Why Is Supplemental Learning Crucial For Online Learners?
One thing Instructional Designers can attest to is the speed with which learner needs are evolving. Trends in eLearning, corporate training, and individual industries are creating a demand for new courses more frequently than ever before. Instructors and developers are often finding themselves having to enrich existing courses with new content, completely update training materials, or develop courses from scratch in tight timelines. However, limited resources make that a particularly challenging project. This is where supplemental learning comes in, giving instructors and developers a solution to providing online learners with high-quality learning materials in significantly less time.
What Is Supplemental Learning?
Before exploring the benefits that supplemental learning brings to the world of eLearning, let's first explain what it is. Supplemental learning refers to any learning resources complementary to the primary training program. In other words, they are not complete courses but rather additions that increase the value of the core training program by allowing learners to dive deeper into certain topics. In the context of online learning, supplemental learning resources can take any form, including online articles, eBooks, videos, podcasts, webinars, and practice exercises, among others. Designers will often add these resources in a supplemental learning appendix that they can update regularly, thus enhancing their courses, boosting learner engagement, and improving learning outcomes.
6 Benefits For Online Learners
1. Promotes A Deep Understanding Of The Course
Instructional Designers often refrain from developing overly detailed training courses to minimize the time learners spend on each module. This way, they maintain learner attention and avoid overwhelming them with a ton of information. Yet, in some cases, learners might wish to delve deeper into a topic, either because they are personally interested in it or because it is crucial to their academic or professional development. Supplemental learning offers that additional support, allowing learners to decide for themselves how much they want to learn about the subject at hand.
2. Supports Different Learning Preferences
Even if you have done sufficient research on your target audience, it's not always easy to develop learning content that is suitable and engaging for every single subcategory. Thankfully, supplemental learning resources can be the element that makes training appeal to a broader range of learners. For example, although the core training course may be text-heavy, the additional learning resources can present information in a variety of formats, from videos and infographics to podcasts. This way, you can cater to learners with different learning preferences without having to modify the core learning content.
3. Encourages Self-Directed Learning
Online learning is in and of itself a learning method that encourages learners to take control of their learning journey. Typically, learners make their own schedules, often with limited interaction with tutors. Therefore, supplemental learning fits right into it, empowering learners to seek additional information and spend as much extra time as they want exploring a topic. As they take an active role in their learning development, carving a training path by themselves, online learners not only improve their learning outcomes but also foster skills such as critical thinking, time management, and accountability.
4. Boosts Knowledge Retention And Application
Alongside self-directed learning, supplemental learning also enhances knowledge comprehension and retention by allowing learners to explore learning material in different formats. The more learners interact with the content, the easier it becomes for them to recall it in the future. Moreover, supplemental learning offers learners the opportunity to see real-world applications of the topic at hand through simulations, exercises, and discussion forums. This helps bridge the gap between theory and practice, making new knowledge more relatable and memorable to learners.
5. Helps Test Learners' Skills And Knowledge
Additional learning material is beneficial not only for helping learners grasp new concepts but also for testing their existing knowledge. This can happen in various ways, from self-assessments and additional quizzes to simulations that motivate them to apply what they have learned. True to the style of supplemental learning, online learners are free to choose how they want to be tested and can receive feedback in a stress-free way. Based on the results of their assessments, they can identify their weaknesses and knowledge gaps and seek out additional resources that will help them improve.
6. Promotes A Love For Lifelong Learning
As learners become more accustomed to taking control of their learning journey, a love for continuous learning is fostered. Supplemental learning empowers them to dig deeper into the subjects they are interested in, explore and compare a variety of sources, and strive to stay informed about trends and developments in the field. Adopting this mentality helps learners consistently achieve better learning outcomes and prepares them to be receptive to new technologies and information that they will come across in their academic and professional lives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the needs of the modern landscape of online learning are making supplemental learning a necessity. This versatile way of enriching and updating online training courses helps learners gain a deep understanding of the subject matter while also retaining knowledge for a longer time and applying it more effectively. Additionally, it can make your online course suitable for a wider audience by presenting learning materials in a variety of formats. Make sure to incorporate supplemental learning into your online training strategy from now on to increase its flexibility and improve learning outcomes.
