A Model for E-learning Success
Frequently, discussions about e-learning in corporate training environments attract the attention of executives interested in addressing escalating training costs and in using technology to train employees. The implied E-learning promise is that training efficiencies will go straight to the bottom line while revenue growth resulting from training will go straight to the top line.
While true that training efficiencies can be realized from the use of e-learning in corporate environments, it is also true that there can be significant up-front investments required of organizations wanting to pursue custom E-learning initiatives. The price of failure could be high, and as a result, future training initiatives could be given a rough ride.
If employees do not perceive E-learning as a positive development, a consequence is that they may disengage from the learning process. If the bottom line investment in E-learning initiatives is high, the cost of learner disengagement to an organization has the potential to be significantly higher.
Over the next few blog posts, I am going to explore an E-learning Success Model that can be used by organizations considering E-learning as a component of their overall learning and development strategy.
The six strategies of the model that will be discussed individually are:
- Understand the e-learner
- Have an on site e-learning champion
- Provide an in-class orientation for all e-learners
- Support from the e-learner’s manager
- Time provided to e-learners during working hours
- Learners should play a role in choosing their own e-learning courses
This is post 1 of 7 of the E-learning Success Model … view the others by following these links:
- A Model for E-learning Success
- Understand the E-learner
- Onsite E-learning Champions
- In-Class Orientation for E-learners
- Support from the E-learner’s Manager
- Provided time to E-learners during Work Hours
- Let E-learners Have a Role in Choosing their E-learning Courses
External or Internal Trainers?
When looking at different training initiatives for your organization, it can be very tempting to go with an exclusively internal solution … especially if the focus is on the bottom line cost and not the learning-return-on-investment (LROI). While cost should play a role in ultimately determining which way you will go, too frequently it disproportionately outweighs all others.
When looking at different training initiatives for your organization, it can be very tempting to go with an exclusively external solution … especially if the focus is on the bottom line cost and not the LROI. While cost should play a role in ultimately determining which way you will go, too frequently it disproportionately outweighs all others.
Do I hear an echo in here?
Clearly the same argument can be made for either internal or external resources, especially if the focus is exclusively on the bottom line (and in your experience, you may well have heard it used both ways). So what other factors should be considered in the LROI equation? There are two that I think should sit at or near the top of the list
1. Cultural connection
It is important that the organization’s culture be understood and respected. Depending on the purpose of the training, the cultural connection could possibly be best addressed using internal resources … or it may best be left to external resources (e.g. implementing a program that will result in a cultural shift). There’s no short answer here, just a need to be aware of this key consideration.
2. Expertise
Here is where taking advantage of subject matter experts (SMEs) comes into play. If you are in an environment that is unique, with little external subject matter expertise available, then clearly your internal SMEs will be playing a significant role. Or perhaps there is a requirement to engage with external sources because your needs/gap analysis has revealed that the required knowledge or skill sets don’t exist internally.
So what is the bottom line here? Focusing exclusively on your bottom line cost when designing and/or delivering training programs could end up costing you more in the long run. At the very least, the three key factors mentioned above, (bottom line, cultural connection, expertise), should be considered when attempting to maximize your LROI.
What other factors do you feel should be considered in creating a positive LROI equation?
