James recently joined us in 2024 as a Learning Design Specialist. A former schoolteacher, James brings a wealth of experience. With his background as an educationalist, he brings great insight into learning processes and looks forward to using his experience in the classroom to enhance Development Zone content, boost learning engagement, and enrich the educational experience of users.
Bridging the Gap Between Traditional and Digital Education

In the realm of education, traditional methodologies have long been entrenched, involving classroom settings with instructors guiding students on a predetermined path.
From the formative ages of three to between sixteen and eighteen, individuals have become accustomed to this structured approach. Even at a university level, these same pedagogical strategies persist. Whilst the conventional mode of learning presents a unique set of challenges, the advent of e-learning has introduced a shift, compelling learners to abandon familiar methods and adapt to an entirely new mode of acquiring knowledge. This transition comes with its own set of challenges, the most prominent being an erosion of motivation.
In the insurance industry, the regulatory requirement for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) necessitates that employees involved in insurance distribution dedicate 15 hours annually to training. Often, a significant amount of this training is delivered through asynchronous pathways, which, if repeatedly choosing the same learning path, can lead to disengagement and a lack of motivation among learners. The challenge of maintaining engagement in learners intensifies as they encounter a higher volume of information and increasingly complex concepts, which require more than a brief perusal of slides to achieve competence.
Many course providers are turning to gamification as a potential solution to the deficiencies in conventional e-learning. Whilst gamification can enhance engagement to an extent, personal experience suggests that it may not be the ultimate solution for optimising the learning experience. To truly captivate and motivate learners online, it is imperative to draw on insights from methodologies employed by classroom teachers and integrate them into digital learning platforms.
Course creators, akin to teachers, bear the responsibility of designing educational content that aligns with, and compliments, human learning processes. Consequently, course creators must shift from focusing solely on the method of content delivery to, crucially, utilising methodologies employed in classroom teaching. The crux of the challenge facing online learning lies not in the mode of learning, but, rather, in the methodologies implemented to facilitate learning.
As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of education, a nuanced approach mirroring the finesse of traditional teaching is key. To transform online learning, the emphasis should extend beyond the instructional medium to encompass the very essence of how information is imparted, ensuring a seamless and engaging educational journey for all learners.