What is Embedded Learning?

In the context of the Skills for Life strategy: "Embedded teaching and learning

combines the development of literacy, language and numeracy with vocational and other

skills. The skills acquired provide learners with the confidence, competence and motivation

necessary for them to progress, gain qualifications and to succeed in life and at work".

Face to face learning v/s online learning

  There is a fact that says, every student can learn, it’s just that everyone learns

differently. 

Both styles have their pros and cons, and the one that is perfect for you depend

entirely on you and your situation. Before that, though, a few important clarifications to

note:

- Face-to-face learning can take many forms, as can online learning. 

- Face-to-face learning means a live, two-way interaction, while online learning

will mean anything that doesn’t include a live instructor.

- Online learning is where a student sits down and learns through a self-paced

system completely on their own. There might be content delivered through video,

but it’s a one-way interaction. 

- Face-to-face learning can actually take place online (a FaceTime tutoring

session, or live instructor leading an online classroom or individual where there is

two-way interaction) but isn’t categorized as online learning in this context.

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 E-learning has gone from a niche type of teaching for techy subjects to being a

preferred, growing and almost necessary way to teach EVERYTHING. Technology is

expanding and people’s need and desire to learn on their own time and at their pace is

making eLearning the goal for many companies.

The following is a list of the main differences between both training methods to

help new professionals in the eLearning industry get started.

1) Social Interaction 

Social interaction between students, colleagues, and instructors tends to be a big

part of how traditional classroom learning is approached. This type of interaction might

be different in an online environment, that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. The

Instructor must also give CLEAR instructions as to what must be done and discussed.

2) Where you learn

In a traditional classroom setting the biggest difference from e-Learning is that

there is, in fact, a physical classroom. E-learning, on the other hand, turns the world

into your classroom or just the corner of your bedroom if you prefer.

3) Instructional Materials

When you take a training course most of the material is presented verbally by an

instructor, and sometimes complemented with a visual aid (Power Point

Presentation). But in eLearning the written and visual notes take the place of the

traditional instructor standing in front of the classroom which means those the

material must be written entirely differently.

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 An instructor must keep these things in mind for writing effectively in eLearning:

 Tone: Since learners will learn what is written (or recorded) in the slide, the

tone is critical.

 Clear: Unlike with a regular classroom, there won’t be a teacher standing there

to clarify things immediately so the text must be as concise as possible to avoid

students even needing to ask questions.

 Short and to the Point: Be as brief as possible while still explaining the

material thoroughly. Getting wordy will rarely do you or your learners any good.

This means avoiding going off on tangents or unrelated content.

4) Audio, Visual and Beyond

While much of how instructors teach in a traditional classroom can’t be directly

transferred to a virtual environment, there are a variety of other tools that can be used

to adapt. With eLearning you have a much greater range of media to use: simulations,

interactions, scenarios, and visual storytelling. But you have to use this media sparingly

so as not to overwhelm the learner with too many bells and whistles.

The visual elements must all be considered for a well-rounded eLearning course:

Font, Color, Graphics, Moving Graphics, Order/Sequence. Focus on making your

message clear and enhancing it with your visuals. Use what is necessary but avoid

overdoing it or else the visuals will become more of a distraction than an enhancement.

5) Instructor Focused vs. Learner Focused 

No instructor means that the focus of the course becomes the learner, which can

be a huge advantage if the course is designed correctly.

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 In traditional setting, the learner also has a harder job because they must pay

attention and learn information as it is presented without having the ability to go back

and easily review the way an eLearning course allows you to.

6) Level of Personalization

Traditional teaching methods drop the ball in multiple ways, but one of the worst

is that there is often a lot of info presented in a short period which makes it harder to

retain or pay attention to for students. E-learning courses automatically take away the

time constraints on how quickly or slowly material is presented because learners get to

decide how much they take in at one time. Another way to let learners customize their

experience is to allow for ‘Testing out.’ Some learners are going to come with more

preexisting knowledge and will not benefit from redundant information.

7) Learning Time

One minute of classroom time does not equal one minute of online training.

An eLearning course can take anyway from 40 to 75% less class time than a traditional

course. However, even though the actual minutes may be less, the course itself will

typically span over a longer period

8) New Vocab

With a new way of training comes a new way of speaking. Trainers must learn the

language of the eLearning industry, including authoring tools, Learning Management

Systems and Content Management Systems.