E-learning can be a high impact cost-effective training tool, but some organisations are reluctant to move away from face to face approaches. Guy Fletcher explains how to implement a successful programme.
To change the way you train your employees, for example by switching to e-learning can at first seem a very daunting step. For centuries, human teaching and learning has been performed in a face-to-face environment. The adoption of a new training method can bring with it substantial perceived risks.
The undisputable direction the training market is taking though is towards using e-learning as a component of a high impact, cost-effective teaching and learning strategy. This article outlines how to make the best choices and sidestep the barriers to success. The current recessionary environment makes a strong case for making the switch to this approach.
Mitigating the risks
Implementing a successful technology based learning programme is as easy or difficult as implementing any new process or technology. Time spent in the planning stages and in identifying success criteria is absolutely crucial. From there, milestones can be defined and a journey to a destination that delivers substantial cost advantages can be managed, while engaging learners who may be disaffected by the traditional face to face approach.
Project champion
As with any major project that requires a substantial investment, a project champion must be in place to provide clear ownership and be an individual others can easily identify with. This improves the chances of a successful roll-out.
Proof of concept (POC)
A small scale pilot programme can help identify the potential pitfalls of a larger scale implementation. Start by selecting a sample of employees—ideally from different divisions and geographical locations. If the programme is managed closely by regular communication with participants, problems can be identified before roll-out gets underway.
Typically a POC would cover a representative number of establishments. This will indicate how well e-learning aligns with an overall learning and development plan, the suitability of your IT infrastructure, and how learners feel about the new medium.
Example of an e-learning roll-out
Choice Support, a national charity supporting service users with learning difficulties, implemented a POC. Having previously adopting classroom based training, the charity found it progressively difficult to develop knowledgeable staff. The course material did not appeal to learners and this resulted in a lack of motivation to further their personal and professional skills. Significant costs arose attempting to adhere to numerous obligatory training regulations in the care sector.
A six week POC of e-learning was launched, resulting in astounding results. 83 employees started at least one training course; 234 courses were commenced. By the end of the POC 173 courses were completed and passed; more than double the target for course completions.
Selecting the right partner
It is important to identify an e-learning partner that aligns with your culture and approach to learning. The number of global-scale specialist e-learning companies is limited, but they enjoy the benefits of superior resources and are more likely to be around for the long haul, which is an important consideration. Look for evidence of long term innovation and creativity, in terms of breadth of courses available and the depth of technology.
Experience of providing solutions in your particular industry will ensure they ‘speak your language.’
The right solution
Successful e-learning providers, ranging from small set-ups to large, global training organisations manage roll-outs to some of the largest e-learning programmes in the world. Experience gained from collaborative working helps maintain the sustainability of their solutions.
When searching for an e-learning provider, consider the following;
- Does the provider offer thousands of comprehensive courses based around proven, educationally sound pedagogies?
- Is e-learning delivered through a learning management system (LMS) that tracks learner progress and reports on outcomes?
- Can the e-learning courses be taken on mobile working technologies that allow for organisations that may not have IT infrastructure to deliver courses?
- Are there dedicated project managers who tailor the plan to suit the organisation’s needs?
- Does the provider offer customer support?
You should also check that the solution has the flexibility to expand to meet your evolving needs as you become more experienced at managing an e-learning programme. An e-learning provider that establishes effective relationships with customers, and one that looks to continually evolve shows a strong commitment to the provision of a quality service and product.
Why are some organisations hesitant to move towards e-learning?
A number of reasons could explain;
- Lack of IT literacy. As time moves on, fewer people are impacted by this barrier – in the next two years, there will be more millennial learners (i.e. those who reached working age (20) at the turn of the century) than baby boomers, and these people have grown up with technology.
- Inertia. ‘There is no need to change the way we do things,’ a common remark that many people are happy in their comfort zone- although this is changing, especially as a result of budget pressures and recessionary environment, cost cutting is now top of many people’s agendas.
- Lack of trust. In the late 90s, many people were ‘burned’ by so called e-learning (in effect putting text online with no thought about learner experience) and it has taken a number of years to regain a reputation as a valid alternative to face-to-face training.
Measuring the results
Most organisations are aware of how much they spend on providing traditional training courses for their employees, but this is just the direct cost. Hidden costs, such as transport, subsistence and providing cover for learners who have gone off site for a training course are much harder to measure.
Measurement can also be tricky; has the employee understood the key learning points from a course, and will this be sufficient to change behaviour when back in their day job?
E-Learning does offer the capability to gauge how much of the learning material an employee has internalised. Built-in assessments in the courseware, allied to a reports generator in the LMS provide data that can prove company-wide compliance for a mandatory training requirement at the touch of a button.
So, how do you measure success? It may be that all employees in specific job roles across the company have taken and passed specific courses that map to your staff training needs. An effective technology based learning programme does just that.
It will enable you to report on which learners have passed which courses, in a given time frame. This will allow you to demonstrate a successful delivery of a company-wide training programme without blowing the budget, and without disrupting the smooth running of the business.