{"id":1616,"date":"2023-12-15T12:59:53","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T12:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.newearthprogramming.com\/interpreters\/?p=1616"},"modified":"2023-12-15T13:00:08","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T13:00:08","slug":"the-serendipitous-eco-friendly-rewards-of-e-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.newearthprogramming.com\/interpreters\/2023\/12\/15\/the-serendipitous-eco-friendly-rewards-of-e-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"The Serendipitous, Eco-friendly Rewards of e-Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some ideas just shine brighter.<\/em><\/h3>\n

In 2016 we at\u00a0The Interpreter\u2019s Lab<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(and parent\u00a0company Shifting Pictures Inc<\/strong>.) made the decision to move our courses online. I had never really been a fan of self-directed, online courses for interpreter education and training. At the time that online learning started gaining popularity, the majority of programs for interpreters working in specialized settings (community, health, legal, education, err.) did not include an actual\u00a0live<\/em>\u00a0instructor, just student-directed content. For orientation and professional development topics, self-directed courses make sense, of course, but for genuine education and the acquisition of essential skills and knowledge, instructor-led and classroom-based programs were the only way to go \u2013 in our view. So, while we saw a lot of promise and potential benefit in virtual courses (personally, I have always been a big technophile), at the time we did not see how it could be done without losing some of our programs\u2019 value that came as a direct result of the live interaction with between students and our expert instructors, the engagement and interface within the student cohort, and the opportune, and often unanticipated, outcomes emerging from the free form discussions of an adult-centered classroom.<\/p>\n

However, in 2017 we discovered a platform that was simple to access, free for the students to utilize and did not demand that users be technological wizards or internet experts. Moreover, after some investigation we learned of an online, e-learning management system that once again made sense for our students \u2013 adults that came from diverse educational and occupational backgrounds. We then combined these two platforms in order to be able to deliver quality educational programs in a virtual space \u2013 without sacrificing any of the benefits of \u201cface-to-face\u201d instruction and student-focused, classroom method teaching. And not only did we not lose what we had in intrinsic value; the programs gained even more benefits. Online means that we can blend so much more into the learning modules \u2013 connecting students to global resources and international speakers and thought-leaders of the industry. Online also means that students get more \u2013 more content, more depth, and longer engagement with the course and the instructor. Table 1, at the end of this article, outlines how the e-learning space offers so much more to students \u2013 especially adult students that are already juggling family, work, and other commitments and that are seeking to make a career shift to interpreting \u2013 as many of our students tend to be.<\/p>\n

We knew that moving our courses to the virtual classroom environment would bring great advantage to the operational capacity of our programs, and of course, advantage to both our instructors and students as well, but we were surprised to discover one other, very important recipient that also benefited \u2013 the environment. Since we moved our programs online, we have substantially reduced the carbon footprint of our courses in so many ways (substantial is relative as we are a small organization, so substantial to us):<\/p>\n