Basically, learning has been categorized into two forms – push learning approach and pull learning approach. Push is defined as the formal learning and pull as the informal learning. Earlier, in the elearning industry, the course designers just focused on delivering the content to the learners. The primary motive of this conventional mode of learning was to provide the learner with all the information on the topic. The courses lacked interactivity, irrespective of the learner finding the course interesting and engaging.

However, the technological advancement and competition in the elearning industry has led to the designing of interactive and engaging courses. People have started focusing on the pull learning approach, which has changed the structure or style of presenting the information. The courseware designers emphasize on embedding interactions in the courses, making them more appealing to the learner to pull the content.

The big question is which form of learning is best suited for a particular industry or a specific concept. For example, in security and safety industry, the learner has no other choice but to learn and memorize the legal issues and safety rules. Also, the time factor matters, the course designer has to prioritize on content delivery rather than making the course interactive and engaging. Hence, the learner has to study the course and clear all the assessments in a specified time.

Whereas, for soft skills training, the courses need to have interactivity and stimulation features to engage the learner. The learner needs to pull the content he/she requires and apply it differently. A well-illustrated scenario-based design for soft skills courses could help the learner easily understand the concepts and apply them in real situations.

I think the approach of teaching varies with respect to the type of industry, the target audience and the concepts. Besides, depending on the time factor and other requirements, there could be variations in content delivery and interaction levels.

What do you think about this evolution from push learning to pull learning?

Share your views!

Asma Zaineb

Sr. Executive – Business Development

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Nowadays, Social Media Marketing is much talked about as an effective medium to building new business relationships. Common sites in this field are Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and writing blogs.

How do you generate an interest and publicity through social media and attract prospective clients? The answer is simple – it’s the Law of Harvest. You always reap what you sow. If you give anything in value, you will get back equal value. But the basic underlying principle is that you need to give value first.

Effective marketers realize that in order to attract potential clients, they need to understand their need and give them something of value. They build their strategies around this principle. E-learning will boom with social media when people give value to their customers.

Here are five tips to communicate with your e-learning audience.

1. Use blogs to educate your audience on the latest e-learning trends and the importance of e-learning in imparting cost effective training. Create webinars, whitepapers on Instructional Design strategies and theories and discuss popular authoring tools to develop effective e-learning solutions.
2. Use LinkedIn to become members in industry specific forums so that you contribute to the discussions.
3. Use YouTube to impart learning by creating small e-learning modules and to demonstrate your products’ features.
4. Offer free courses so that users experience your product quality and worth.
5. Use Twitter and Facebook to inform your users about the knowledgebase you created, such as blogs, YouTube and free courses.

If you wish to learn more about Social Media Marketing, I recommend that you visit http://www.hubspot.com/inbound-marketing-kit/ and download the Inbound Marketing Kit. I found it to be very useful.

I invite you to take advantage of our Free eLearning Courses at www.commlabuniversity.com

Dr. Ayesha Habeeb Omer,
Chief Operating Officer

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1. Social Media and The Training Cycle
2. Social Media – Transforming Learning In The Workplace
3. Benefits of Using Social Media for Learning