A MBA from Birla Institute of Management Technology, Pankaj has over 24 years of experience in corporate and academia. A serial entrepreneur, he has founded and invested in several companies.

What exactly does `E-learning' mean? E-learning is the act of engaging in an educational course in an online setting. E-learning courses can exist in a variety of forms, using a range of technologies. Commonly used in organizations like schools and corporations, E-learning can help learners' complete education and training objectives with greater ease and flexibility than they can with traditional classroom-based learning. E-learning courses can use a variety of techniques, including audio and video recordings, presentations, quizzes, surveys, games, discussion groups, and more.

The role of corporate training is to ensure that an employee has the knowledge and skills to undertake a specific operation to enable an organization to continue to operate. Fundamentally, corporate training is centered on knowledge transfer. For example, conferences and workshops are an essential yet expensive part of business and E-learning makes it affordable and efficient. E-learning can be translated to lower costs to deliver training in a shorter period of time, especially when employees are spread worldwide.

• E-learning has the power to make learning more accessible to users around the world. In education, it brings learning opportunities to previously disadvantaged groups. In business, it helps unite and train an increasingly global workforce. When learning materials are online, users are able to access content from anywhere and at any time.

• Corporate education, however, adds another dimension and depth to training by involving learners as participants in generating new knowledge that assists an organization to evolve and develop.

• An online training system reduces many costs that would normally be

associated with classroom training, including travel, learning materials, venues, and catering. Online training platforms let you update important text packets and lesson plans quickly and easily, and since they remain online, you can save on printing costs. Given the savings, a company can see after implementing an online employee training program. Return on investment (ROI) is one of the clearest benefits of E-learning for businesses.

• People are always looking for opportunities to grow. Online training allows employees to quickly get up to speed on new processes. One major complaint about traditional training methods is that the time-consuming nature of the programs takes away the valuable time that could have been spent on other work. With training management system, employees can participate in their online courses at any time-including at home or during downtime at work-so learning doesn't have to conflict with other important or time-sensitive job tasks. Online training platforms also allow employees to revisit key information right when they need it.

E-learning can be translated to lower costs to deliver training in a shorter period of time, especially when employees are spread worldwide

• E-learning means no boundaries. One of the key advantages of E-learning is that employees have the ability to participate in online courses from anywhere with an internet connection. This eliminates a lot of energy spent coordinating where and when a course will take place. Gathering a whole team of employees together in one place is never easy, and never efficient. E-learning gives both management and employees more flexibility to complete importantly `just-in-time' training as requirements change.

• Employees are able to get real-time feedback during an online training course. And because everything is connected online, management can also get up-to-date analyses on how courses are performing, and they track the progress of individual employees.

• Online training also helps take the paper out of the equation altogether. E-learning materials are stored online, so employees can access important resources any time they encounter a question or difficult situation.

• E-learning companies get the opportunity to create fun and engaging training courses through the use of videos, interactive slides, and even games. These intriguing courses lead to better results by helping employees retain more of the information learned.

• E-learning also serves different learning styles as not every person grasps the same way. Some might retain more knowledge through videos, others might prefer written notes, and some might need realistic opportunities for practice before they truly grasp a new skill.

• Plus, different types of assessments, like quizzes and case studies, means that learners can be engaged according to their increasing level of understanding as they progress through the training. And more engagement is a sure sign that employees will complete their course!