Learning experience, an actually good one, is so much more than just classroom delivery. It includes an enriching experience of interaction with students in which they are going to learn something in the best way possible. A course can contain a vast array of potential learning experiences right from working within the Learning Management System, the way the interaction is carried out, to information provided to the learners along with help, platform familiarization and support.
That means a lot of UX designers get involved with making an appealing, user friendly design that includes all the desired functions. Here is a list of valuable lessons that a good learning experience can add to you:
Gaining Knowledge: Here it is the knowledge that is what participants lack and has signed up to get. In a good learning experience, knowledge transfer is not limited to just text files and a lecture. The focus is laid on experiential learning where students can actually experience the principles, functionalities etc that they are learning about. For instance, learning about cloud on a cloud based lab can be an enriching experience. The knowledge can be transferred through multiple media. The media for transfer can include videos (that have better recall value), infographics (that make understanding of a flow of a process easy), whitepapers and research papers (that give access to specialized knowledge allowing for deep understanding).
Skill development – basic to perfection: Skill is the practical application of knowledge. Lack of skills when it comes to the IT field is a crucial shortcoming and needs to be addressed on an individual and organizational level. This is where experiential learning is of the greatest relevance. A course participant should be given an opportunity to experience an industry like environment in order to become actually ‘job ready’. This is when hands-on training in cloud based labs comes into the picture. When you have the actual software/platform to train with and you get the opportunity to try out all the functions, syntax you have learnt in class, then this works on building the skill for real. Working on assignments, industry-like projects is where the skill is actually tested. In an industry oriented course, the skills that are trained for are well aligned to what is demanded by teams working presently across the industry.
Developing confidence: The ability to actually perform with the acquired skills is different from having faith that you can carry out tasks with the skills. This belief comes from practice and achievement of successfully completing assignments and receiving due credit in the form of good grades (that is reflected instantly to students). This is another area where a successful learning management system combined with expert teachers wins, making it a wholesome experience.
Motivation: One may have all the confidence, knowledge and the right skills but if he/she does not want to do something, then it’s unlikely to get done. This is where having association of motivated individuals can make a difference. Having classmates spread across the world from different paths can connect you to people who can motivate you simply by their own enthusiasm with the subject. A community feeling on its own also can play a major factor (online communities tend to be stronger!)
Accessing and using valuable resources and tools: Having access to case studies, guest lecturers who are industry experts can open avenues and broaden the perspective of learners. Industry experts often tend to share their sources for tools and advise on what are the best.
IIHT’s blended learning uses a learning experience centric method through its highly effective learning management system. To learn more about our courses, go to: iiht.com