Remote Collaboration – Advantages at a Glance

The Big Potential of Digital E-Learning Concepts

Opinions are divided on the subject of e-learning. Students are tired of the same old online lessons and lectures after more than a year of distance learning and working remotely. They long for in-person courses, physical libraries and face-to-face study groups. However, we should not overlook the benefits of e-learning and the many possibilities that make e-learning more exciting.

Remote communication also has its benefits, especially when students are split among different time zones. It enables virtual teams to work together in seminars from anywhere in the world. With a remote collaboration tool and a stable internet connection, e-learning becomes a breeze.

What Is E-Learning and What Are Its Advantages?

E-learning does not only refer to online lectures via a conferencing tool. Anything that takes place online and digitally and is used for education and training can be called e-learning. So, strictly speaking, e-learning is far more common than you might think: reading articles online and writing an essay on your computer that you submit to the online learning platform? That in itself is e-learning. Webinars, on the other hand, are the online version of the classic lecture and work by means of simple video conferencing.

But the possibilities go much deeper. Online collaboration is also a form of e-learning, for example when two people work on files together such as Google Docs. Video calls in which remote teams communicate with each other to share information relevant for seminar projects or finetuning their findings, this is also part of e-learning.

Advantages at a Glance

In times like these, with the pandemic still impacting our mobility and everyday lives, e-learning definitely brings some advantages to the table:

• E-learning offers flexibility for remote workers or students.
• It makes education more accessible from around the world, especially for distributed teams.
• E-learning saves time and money as students can work from home instead of having to commute to class.

Studies have proven that Remote Work and its flexibility increases productivity and work-life balance. Why shouldn’t the same be true for students?

Online courses can also be tailored to individual learning needs. Some learn better in live video conference calls, where they can ask questions and have them answered directly. Others like to manage their own time and prefer to watch a recording on the weekend. Still others need lots of repetition to better memorize lessons. This flexibility also offers inclusivity for a wider range of students.

A working parent, for example, can log into classes in the evening when it’s convenient for their schedule, rather than racing across town to an in-person class. E-learning also increases education accessibility for students with varying abilities, so they can learn from the comfort of their homes and use tools like closed captioning.

Participants also save time and money – another factor that makes education more accessible. Long travel times are no longer necessary, participants save on travel costs, and the organizational effort is also limited to technology and IT infrastructure for the educational institution. There is no need to pay for physical classroom space.

However, all these advantages can only be leveraged properly if providers of e-learning opportunities provide the right tools for remote team members or students.

The Ideal E-Learning Process: An Example

The day starts with a webinar. In an online lecture, the lecturer introduces a new tool for video editing. The lecturer speaks directly to his course participants, shares their screen and answers all open questions live.

The subsequent group work to create a first video together can be structured in many ways. Numerous video conferencing tools offer the possibility for so-called breakout rooms, through which larger groups can be divided into smaller ones, for more efficient collaboration. 

But not only that, collaboration tools support interactive learning. In real time, students can brainstorm and work together on an interactive board. That way, students work out their video concept, plan the structure and distribute the individual tasks by using intuitive e-learning software in just a few steps.

Flexible Remote Access Software for an Optimized E-Learning Experience

This is followed by video editing on virtual machines. Some learning situations require high-performance equipment, special programs and a controlled IT environment. For example, our customer ARD.ZDF medienakademie uses AnyDesk to provide Remote Access to video editing programs for their students.

A student who wants to operate a video editing program from home can connect to the school’s computer with their private laptop via Remote Access and thus does not have to set up everything at home. Remote Access Software can also be used for file sharing between devices. Working on a remote device does not necessarily mean the file has to stay on that computer. It can easily be transferred to the student’s home computer.

Other Terms to Keep in Mind Regarding E-Learning

• VR simulations are already being applied to flight and surgical simulations and could be used in other areas of online education in the future.
• MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course and refers to large and often free online continuing education courses that are open to anyone interested and are often completed by a certificate.
• LMS is short for Learning Management System and is used to organize and deliver learning content and assess students or learners.
• Podcasts have become an important learning resource in recent years, along with books and online videos. They are longer audio or video reports, with a focus on audio, just like radio coverage. There are podcasts on a variety of interesting topics.
• Authoring tools help create online content. Authoring is an umbrella term for a wide range of programs, from simple writing programs like Microsoft Word to the creation of complex multimedia content.

In summary, everyone learns differently. So, when designing online courses, it is important to offer as much variety as possible to suit all students. In-person courses can also be supplemented by such online modules or made more flexible. Online teaching is the future and has by no means reached its limits.

Looking for a flexible Remote Access Software to expand your e-learning portfolio with one single platform? AnyDesk offers the ideal solution and can help you implement Remote Access for your institution. Learn how Areandina University in Bogotá uses AnyDesk to enable virtual class participation.

For more tips on how to digitalize your educational institution using Remote Access, read our guide about implementing e-learning opportunities the right way.