aforementioned member survey by the dvct (2017):

• 87% of the surveyed trainers and coaches appreciate the flexibility of e-learning

• 49% each saw advantages in lower costs and high user autonomy in e-learning.

The big question is therefore: How can you avoid the disadvantages of e-learning while still benefiting from its advantages?

The answer is: With blended learning. With this learning concept, you combine e-learning components with traditional face-to-face learning: your participants are both flexible in location and time as well as very self-determined in terms of pace and difficulty. And for your clients, the overall costs remain constant compared to pure face-to-face training. This gives you the best selling points on your side!

5 Reasons for E-Learning in Connection with Presence

Offering e-learning in connection with face-to-face courses is the solution of blended learning. And while for many trainers and coaches pure e-learning is just an interim solution, blended learning has been performing excellently in surveys for many years. For example, in the study of the Trendmonitor 2018, 97% of the surveyed experts assess blended learning as a central learning format for corporate learning.

The following 5 reasons motivate trainers and coaches to offer e-learning in connection with face-to-face events – as blended learning:

1. High learning transfer: Integrating content into everyday life in the long term

Coaching and training typically have a fixed goal: to educate the participant and make them more successful. The long-term integration of learning content into practical everyday life is extremely important. What good does a training or coaching do if the participant can hardly recall any content after a few weeks?

2. Adapting to the digital everyday life of the participants: No two worlds anymore

We increasingly live digitally in our private lives, making purely analog training and coaching seem more and more alienating to participants. Through e-learning components, participants experience a seamless and natural transition from the course to their everyday life.

3. Flexibility: Location and time independence of the participants

One of the biggest advantages of e-learning is flexibility: whether from the train on a smartphone or between two meetings on a tablet – online courses are ideally time- and location-independent.

4. High autonomy of the participant: Difficulty level and pace

With high flexibility comes increased autonomy for the participant. They can decide for themselves how quickly they progress in the course during the e-learning components of blended learning. This way, participants with different prior knowledge can be smoothly guided through the material.

5. Lower or constant costs compared to pure face-to-face courses

Last but not least: costs are always a factor when trainers and coaches want to evaluate new learning formats. E-learning plus face-to-face courses means maximum support for the participants, making clients likely to pay higher prices. This allows trainers and coaches to offset any additional costs incurred through a digital platform – and in the long run, even achieve higher profits.

Digital and Analog: Human Communication Needs Nuances

We are all changing, becoming more digital – both professionally and privately. That is why for the dvct, e-learning is not just a hype:

“(...) to engage intensively with e-learning and e-coaching despite all reservations: to maintain the connectivity to the emotionally significant life and work world of our clients and seminar participants. Because they are already largely caught up in digitalization processes, a trend that is increasing.”
from a contribution by Sandra Mareike Lang and Franz Hütter of the dvct

Digitalization process, this term sounds very abstract. However, digitalization will never completely displace our analog world, even if it is frequently addressed in science fiction. Why? Because we need the nuances of the analog.

Well-known ZDF scientist Harald Lesch explains the terms 'digital' and 'analog' in a humorous way in a video:

“Analog is the gradual transition from one state to another and digital is the abrupt change.”

This gradual transition – the existing nuances are a key factor in face-to-face courses to establish a personal bond between the participant and the trainer or coach.

Start with Blended Learning Now

Is your summer vacation coming soon? Are you going into nature or more for sightseeing and city trips? If you thought “Why not both” – I see it the same way. Why limit yourself to one type of experience when you can combine two worlds?

Yes, e-learning alone is not the solution. But e-learning in conjunction with face-to-face courses compensates for all possible disadvantages. Only one obstacle remains: the first step.

Start now with the combination of e-learning and face-to-face! Design a simple blended learning experience for your start. We have prepared a guide for you, with which you can create a first concept in 45 minutes. Make an appointment for this in your calendar as soon as possible!