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Theories that E-Learning Developers Should Know

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Learning theories help people understand how students or individuals learn and retain information. This helps them analyse and predict the most effective methods of learning. Therefore, such theories are extremely important to Top e-Learning web development company in India, as it helps them formulate the best courses. It is imperative that people working in the e-Learning industry study these theories to understand the psychology of a student better. Once you know how students think, you will be able to create better courses and lessons for them, in a way that makes it easier for them to understand new concepts. This makes studying an easier task for students, which, in turn, boosts motivation, making them more keen on returning to you for further courses. So, are you now interested to know the theories behind learning? Here’s a look at learning theories that every e-Learning developer, and top e-Learning product development companies needs to know in order to succeed!

What do Learning Theories do?

Learning theories try to mimic the student psychology and map their preferences, in order to understand how students prefer gaining information. It also analyses various methods of learning and shows which method works better for different kinds of students. By unravelling the mysteries behind the strengths and weaknesses of various theories, top e-Learning product development companies can formulate efficient curriculum that suits the needs of their students. Such tailor-made courses which facilitate and strengthen the cognitive procedure helps to support students throughout their learning journey. E-Learning developers need to create courses that inspire, motivate and instill strong concepts in their students. Studying learning theories is the best way to do this effectively!

Why we Need Learning Theories?

When your learners are adults, the strategies you need to use are very different than what you use when your main audience is young kids. Adults already have a lot of pre-set notions and fixed ideas about what they want. On the other hand, young kids tend to be more adjusting and moldable as they do not have a lot of previous knowledge. Adults also tend to be busier than kids as they might be juggling another job, or maybe even college and hence tend to be more stressed. Hence, they need courses which are fast-paced and informative, rather than the more engaging content that kids would prefer. This is exactly why we need to study learning theories, as they help us understand the needs of different kinds of students, whether they be young kids or adults.

Adult Learning Theory

The most famous theories include andragogy, experiential learning and self-directed learning. These methodologies come together to create an effective strategy that describes how adults learn. Andragogy describes the fundamental characteristics of adult learners and how their experiences shape their learning. Malcom Knowles developed this theory in the late 1970’s, and it helps differentiate adult learners from children. The fundamental differences are as follows:

  1. Adults tend to want to know why they should learn a particular topic.
  2. Unlike children, adults are driven by personal motives and hence study only if they want to learn.
  3. Adults understand the importance of learning and hence, their willingness to study stems from that understanding.
  4. Adults analyse, redesign, synthesize and formulate new ideas using their experiences as a filter.
  5. Adults, unlike children, want to take charge of their learning and like feeling in control.
  6. Furthermore, grown-ups learn better when they do things and complete tasks related to the subject being taught.

Experiential Learning

This system is heavily influenced by Confucian principles which believe in tying experiences to education and memory. All of us gain a lot of insight about things from our experiences and hence, as adults have already gained a lot of such experiences, they tend to learn better through experiences than through a textbook. This theory states that adults learn by relating and making sense of their experiences.

Behaviorist Learning Theory

Considered one of the oldest theories in the field of learning, this theory states that learning causes a change in the behaviour of the student. This change is a result of some experience the learner had with regards to his or her external environment. Hence, this theory considers learning to be a reactive study rather than a pro-active one. Therefore, teachers need to provoke reactions and detect behavioral changes to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching. Furthermore, these provocations are continued till the reaction becomes a part of the individual’s behaviour.

Active Learning

This modern learning theory is heavily used by modern e-Learning developers as it boosts engagement rates. As per this theory, the best way to teach someone something is by asking them to do something related to what they are learning. Hence, this theory suggests that students should actively participate in activities related to their field of study and that involving themselves in the learning procedure is the best way to learn.

Cognitive Learning Theory

This theory states that not every form of learning is behavioral and hence, certain forms of learning are not observable. Hence, the cognitive learning theory involves motivation, memory making and thinking. Information is stored in our memories via patterns that form networks and relations with each other. Therefore, every memory node we have and use can have various relations with other nodes. This theory unravels methods by which we can access those nodes and then retain and use the information stored in them.

Constructivist Theory

The constructivist theory implies that students imbibe, understand and process the information they get based on their own experiences. Hence, according to this theory, the fundamental building block of any learning model is our very own memories and experiences. Therefore, learners analyse, understand, interpret and build new ideas based on their similar experiences. This personal connection makes it easier for students to understand what they are learning, implying that an emotional connection helps in learning.

Are you still unsure about the various theories of learning? Get expert help from one of the top e-Learning product development companies in India- Xornor Technology. This leader in the field of top e-learning web development companies will help you understand the basic structure of a good e-Learning portal, and also help you create it. The company has several years’ worth of experience in the domain of web design and development and can help make your dreams a reality through their efficient web dev team.

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