Benefits of e-learning
When it comes to second language acquisition, e-learning has definite benefits over traditional classroom training. While the most obvious is the flexibility and cost savings from not having to travel or take extra time away from work, there are also other things that may not be so obvious. For example:
* You learn at your own pace and much faster without depending on someone else’s progress. If something is too easy, you can move to the next topic with the click of a button. If something seems difficult to you, you can devote as much time as you need to fully understand it.
* Work from anywhere, anytime – E-learners can go to courses from anywhere, usually at any time. This is critical; In a world where many busy professionals, business managers or students just need to travel regularly, sometimes within their own country, sometimes abroad, e-learning is the only option to enable them to continue studying as if they were at home. This of course cannot happen in the traditional course.
* For those students who need to improve speaking skills or listening comprehension, e-learning, especially that delivered via audio or video conferencing, is an incomparable alternative. Student speaking time is maximized by up to 100%, which is unimaginable in a traditional course where each student’s speaking time is highly restricted.
* When classes are delivered by native Spanish speakers via audio or video conferencing, Spanish learners can acquire the language almost as effectively as if they traveled to a Spanish speaking country. After all, they will not only learn the language but also the culture, from someone who is originally from the same place. In addition, if the online teacher is a native Spanish speaker, the student can practice their listening comprehension skills in real time, around real contexts and listening to the same Spanish used outside of the classroom. In most traditional classrooms, students are exposed to simplified recordings that do not resemble the way native speakers speak. In an online class with a native speaker this does not happen. It’s real Spanish, all the time.
* Can be updated easily and quickly – It is particularly easy to update online e-learning sessions because updated material is simply uploaded to the server. In traditional education this is more difficult. Imagine a book that had to be reprinted in the light of new discoveries. It can take ages to hit bookstores, while changes and updates can be posted online overnight.
* Can lead to increased retention and a stronger understanding of the subject – e-learning is aligned with the theory of complications.
which basically states that we all learn differently. For example, some people have a visual memory, so memory is retained by watching, reading, or visual stimuli. Others are more musical, relying on their auditory memory. There are of course many different ways that people learn. E-learning is ideal due to the fact that it presents students with information from very different angles. This is because of the many elements that are incorporated into e-learning to reinforce the message, such as video, audio, quizzes, interaction, etc.
* Quick and easy review of contents: at any time you can revisit or restart training sections that may not have been clear the first time. Needless to say, this is literally impossible in a traditional classroom environment.
These are just a few of the many substantial advantages of e-learning over traditional education when it comes to teaching and learning a second language. In future articles we will examine each of these advantages in detail.
