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Isabelle Ulbrich

DISTANCE LEARNING: REVOLUTIONISING EDUCATION

Distance learning is an educational process in which teachers and learners are separated from each other in space and/or even time and may even use different technologies. What initially sounds like Christopher Nolan's new film, in which you are still desperately trying to figure out weeks later what you watched for three hours, is not that complex in reality. In contrast to the traditional format, where learning usually takes place in a classroom, distance learning utilises a wide range of technologies and opportunities to convey learning content and facilitate mutual exchange.



The origins of distance learning can be traced back to the 19th century. Back then, courses were offered by post. This early form of distance learning made education possible even for people in the most remote areas. From today's perspective, this is of course unimaginable. If today's logistics service providers were the main people in charge of education ... well, to put it mildly, a massive hullabaloo could be expected. This is probably one of the reasons why distance learning has had to evolve. The use of new technologies such as radio, television and later the internet led to a revolution in distance learning. Today, DIGITAL EMPLOYEE TRAINING in particular dominates the field.


LEARNING EFFECTIVELY AT A DISTANCE? IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?


We can imagine exactly what you're thinking now: 


But dear Swiss, how is distance learning supposed to work at all? Don't our employees just open their laptops to check attendance, only to start the long overdue spring cleaning?


We understand your scepticism about distance learning. We really do! To be honest, I'm also writing this while the dishwasher is humming next door, and my little son is enthusiastically firing his wooden toy at my ankle. However, with the right approach and the right system on your side, none of this will be a problem. By applying suitable methods, your employees will be encouraged to perform at their best in a targeted and sustainable manner - even if there is physical and temporal distance.


Didactic challenges and adaptations in distance learning 


Distance learning requires specific didactic approaches to effectively reach and engage learners. Teachers need to adapt their methods to ensure effective knowledge transfer. The overhead projector is no longer enough, if it ever was. Interactive elements such as discussion forums, group projects and interactive to game-based tasks are needed to motivate learners and promote EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT in distance learning.


Using the right LMS 


With the right system in place, your employees are consciously encouraged, challenged, and motivated to learn well, even at a distance. By incorporating gamification elements or tracking learning progress, for example, impulses are provided time and again to continuously motivate employees. And who could offer you just such a system? That's right - the Swiss! Our GLOBAL TEACH® LMS, which has been developed over many years in awareness of the difficulties of distance learning in E-LEARNING FOR COMPANIES, offers you everything you need for effective and efficient distance learning. All of this, of course, garnished with our experts, who are on hand to answer all your questions during the process. We would even go so far as to offer our GLOBAL TEACH® to the DFB as a successor to Julian Nagelsmann - a little spirit and increased willingness to learn in the squad can never hurt. ... One LMS. There is only one LMS. One LMS. There is only one LMS.


ADVANTAGES AND CRITICISMS OF DISTANCE LEARNING 


Distance learning offers your company many advantages: 


Flexibility and accessibility for diverse learners: Distance learning offers a high degree of flexibility and can appeal to people with different needs and circumstances.


Location-independent learning: E-learning enables teachers and learners to teach and learn regardless of their geographical location. Do your employees love to be able to do their work on the beach? No problem with distance learning! Work during the day - take the kids for a walk around Barcelona in the evening. 


Time-independent learning: Distance learning offers the opportunity to access course content at any time and set your own learning pace. This allows learners to personalise their learning schedule, which is particularly useful for completing a wide range of work tasks. 


Networked working: With distance learning, learners can access a variety of knowledge sources at any time and integrate them into their learning process. This eliminates the need to physically go to a library and allows your employees to be as loud as they want.


At this point, we do not want to conceal the fact that there are also critical voices regarding distance learning. For example, there is often discussion about its effectiveness compared to face-to-face teaching, especially when it comes to teaching complex subjects. In addition, a lack of social interaction, which makes team building more difficult, is also often criticised. We do not see this criticism of distance learning as a criticism of the system itself, but rather as a sign of problematic implementation. These disadvantages are cancelled out by the pedagogical means shown and an effectively aligned LMS. Just like at school in the past, it is the teacher and his or her "system" that determine how well the content is taught. And we all know how often this has gone wrong ...


Instead of denying it, we should accept that the world keeps turning and that distance learning is the future of learning for good reason. Let's embrace these innovations and utilise their incredible potential. The future of distance learning could be characterised by advancing technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and adaptive learning systems. It therefore has the potential to have a lasting positive impact on the educational landscape and improve it through new technologies. We should play an active role in shaping this and achieve the best possible system for everyone. And that's exactly what we at SWISSTEACH are here to help you with!


Join us now - your trusted LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PROVIDER - on a short journey to discover the key approaches, core components and benefits of distance learning. We look forward to hearing from you!



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