The elearning industry has changed drastically over the past decade, and it will continue to grow in popularity in the coming years.

There are many eLearning platforms that allow individuals to learn anything they want through videos, audio files, and flashcards; these eLearning platforms are often supplemented with social networking tools that allow users to connect with other elearners who have similar interests or goals.

In 2022, several of these platforms will be particularly popular among users who want to expand their knowledge or learn how to do something new without leaving their home computer or cell phone.

What is an online learning platform?

It is a type of online education website that offers online courses, modules, or degree programs to anyone who wants to take them. An eLearning platform is a growing segment within e-learning which in turn is one type of distance education/education.

But with many different types of eLearning platforms on today's market it can be hard to choose which one suits you best. It should not just be based on what your friends or classmates use but rather what fits your learning style and are comfortable using.

There are many different types so make sure you look into each one before deciding because they all have their ups and downs. This however will not guarantee success since it still depends on how often you attend these course(s) and study outside of class.

What are the essential features of an online elearning platform?

Focusing on strengths

E-Learning platforms come in many shapes and sizes. Chances are, one type isn’t likely to be the best for all of your elearning needs—so be sure to look at different options before committing.

But as you do, focus on what each eLearning platform does well instead of dwelling on its weaknesses. For example, don’t pick a platform solely because it has great features for mobile devices; choose it because its mobile learning features complement its strengths (e.g., multimedia capability).

In addition, make sure that you carefully consider other characteristics—such as cost and ease of use—because those can be deal breakers if not right for your organization. In particular, remember that not all online tools are created equal: some solutions have very steep learning curves or require highly trained individuals to use them.

Support and cost

Every eLearning platform offers a different feature set at a different price point. The best option for you will depend on your needs. For example, if you have an established budget, TheLearning LAB might be your best bet. When it comes to support and cost , consider how much of each you’ll need and which service provides it most effectively.

Ease of creating content

It's important that any elearning platform you choose allows you to quickly and easily create content. That's because, depending on your experience level with programming, it can take a substantial amount of time to build courses from scratch. The last thing you want when starting a business is more work than you can handle—but if you're choosing an elearning platform that requires coding knowledge, that might be exactly what happens.

Look for an elearning platform where most (if not all) course creation takes place within a visual editor. This will reduce barriers to entry and save you hours (maybe even days) in development time.

Personalization and customization

All e-learning platforms today allow some level of personalization, or customization. The idea that learning content should be flexible enough to fit your unique needs and preferences isn’t a new one — in fact, it has long been a selling point for computer-based learning.

But between technology becoming increasingly intuitive and user experience design being at an all-time high, we can only expect learning platforms to become even more adaptive.

Mobile friendly

This one goes without saying, but your elearning platform should be mobile friendly. If it’s not, you may lose customers because they can’t access your training on their phones or tablets when they need it most. Make sure that your elearning software can adapt to changing times so that your employees and customers are able to learn where and when they need to.

Cross-platform compatibility

These days, many of us have to deal with multiple devices and operating systems, so it’s important to look for an online elearning platform that will work no matter what type of device you use.

An online platform designed with cross-platform compatibility in mind will ensure that your elearning content looks good and works well on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones alike.

What are the factors to consider when choosing an online learning platform?

You should find an online elearning platform that fits your company’s needs, whether it’s in-house management, self-service training for employees or full-blown elearning courses for customers.

A elearning platform may include: Content. In many cases, you’ll need to find and maintain all your own content (or hire someone to do so), but some platforms offer ready-made content from third parties that you can customize to fit your branding and terminology.

Next is authoring tools. Does your online learning platform provide authoring tools? Some platforms allow users to drag and drop preformatted elements into a course; others have an open framework where courses are created with HTML code and CSS stylesheets.

Look at user experience. Do your learners like using your chosen platform? How often do they complain about any quirks or bugs in its functionality? If a lot of users use mobile devices, will their interaction with elearning be smooth on smartphones and tablets as well as laptops and desktops?

Then look at performance metrics. Is there anything special about how your chosen platform tracks performance data on analytics dashboards, leaderboards or other data visualization features (such as heat maps)?

What about costs? What does access to an online learning platform cost per learner—and what is included in those costs (how much support will be provided by customer service?)

Next, think of scalability. Can you add new learners at any time without worrying about capacity issues hampering performance or efficacy?

Customer service is of great importance. Do people who’ve used your platform recommend it—and if not, why not? And if people who haven't used it give recommendations based solely on price or ease of use, are these criteria important to you?

For example, if convenience is one of your main priorities when choosing an elearning platform, then look for one with lots of prebuilt assets you can quickly adapt for specific learners.

However, if quality control is more important than timeliness, go ahead and invest in a custom development team if necessary. Or maybe stay away from all-inclusive packages altogether—the flexibility of tailoring every aspect yourself could be worth more than a little extra upfront investment...not to mention avoiding potential restrictions in future editions! The choice is yours.

Just remember to consider everything carefully because technology changes rapidly, don’t lock yourself into something you won’t be able to change easily down the road.

TheLearning LAB

The Most Important Features for eLearning Platforms in 2022

There are many eLearning platforms that allow individuals to learn anything they want through videos, audio files, and flashcards; these eLearning platforms are often supplemented with social networking tools that allow users to connect with other elearners who have similar interests or goals.

What is an online learning platform?