Informal learning makes it easier to understand the application of a skill to real life, and if there is no standardized syllabus, the learner can tailor the learning process to his or her specific needs. This may be why informal workplace learning has been found so beneficial for organizations such as Intel. A learner can assimilate the information most pertinent to his or her job description. Informal workplace learning also allows the learner to learn on the job, without taking valuable training time out of the workday.
However, there is also a dark side to informal workplace learning. If the learner's time and effort in acquiring new skills is not compensated with added credentials on paper, it can be difficult to prove his or her ability to learn new things, unlike a degree, which is transferable when or she changes jobs. Transferability of skills is still easier with formal learning from a worker's point-of-view. With personal enrichment-type informal learning this...
Distance education enables adults to learn at their own pace, at their own time, and because there are no formal lectures, the learner has greater discretion in terms of what aspects of the syllabus are given greater attention and study. However, there is always an instructor supervising the work that is taking place, guiding the learner in his or her choices of assignments, reading material, and evolving perspective. And through report cards, assignments, and grades, the distance learner has proof of his or her efforts and the additional knowledge and skills attained.
Work Cited
Galagan, Pat. Unformal, the new normal? September 2010. November 3, 2010.
http://www.astd.org/LC/2010/0910_galagan.htm
