Flashcards – A New Way of Learning Effectively
Updated: Aug 12, 2021
Conventional lectures, lengthy presentations, and bulky reading materials are slowly losing their power in a super busy and competitive world, where businesses are constantly looking for the fastest and most effective ways to train their employees. This is especially true in case of those with large distributed workforces. Luckily though, flashcards are here to make workplace learning fun, engaging and successful. Since the time they were introduced in the mid-19th century to make learning easy for elementary school students, flashcards have rapidly evolved to cater to workplace learning needs. They are usually a combination of rich images and related text, which convey important lessons in a manner that is easy to process and retain.
In today’s eLearning environment, digital flashcards (or e-flashcards) are making their way into smartphones – thus providing a new and effective way of learning and training employees (including the ones who work remotely). Digital flashcards are an integral part of mobile-based microlearning platforms, so that employees can learn and train at their own pace.
In the following sections, we will discuss how to use flashcards and their benefits in online learning for corporate employees. So, let us get started.
Benefits of Flashcards in Online Learning
So, what are flashcards? In simple terms, they are physical cards containing information including a single (or multiple) image and accompanying text that explains the image. The same is true for digital flashcards used for online learning.
Here are 3 key benefits of digital flashcards and how flashcards help learning outcomes:
Improves information retention: As suggested by Allan Paivio, a picture helps store both verbal and non-verbal data in the human brain. On the other hand, word-based information only accounts for verbal data, which is hard to retain and recall. Flashcards are effective at active recall, which has 150% higher retention as compared to passive learning. In other words, flashcards are good for learning as they help learners to pull out their memory-stored information instead of simply reading any information.
Enhances self-reflection skills: As explained by Elizabeth Barry of Peterson’s, “flashcards give your brain a very quick way to check if you got the answers correct.” This is also referred to as metacognition. On the whole, metacognitive (or self-reflection) skills help in embedding your memories into your knowledge base, thus improving learning outcomes. This benefit allows online students to focus and improve on their weak points – and self-judge on how much they understand their learning material.
Optimizes the learning process: Through high-resolution pictures (or even audio) in digital flashcards, the learning process is much livelier and fun for learners. Additionally, flashcards enable focused learning by providing only that information that is required to be learned. It removes all extra content or material that can distract one from the learning process. What’s more? Here is a bonus benefit offered by online or digital flashcards. Instead of carrying loads of printed material physically, thousands of flashcards can now be carried on digital devices like smartphones, tablets, or laptops. According to their learning pace and convenience, online learners can access this material whenever and wherever they want.
What’s more? Here is a bonus benefit offered by online or digital flashcards. Instead of carrying loads of printed material physically, thousands of flashcards can now be carried on digital devices like smartphones, tablets, or laptops. According to their learning pace and convenience, online learners can access this material whenever and wherever they want.
Next, check out some tips on how to use flashcards for studying better.
Read also: Reaching the last mile with Microlearning
8 tips on how to use flashcards in online learning
Wondering how useful are flashcards in online learning? Here are 8 tips that you should keep in mind:
Restrict the amount of information presented in each flashcard, so that it is adequate to achieve the learning outcome.
Design each collection of flashcards to focus on a specific subject module or topic. Avoid a large collection of flashcards that can confuse the learner or lead to cognitive overloading.
Encourage online learners to create their own flashcards, which can lead to better knowledge acquisition and retention.
Make use of high-quality graphics and images in flashcards that are easier to absorb and remember for learners. This also makes the learning process more active and engaging.
Use flashcards in online quizzes or examinations to test the learner’s subject knowledge and development – as well as to identify their pain points or weaknesses.
To cater to a larger user base, make sure the flashcards can be viewed on different devices and platforms.
Utilize digital flashcards to encourage online group discussions or during live training events. For example, a specific flashcard can be used to raise a relevant question and facilitate the exchange of ideas.
Include a variety of flashcards in your online gamification activities and exercises – where online learners can chat about various concepts and share their knowledge.
Finally, let us look at how to make effective flashcards using the best online tools and platforms.
Read also: Microlearning in formal education
How to make online flashcards
Thinking about how to make flashcards that are suited for your employee training needs? Here are 5 websites (or apps) that can help you create your digital flashcards:
Oust Labs - This platform helps create fun and informative flashcards that are easy to view and process across mobile devices.
Cram.com – The online flashcard app that is supported on both Android and Apple iOS phones.
Flashcard online – The website where you can create and print your flashcards.
GoConqr – The profile-based application for creating flashcards using your account.
Brainscape – That offers both free and paid subscription-based plans through its Android and iOS-supported apps.
FlashDecks – The easy and user-friendly website for creating online flashcards.
Conclusion
Digital flashcards offer an engaging mode of learning for corporate employees and trainees. And by now, you also know about their main benefits and how to use flashcards to engage with your workforce. So, all you need to do is sign up for an eLearning platform that turns learning or training into an effective game. This will help your employees pick up new concepts and skills in no time.
You might be interested to know that the Oust Labs platform comes with an inbuilt authoring tool for creating awesome flashcards. Which means, training employees will become an easy, quick and effective process, and that too at an affordable price.
Want to know more about how to make employee trainings more interesting? Book a demo with us today!