The world is inexorably rushing forward. Modern technology is developing, the pace of work is increasing and the market is presenting you with more and more challenges. Customers operating in such a reality, expect high specialization from you. If you want to stay ahead of the competition effectively, you need to keep improving your competence.

There is no denying that in business the most important is knowledge and time. In my opinion, these are the most important challenges for modern companies. They allow to increase competitiveness and optimize work. This translates directly into the profit achieved by the company. At the end of the day, that’s what the game is all about, isn’t it?

The dynamics of the modern market often require freedom of place and time at work. They increase productivity and employee satisfaction. This also applies to the acquisition and expansion of knowledge - easily digestible and available to every employee. Companies that understand this and can use it in practice are more easily ahead of the competition.

One of the faster and more effective methods of transferring knowledge is e-learning. It is most often said that its greatest asset is its accessibility from anywhere, at any time. From the point of view of the market and the final result, we should rather talk about the high effectiveness of this form of teaching.

This is because the multimedia and interactive nature of the training helps to better understand the issues raised, assimilate knowledge and solve the problems posed. Whether we want it or not - we live in an era of so-called “visual culture,” with modern technology at its core.

Many researchers believe that due to the rapid spread of the Internet and mobile devices, communication noise, and the high pace of life, our approach to the reality around us has changed. We need constant access to information and at the same time, we get bored quickly and find it hard to stay focused. We look for concise, low--engagement, and easy-to-read information. The trend is particularly evident on social media. Short videos, memes, and photos are the most popular. Rarely does anyone reach for longer, more complex forms of expression.

E-learning uses these mechanisms to increase the effectiveness of learning. Among other things, this is why its use is constantly increasing. It has an established and strong position in highly developed countries, such as the US. They are largely the trendsetters. Impressive achievements can boast, for example, Harvard, whose online lectures have already been attended by tens of thousands of people.

Should we not consider implementing the effective strategies of "distance learning" in our own business?

E-learning, thanks to its flexibility and the use of interactive, multimedia content, makes learning convenient, effective, and enjoyable. One of its advantages is also the relatively low cost of training per employee.

Of course, implementing this form of training is a time-consuming process that also requires some investment. There is a need for a platform on which we will collect, share and manage teaching materials but also the entire learning process. We must also prepare appropriate content and develop attractive training content.

However, this investment begins to pay off quite quickly. We do not have to rent training rooms, hire lecturers, print textbooks or pay for transport, accommodation, and catering. This is especially important if you want to train employees in geographically dispersed companies. Online courses can be used at any time and any amount of time can be spent learning. Employees do not have to stop work, waste time commuting to the training place and do not get frustrated that we are adding another duty to them. E-learning allows, for example, people living in different time zones to undergo selected training courses on an ongoing basis and smoothly integrate into company structures. Everyone has access to the current knowledge base – at any convenient time.

The numbers do not lie

The information available at elearningindustry.com [http://elearningindustry.com/elearning-statistics-and-facts-for-2015] shows that the e-learning market is growing worldwide and is currently worth more than $100 billion. It is worth noting that Poland is among the 5 fastest growing countries in this form of learning.

Docebo's forecasts in its "E-Learning Market Trends & Forecast 2014 - 2016 Report" indicate that the Eastern European market will see steady growth (about 16% per year). This development will be largely due to the acquisition of EU funds and numerous start-up campaigns. For this reason, solutions aimed at the SME and B2C sectors are particularly popular.

According to We Are Social data on the development of the digital market, Poland is doing better and better in this area. The past year saw a 3% increase in the number of active Internet users, and 8% more social media accounts were created. The good health of the mobile market is evidenced, for example by 11% more phone numbers and 28% more mobile social media accounts.

What’s more, mobile web traffic is also growing – at this point, it already accounts for almost half of our online activity. Poles are getting to the point where the use of online resources (shopping, education, entertainment, information, communication) is becoming natural, free, and obvious. This is also the direction our future is facing – the use of convenient, fast, and comprehensive online solutions.

Summary

Based on the above thoughts, it can be concluded that e-learning is a kind of symbol of our times:

• Uses modern tools
• To make all kinds of content available
• In an attractive and easy to digest form
• Allowing you to freely update your knowledge
• And saving time and money

Just a dozen years ago, few would have believed in such rapid development of technology. Even less would we have expected widespread access to the Internet or mobile devices on which we can use it. Today, these issues have become standard. A smile appears on my face at the thought of how much and in what direction the issue of distance learning…yes, e-learning is the future of education!