What is an e-learning platform?

1. What is an e-learning platform?

An e-learning platform is a digital learning environment in which a certain target group, for example, your employees, students or association members, can access educational online materials. In this article, for the sake of convenience, we refer to employees as the target audience.

There are simple e-learning platforms that contain only textual content, as well as complex e-learning platforms that include videos, audio and interactive elements as learning materials. With the latter, you respond to the possibilities of today and the future and ensure that you make learning and development the most interesting and fun for your employees.

1.1. Basic functionalities

If you are looking for an e-learning platform, there are several features you can look at. We list some of them for you:

• Access to course materials: Employees can choose between online courses with different topics within the e-learning platform to improve personal or professional skills.
• Access to different forms of learning: In an inclusive platform, you can also choose between different types of online training such as interactive training, reading materials, webinars and podcasts.
• Evaluation: Employees can test their knowledge through online tests and assignments.
• Progress Tracking: Employees can track their progress and see which courses they have already completed and which they still want to take.
• Certification: Upon successful completion of the course, employees may receive a certificate.
• Create online training courses: Within the ultimate e-learning platform, you can also create and share your own training courses for employees. This is useful for sharing internal knowledge, for example.

1.2. Common applications

Organizations may have different reasons for deploying an e-learning platform within their organization. Commonly cited reasons among SkillsTown clients are:

• Providing a wide range of development opportunities for your target audience. This allows them to work on their soft skills and hard skills.
• Providing flexible learning experiences that fit employees' individual needs and schedules. Employees are not time- or place-bound, but they can work on their development whenever and wherever they want.
• Providing a platform for HR staff, L&D professionals or management to create and share learning materials for within the organization. This way, all knowledge can be secured under one roof.

2. What is the importance of an e-learning platform?

E-learning platforms are important for several reasons. First, of course, the development of your employees is very important. Today, every individual has the need to grow; standing still is not of our time. As an organization, if you can offer your employee development opportunities, they will see this as a great benefit and may even be a reason to come work for you. After all, it is seen as good employment practice. After all, you give them the opportunity to work wherever and whenever they want on what they need at that moment.

Second, as an organization, you have goals to achieve. This can only be achieved with talented employees, and these employees are constantly developing themselves. So it is important that as an organization you develop a learning culture and encourage your employees to develop. When the performance of your employees improves, the performance of your organization will grow along with them, and this is how you achieve your goals. An e-learning platform is ideally suited to creating such a learning culture, as long as you continue to properly encourage employees to make use of it.

Finally, you want your organization to stay future-proof. Only then can you keep up with the latest technologies and developments and stay ahead of the competition. To do this, you need to keep offering employees the latest knowledge. You can store this knowledge conveniently within an e-learning platform. This is always accessible to employees, so the knowledge is always available.

2.1. Popularity of e-learning platforms

Millennials have grown up with the Internet. This is causing an explosion in popularity of online learning. Worldwide, more than 100 million people already prefer online learning.(Skillba, 2022) Consequently, the focus on classroom learning is shrinking.

In addition, time is becoming increasingly precious and people are looking for more and more space and freedom to make their own choices. An e-learning platform is in line with this. It is efficient because knowledge is available wherever and whenever you want. You don't have to wait for an interesting workshop and you don't have to travel for it, which also makes the learning threshold many times lower. The platform is always there for you and it provides an easy and flexible way to access educational materials and courses.

By the way, this also applies to organizations. When you have your own e-learning platform, you no longer have to spend a lot of time and money searching for workshops or stand-alone online courses that are only of interest to a small group of employees. Employees can follow the right courses themselves within the platform to achieve their own learning goals.

In the next chapter, you will find all the benefits of an e-learning platform for organization and employees.

3. What are the benefits of an e-learning platform?

A e-learning platform has many advantages. These can be divided into benefits for organizations and for users of the platform.

3.1. Benefits to the organization

An e-learning platform offers several benefits to organizations, including:

• Securing knowledge: An e-learning platform is the perfect place to secure all knowledge for your organization so that it is always easy to find. In fact, the convenient thing about such an online learning platform is that in addition to existing online courses, you can also create and share your own online courses within the platform. This way you have all knowledge under one roof.
• Scalability: An e-learning platform can scale to meet the growing needs of an organization. This means that new courses and training can be easily added and the number of users can increase without the need for additional physical spaces or resources.
• Cost savings: Using an e-learning platform can result in significant cost savings for organizations. Since no physical location is required for training, there are no costs for rent, maintenance, utilities, etc. In addition, using an e-learning platform saves on travel and accommodation costs for employees who would otherwise have to travel to another location for training sessions.
• Interaction: Many e-learning platforms offer opportunities for employee interaction. This can lead to a richer learning experience and increased engagement.
• Reporting and analysis: An e-learning platform can generate reports and analysis on employee learning behavior, with an LMS system, for example. In these, you can review individual employees' progress, participation rates and training completion rates. This information can be valuable for evaluating the success of the training program and identifying areas where additional support is needed.
• Environment: Many companies are working to reduce their carbon footprint. Online learning can reduce your company's impact on the environment. Large-scale training locations that need to house large numbers of employees are no longer necessary, saving energy. And because your employees no longer have to travel to these locations, your carbon emissions are also reduced. In addition, you need fewer printed materials, saving on paper and ink that are harmful to the environment.

3.2. Benefits to users

In addition to the benefits for organizations, an e-learning platform also has many benefits for users:

• Accessibility: An e-learning platform is accessible to anyone with an Internet connection, which means that people from all over the world can access educational materials. This makes it easier for your employees to learn new skills and increase their knowledge even when your employees are working remotely.
• Flexibility: With an e-learning platform, employees can access training and courses at any time and from any location. This means they can plan their learning moments based on their own schedules and time zones, and not have to travel to a physical location.
• Individualized learning: An e-learning platform allows employees to learn at their own pace and participate in online training that suits their individual learning needs and preferences. Within some e-learning platforms, they can also choose between different learning formats so they can learn in the way that suits them. This can result in higher retention of information and engagement in learning.
• Diversity: An e-learning platform offers a wide range of courses and educational materials, meaning that people have access to different topics and themes. This allows people to discover new interests and expand their knowledge in different areas.
• Certification: Employees can obtain certificates that are of value to their job and career. They can then share these on their LinkedIn page, for example.

All of this can lead to an enhanced learning experience and increased motivation to complete the course or online training.

4. What is an e-learning platform used for?

An e-learning platform can be used within an organization in a variety of ways, depending on the specific needs and goals of the organization. Here are some ways:

• Online training courses: The most obvious, of course, is for taking online training courses. The e-learning platform can be used to develop personal and professional skills for employees of the organization. Think of training on digital security, productivity, feedback and other skills. It can also be used for skills and knowledge in their field. This can contribute to the career opportunities of employees and the growth of the organization as a whole.
• Industry-specific online training: When you work in a particular industry, you want to make training available that is relevant to the professionals in that specific industry. Therefore, organizations also often use an e-learning platform to make industry-specific online training available. For example, think about training for healthcare, training for government, or training for education.
• Sharing internal knowledge: An e-learning platform can also be used for sharing internal knowledge of the organization. This ensures that all employees have access to the same information and knowledge. At SkillsTown, you can even create your own online training courses within the learning platform using the authoring tool Create, which makes it even easier to share internal knowledge.
• Highlighting learning themes: As an organization, do you want to focus on a specific learning theme during a certain period of the year? Think for example of the theme Collaboration or Feedback. Then you can bundle and highlight different online courses on the same topic within the learning platform. We call this a learning line. In this way, you give your employees guidance and they can easily find the training courses.
• Onboarding new employees: An e-learning platform can also be a perfect tool for onboarding new employees. It can help them quickly become familiar with the organizational culture, business processes and the role they will play within the organization.
• Customer training: An e-learning platform can also be used for customer training, such as training on how to use the organization's products and services. This can help improve customer satisfaction and experience.
• Sales training: And a learning platform is not only suitable for customer training! Sales training, such as training on product features, sales strategies and customer relationship management, is also well suited to an online learning platform. This can help improve employees' sales skills and increase the organization's revenue.
• Scheduling Events: Want to schedule workshops, live webinars or other events for your employees? Within SkillsTown's learning platform, you'll also find a calendar function. This way, employees can find all events in it.

How you deploy your e-learning platform depends on the goals you want to achieve as an organization. When you deploy the platform with the right goals in mind, it can help grow your organization and improve overall performance.

5. What should you consider when choosing an e-learning platform?

When choosing an e-learning platform, there are several factors to consider. We list them for you:

• Functionality: Ensure that the e-learning platform provides all the necessary features and tools to meet the specific needs of the organization, such as creating its own online courses, managing user accounts, tracking student progress, providing interactive learning opportunities, etc.
• Usability: The e-learning platform should be easy to use for both administrators and employees within the organization, providing clear navigation and intuitive interfaces to provide an engaging and engaging learning experience for employees.
• Flexibility: The e-learning platform must be flexible and able to adapt to the needs of the organization. Consider integration with other systems, customizing the corporate identity and adjusting the functionalities.
• Support: Make sure the e-learning platform provides adequate support, such as technical support and customer service, to resolve any issues and answer questions. Support when implementing a learning platform in your organization is also very valuable.
• Security: The learning platform must be secure and meet data security and privacy requirements.
• Cost: Consider the cost of the e-learning platform, including any licensing fees, maintenance fees and technical support costs.
• Scalability: The e-learning platform must be able to grow with the organization and provide the ability to increase the number of users, courses and other features as the needs of the organization change.

By considering these factors when choosing an e-learning platform, you as an organization can make the best choice for your specific needs and goals.

6. Summary

An e-learning platform is a digital learning environment that enables organizations to offer a wide range of educational materials and online training to their employees, members or students. Such a learning platform responds to development needs and provides flexible and accessible learning opportunities that fit users' individual needs and schedules. In addition, e-learning platforms allow organizations to secure internal knowledge, develop a learning culture and remain future-proof in a rapidly changing world.

E-learning platforms have grown in popularity because of the many benefits they offer. These include cost savings, scalability, accessibility, individualized learning and environmental benefits. They can be used in a variety of ways, including for online training, sharing internal knowledge, onboarding new employees, customer and sales training, and highlighting learning topics.

Organizations that invest in an e-learning platform demonstrate their commitment to being a good employer, growing their employees and achieving their goals. It provides an easy and flexible way to access educational materials and courses, and contributes to an enhanced learning experience and increased motivation to learn and grow.

Do you want to set up an e-learning platform for your organization? As a specialist in online learning within organizations, we are ready to support you throughout the entire process. From setting up the platform to an eye-catching launch and activating employees, we offer expertise and guidance. Discover the possibilities.