Equity asks that we give students what they need to be successful versus giving every student the exact same thing. I think this will be important this fall. States and school districts are dealing with the same issue of COVID , but the impact has been different for everyone.

Look at the scenarios below. You will notice that eLearning and eLearning development will be presented differently.

Student A :

Student A lives in a well-funded, small, suburban school district. Classroom sizes are less than 20 to 1 . Every child is given a tablet at the beginning of the year. The medium income in this district is $100,000 a year. Parents are worried about the upcoming school year and have voiced hesitations on sending their students back to school. Parents are also supplementing their children’s education with tutors and programs.

The school district has determined it best to only offer eLearning courses. Teachers are supporting families by having live classes online and have been pivotal in eLearning development. The district has even hired eLearning consultants. Students have also been given access to a database that allows them to take online classes of interest in various topics: animation, coding, dance, art, etc. The students take these courses with their peers to help with socialization during this time. Mental health counselors are also available to families.

Student B :

Student B lives in a large school district. Classroom sizes are about 35 to 100 . The school has a diverse student population. 70% of the students are low income, 10% of the district is special needs, and 45% of the district is English Language Learners. Parents are worried about the upcoming school year and have voiced their frustrations on a lack of support. Parents want to keep their children safe and believe that school would be the best option. They struggled in the last Spring semester with online education.

The school district has decided to do a hybrid model. Students will attend school 3 days a week and on alternating schedules based on last name and grade level. Every student will be offered a computer, internet will be offered for all low-income families, and eLearning courses will be available in English and Spanish. Students will disabilities will have rotating aids who can meet with the students in person or electronically.

Based on an equality model, the students should be offered the same thing. However, in an equity model, options are offered based on the students and their families. Whether you agree with the districts are not the issue. It is more important to understand that across America we will see varied options, and this provides true equity. Liam Crest is a black owned eLearning company that has been passionate about equity for all because its owners have been a brilliant product of an equity based education and would like to see more of it for students across America, no matter their color, creed, gender, origin, or nationality.

eLearning is an electronic delivery of education. Now the method of electronic delivery can be robust and diverse. Every technological resource is at the student’s disposal. eLearning is NOT just web conferencing. It is so much more: gamification, competency learning, including various learning styles, accessibility/508 compliance, learning trackers, bi-lingual education, assessing, and cultural representation. eLearning modules can vary in length, approach, and method. Educators can customize based on their learner’s needs.

eLearning can be a unique opportunity to provide equity and individual educational practices for all learners. It can help to be a real time learning tracker of learners. If a learner is struggling, supplementation and mediation can be provided simply, and then reassessment can be done. It is also a wonderful avenue to provide various learning methods and techniques to help reach the learner. Liam Crest has partnered with various organizations and school districts to create eLearning modules that support the standards and expertise of valued educators while challenging how we present education.

The simplest way to define a Learning Management System is to think of it in connection to eLearning. eLearning courses are created, and the Learning Management System is the place that houses those courses. Learning Management Systems are a learning environment. Each Learning Management System is different and allows you to utilize different features. Some can be extremely robust and allow you to utilize unique learning options and features. Others are a little more pared down and really focus on being a resource for materials rather than a learning environment. Liam Crest, an elearning development company, works with organizations to determine what Learning Management System would be best based on their learners, approach to learning, and budget. We have work with the majority of Learning Management Systems available.

The trend for many organizations has been to present or give access to webinars via their websites. This is an awesome tool that allows people who can’t be in the same place to still receive information that they might have missed.

Common Types of Webinars

Type 1:

The presenter is able to share a PPT or a video tape of a meeting with their content. During this type of webinar, you might hear the presenter and sometimes even the attendees in the background. Webinars are usually saved on an organization’s website.

Type 2:

Webinar programs allow you to conduct and invite people to live meetings . People are allowed to share files and collaborate throughout the presentation. These meetings are saved in a database within their sever.

But...

Do Webinars Constitute as eLearning?

Webinars are a great introduction into the world of eLearning but, it is more of a tool in the eLearning box. So many things have changed and the options available for eLearning are vast and plentifully. At Liam Crest, we are even starting to integrate Virtual Reality into eLearning course options.

What are features of eLearning?

• Customization: Design with your audience in mind.
• Flexibility: Trainings can be taken anywhere and at any time. Learners get the full experience every time.
• Progress Tracking System: Track how learners are progressing in real time.
• Reports: Pull reports for stakeholders and grant organizations easily with the click of a few buttons.
• Interactivity: Chat and connect with learners in real time.
• Assessment: Monitor competency and test based on learning styles.
• Gamification: Engage learners with the most up to date technology.
• Accessibility: 508 Compliance is essential (language and ability adaptions are available).
• Resources: Create a database of resources so learners can continuing come back for help as needed.

*Please note these are options based on Liam Crest capabilities. All eLearning organizations are different. Contact us if you have any questions on starting an eLearning program.*

Investing into eLearning can be an expensive process depending on the scope of your project and the implementation process needed to ensure its success. This can seem very daunting and overwhelming. But we have got you covered.

Before hiring an eLearning Company

Ask the following questions:

• Do they have discounts for small business and nonprofits?
• Do they offer grants or are aware of grants to help supplement costs?
• Do they offer payment plans? Be sure to determine when you will get the content if they do.
• Do they offer loans and if so, are they interest free?
• What happens if you cannot pay?
• Do they offer discounts for repeat customers?
• re their issues with working within grant cycles or finance budgets?
• Do they have grant writers on staff who can research and help you?

Are grants available?

There are 100s of thousands of grants available for eLearning and training. Many of these grants can be general for any organization to apply and some can be industry specific such as for nonprofits who service children. Here are some suggestions to help find grants.

• Find an eLearning company that offers them.
• Research organizations online that offer grants.
• Buy an eLearning grant book online
• Hire a grant writer/researcher (some of them don’t get paid unless you get the grant, or they offer a small fee in the front and a bigger fee in the backend).

*Please note these are grant options based on Liam Crest capabilities. All eLearning organizations are different. Contact us if you have any questions about financing your eLearning program.*