With globalization and greater expendable income, the tourism industry across the world is flourishing. This industry has also witnessed a steady influx of tourists all around the globe.
To make sure that tourism industry employees are abreast of required knowledge and skills, training is an ongoing process for the industry. However, it is important to note that tourist operators are usually spread across the length and breadth of a country. Therefore, it is important that training is imparted in a uniform fashion and is available to them as needed. Keeping the audience profile and its unique needs in mind, it is possible to create e-learning for the industry and reap the many benefits:
- Training Delivery: Employees of the tourism industry have active work lives and are frequently on the move. Thus training has to be made accessible through multiple devices – anytime and anywhere, as per the convenience of the learner. Also, it is important to remember that learners might need to view the courses on devices with smaller screens and lesser resolution – like smartphones and tablets. As such, it is also necessary to ensure ease of use on varying screen sizes and without the resolution adversely affecting the content display. Developing e-courses with HTML5 ensures that the training can be accessed from any device that the learners choose – desktop, laptop or mobile device. In addition, adoption of technologies like responsive web design, makes sure that the course automatically resizes itself and adjusts to the capabilities of the viewing device. The user does not have to scroll unnecessarily, or zoom in/zoom out, or do anything else to make viewing less cumbersome on devices with smaller screens. The RWD technology has been in development over the last few years and successfully utilized in creating websites. But its utility in technology-aided learning is relatively unexplored. The fluid design provides uniform user experience by molding the content automatically as per screen size and resolution. And uniform user experience makes learning fruitful and enjoyable.
- Innovative Design: Mobile enabled courses should be built with easy navigation and ease-of-use as high priorities. On-screen text should be kept minimum, and advanced functionalities can be built in to highlight images and graphics. For instance, on the landing page, learners can view multiple images depicting popular trends. They can click on each image to view information about a specific trend, and then click the ‘Return’ link on the branch page to come back to the landing page. This can keep the user interface uncluttered and optimal for viewing across multiple devices – especially ones with a smaller viewing screen.
- Innovative Structure: E-courses can also be with a horizontal gallery structure that befits all devices – especially smaller screen sizes. This provides a better viewing experience for the user and allows them to better navigate through the course – choosing to go ahead or go back as per the requirement. For further viewing ease, additional features like ‘flip cards’ can be developed within the course. The viewer does not need to move to a different page for smaller descriptions, but can just click on relevant images and read short descriptions on the cards. These cards successfully decrease on-screen text and make user experience hassle-free.
- Audio and Video: Videos can be a prominent feature of the training program. The main benefit of including video is that it renders well on a mobile platform, and a number of video snippets can be included to make the courses interesting. As per the users’ choice, videos can be viewed within the window as well as on full screen. The size and resolution can remain uniform across all devices. Audio can also play an important role in the course and make it fit for a strong mobile delivery. Even when reading is not an option, the learner has the choice to listen to the course and learn. But learner also has the choice to turn off the audio.
- Assessments: Courses can also be created using various strategies for learner reinforcement and practice. The assessments can be accessed through multiple devices, giving the user the choice to learn and assess as needed. The scores and progress can be automatically synced and the learner can pick up from wherever.
The main goal when creating e-learning for the tourism industry is to enhance the reach and accessibility of the learning material. Through the option of mobile delivery, technology-aided learning achieves this business objective by reaching out to tourism operators located across a country – even in the remotest of locations. By making sure that a variety of mobile devices are made compatible for delivery of content – including smartphones and tablets, you can increase accessibility and reach of the program even more.
Coupling technology with innovative design e-learning is successful in helping tourism businesses to align better to incoming tourists.
Arunima Majumdar is the senior marketing consultant at G-Cube.
