A decade ago, e-learning was never the same as it is seen and experienced today.
Yesteryear’s elearning was more like the PPT, had the lengthy content squeezed to fit your computer screen and there was less use of multimedia graphics
This initial phase of e-learning (popular in the era of 1990’s) is commonly referred to as traditional e-learning. In my opinion, the traditional e-learning had its days of glory before the technological advancements revolutionised e-learning . And now with the further advancements in technology, the concept of e-Learning has evolved to suit the needs of the modern learners. One such e-learning strategy which has taken the e-learning industry by storm is game based learning.
Games for learning. Are you serious?
If you are a keen follower of the e-learning domain, I am sure that in the past you have come across several articles and experts questioning the use of games for learning. And today the reports suggest that the game based learning industry will amount to over $17 billion by 2023.
Hence in this blog, let’s have a quick comparison between Traditional e-learning and game based e-learning.
Traditional e-learning vs game based e-learning
| Point of difference | Traditional e-learning | Game based e-learning |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Traditional e-learning is simply the click-next style of learning where the learner is expected to read and understand the content and progress by simply clicking the next button or scrolling down. | Game based learning is taking a game and using it for the purpose of learning. Here the learning content is woven around the game. |
| Cost of development | The cost of developing traditional e-learning modules is less as it doesn’t include any complexities. | While the cost of developing is slightly on higher side, the availability of new authoring tools, ready made game templates etc have helped in bringing down the cost. |
| Knowledge retention | According to various reports traditional e-learning shows a lesser retention of training topics. | Game based learning can help in the knowledge retention by 90%. |
| Interactivity and engagement | Traditional e-learning doesn’t include the elements of interactivity and engagement in the learning modules. | Game based learning modules thrives on the use of game elements and multimedia to keep the users engaged and make the content interactive. |
| Assessments | Assessments in a traditional e-learning module can be in the format of a usual fill in the blanks, mcqs or sometime in the form of a written exam etc.Experts warns the quality of the assessments here as the learners can easily guess or copy the answers here. | Game based learning can include the assessments within the learning process itself and hence it doesn’t allow the learner to guess the answers. |
| Feedback | In a traditional e-learning approach, the feedback is not immediate and is usually incorporated after the course. | Game based learning allows the possibility of obtaining immediate feedback, which helps the learners to recollect and implement it |
| Practice and learn | The traditional e-learning is more focussed on feeding the learners with information. | Game based learning allows the possibility of enabling the learners to progress through the learning process by practicing it in the safe virtual environment. |
| Collaborative learning | Traditional e-learning doesn’t promote collaborative learning. | The modern game based modules promotes the collaborative learning. The function of social learning and options like multiplayer,chats ,forums etc helps in collaborative learning |
| Competition | A traditional e-learning module doesn’t induce competition among the learners. | Game based learning cam actively engage the learners to create competition among them. For example, by including a leaderboard the organization can induce a competition among the learners |
