Education

Does e-learning have a place in our industries’ education?

Report by Stephen Ensell

Education Officer

In landscaping and horticulture, you never stop learning, but does it work as a virtual subject? Whilst our industry is hands-on and practical, are there aspects that we could not only learn virtually, but may well be better in this format? The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has reported a surge in enquiries for its distance learning courses and many of our training provider members offer Register of Land-Based Operations (ROLO) courses online.

It might be your view of education is the traditional school experience, the teacher in front of the board, talking at the students. The class takes place at a set time, duration, according to a strict timetable and often entails homework. Many people happily learn this way, and some have moved this format online to carry on. But it’s not the only way, or necessarily even the best way, for everyone.

Time

Times have changed, technology has advanced, and the old distance ‘correspondence course’ has had a face lift! The biggest advantage of e-learning is its flexibility, you can set you own pace and times to study, this could be first thing in the morning, after the children have gone to bed or around your work commitments. You are not tied to a timetable, don’t have to stress about missing classes and trying to catch-up. This means you can do it when it’s convenient, fast track through it if you have the time, or consume it in ’bite sized chunks’.

Technology

Technology has brought learning on, there is so much available to help us. No longer do we have to rely on just paper courses sent through the post, we can now stream videos, access eBooks and materials, visit virtual classrooms and webinars, email, text and call lecturers. And all these improve your digital skills at the same time!

Pause and review

In many traditional classroom settings, you have to listen and read the PowerPoint all whilst taking down notes; do you capture everything? We remember around 50% of what we see and hear, so, if we are in this type of setting, what happens to the other 50% once it’s over? With virtual materials, you can re-watch and reread to make sure you capture it all. E-learning allows you to pick a time that works for you, as well as being able to pause and review what has been taught.

Is this style of learning for everyone and can all our industries education be taught this way? Of course not, there are certain skills that must be taught face (mask) to face (mask), but there are some incredibly exciting areas that address the theory behind our practices.

To read more articles like this, including a regular blog written by Stephen, visit the golandscape.co.uk website and check out the latest news section for more details and look for the ‘BALI Digital’ page in your list of available benefits.

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