Self-paced learning is a fantastic way for learners to study on their own terms and at their own pace, whether that’s online or using physical resources. They can access course materials at their own speed, meaning they can focus on things they find challenging and breeze past things they already know.
Not only does this make the learning process personalised, but it also reduces dreaded waster time and procrastination. In fact, self-directed learning increases performance, as the learner can manage their education in a way that encourages independent thought and critical thinking.
Self-paced learning is also wonderfully versatile. You can use it to:
- Provide ongoing training to employees
- Make it easier for organisations to organise learning management for deployment (think Jira, Salesforce, etc)
- Upskill and onboard new employees
- Manage and roll out digital transformations
Let’s dive in to find out more about self-paced learning, why it’s important, and why you should integrate it into your business.
What is a self-paced course?
A self-paced course or training is when learners decide on the pace and timing of their learning experience. It’s as simple as that! The specifics of self-paced learning differ from institution to institution but in general, it’s all about the learner taking ownership of their training journey. They can dictate the when, where, and how of their learning experience, so it’s pretty freeing.
Learning in this way, the user is given optimal flexibility to incorporate their training into their different lives and schedules. With modern shifts towards remote working, this is increasingly important and valued by the team members!
A self-paced course sometimes involves an instructor who provides feedback and marks tests but more often, it’s a fully automated experience via an online e-learning platform or website.
Self-paced course methods and practices can include:
- Online tests,
- Presentations,
- Events,
- Informational videos,
- Diagrams,
- Literature,
- Video talks, and more.
Sometimes, self-paced learning can also form part of a more traditional face-to-face learning course, with independent study modules and tasks. Assessment-wise, graded work is computerised and automatic, but in some cases, a tutor or instructor can manually mark a piece of work and give you all the valuable feedback.
What is an instructor-led course?
Instructor-led courses are classes where an expert runs the pace and style of the course. Typically, instructor-led courses come in one of two forms.
- Traditional face-to-face
- Online instructor-led courses
Traditional face-to-face sessions are the kind of experiences that most of us recognise from our universities, high schools, and workplaces. A teacher or an instructor will come into the school/workplace and provide lessons and give direct feedback to students or employees.
In large organisations, this can be a costly exercise, which is why it’s falling out of favor. Some businesses have in-house staff trainers, but that’s usually for multinationals or multi-site companies.
With online instructor-led courses, tutors provide course materials on a schedule, using digitised lectures, video presentations or talks. Sometimes these talks are held live via video chat, and students can ask questions directly and receive an immediate response.
What’s the difference between instructor-led and self-paced courses?
The biggest difference between self-paced and instructor-led courses is that the instructor-led ones don’t allow employees to study at a faster or slower pace depending on their learning style and abilities.
Scheduled tutor-led training requires learners to proceed at the same pace, leaving little room for flexibility or individuality. From a practical standpoint, it also means that employees, learners, and students must be available at the same time for them to attend the training, whether it’s online or in-person. This can be a scheduling nightmare and suck up a lot of resources.
Tutor-led training can also be problematic for large organisations or for shift-based employees. With this scenario, organisations usually have to run multiple sessions to make sure everyone is covered which is costly in terms of both time and money.
However, all is not lost – there is another way. Your business can opt for blended learning. This is a combination of the two with a mixture of instructor-led talk, and a significant amount of self-paced learning, especially for assessments. Think of it like when you used to have half coursework and half exams at school.
The benefits of self-paced learning
There are so many powerful benefits of self-paced learning for both businesses and individual learners.
Employee autonomy
Enabling employee autonomy is a huge benefit all around. It means individuals have the motivation and desire to get things done without waiting to be told. This level of initiative, control, and responsibility is a huge plus in the workplace. It shows they can get on with projects without needing a lot of hand-holding from management.
Keeping costs low
Overall, self-paced learning is a lot cheaper for businesses than instructor-led sessions. This not only includes the cost of hiring a tutor and a learning space, but also the lost productivity hours from dozens of employees. With self-paced learning, employees can slot learning around their existing responsibilities to make sure everything still gets done.
Ownership
When you’re in control of your learning schedule and method, it gives you a sense of ownership and pride. With this, you’re more likely to be engaged and put more effort into the process. This provides better scores and improves confidence levels among employees.
Lower pressure
Test anxiety can be extreme for some people. We also know that we don’t all learn in the same way. Self-paced learning takes some of the pressure off employees and allows them to learn in their own style that works best for them.
Easier to organise
Instructor-led training courses can be difficult to schedule and organise. With room hires, tutors, and various teams to factor in, it can easily be months before you find a date that actually works. These are months when your employees aren’t learning.
Self-paced learning is much easier to organise as employees can just factor it into their day, around their workload. It also speeds up potential adoption rates as you don’t have to wait around for an available training date.
Enhancing performance
Studies have shown that self-paced learning leads to a significant improvement in memory performance and knowledge retention. Research conducted by Jonathan G. Tullis and Aaron S. Benjamin found that self-paced learners outperform those who spend the same amount of time studying the same course materials. This is because self-paced learning allows learners to distribute their time in a way that works best for them.
Downsides of self-paced learning
As with any learning method, there are downsides to using a self-paced learning method. However, on the whole the benefits of self-paced learning seem to outweigh the disadvantages.
Some common disadvantages can include:
- It can take longer for a cohort to get up to speed with varying paces
- Less collaboration in workshops and study groups
- Decreased structure can mean that certain topics or points can be skated over
- Learner motivation might become an issue without group pressure
How do you become a self-directed learner?
Becoming a self-directed learner involves taking control of your learning process through a combination of goal setting, self-assessment, planning, and discipline.
To do this, you need to identify your learning needs and the kind of learning style that suits you best. Here are some common examples:
- If you are a visual learner, opt for visual tools such as videos and games to help you understand the course material better.
- If you learn best by reading and rereading the material, then you’ll benefit most from studying books and written presentations.
- If you love a podcast, find an audio recording or podcast related to the subject. There are so many business options out there, so just stick your headphones in and go!
Depending on the course, it might be possible to choose between videos, presentations, talks, podcasts, written material, books, quizzes, or games.
One thing to consider to be a top-tier self-paced learner is time management. Depending on the amount of material you need to cover, you’ll need to develop a timetable to ensure you’re progressing through the course efficiently.
Being able to organise your learning requires discipline, self-motivation, and independent thinking skills, but with a bit of effort, you’ll be picking up new skills in no time!How can Omniplex Guide help with Self Paced Learning?
Omniplex Guide has built-in screen captures, step-by-step Guides, and screen recording features to help you learn at your own pace with guided assistance. The easy, immediate access makes it perfect for software refreshers or onboarding sessions, no matter where or when your team needs to use it.
Whether you have a dispersed team that need to refresh their skills, have team members with different learning styles, or you just want to improve your onboarding engagement, the Omniplex Guide team are on hand to help. Get in touch today for a free demo and see how Omniplex guide can improve your learning and development projects.
