E-learningís three barriers must come down rapidly, says Kineo

E-learning still has three barriers to clear before it reaches its true potential. It needs to move at business speed, not training speed. It needs to become more cost effective. Critically, its quality must not be compromised. Kineoís client research shows that most e-learning fails to deliver on at least one of these fronts, creating a barrier for existing and potential customers. There is another way.

Kineoís recent customer discussions has identified that options for e-learning are looking somewhat limited. Speed of response is a key concern, particularly with traditional bespoke routes. As one customer put it: ìWe just donít have four months to create something bespoke, impressive though the results might be. The business has moved on and itís obsolete by then. Weíre looking more at four weeksî.

This view is supported by research undertaken by Bersin and Associates in the US. 89% of survey respondents indicated a need to develop a course within 3 weeks, however the time taken to produce an average bespoke e-learning course by traditional means is 3-6 months.

Many are excluded from e-learning because of cost. While the average per-hour price of bespoke development is falling, it is still beyond the reach of many organisations ñ and generic e-learning may be cheaper, but the lack of organisation specifics severely limits their relevance and effectiveness. Said one customer ìWe havenít commissioned bespoke e-learning in the traditional sense in 18 months, and I doubt we will again ñ that model just doesnít work for us.î

And what of quality? Thereís a perception that you get what you pay for ñ and low-cost e-learning lives down to its name, only adding to the dim views many one-time customers of e-learning hold.

ìOur conversations with customers show that theyíre clearly tiring of compromise in e-learningî, says Stephen Walsh, Kineo Partner. ìWe believe the industry needs to change, to remove these barriers of access, and find new ways of extending the potential of e-learning to a wider audience. Kineoís new rapid e-learning service will deliver on the time, cost and quality requirements that organisations demand ñ opening access to e-learning to more organisations who may have traditionally dismissed it.î

Kineo will unveil its new rapid e-learning service, the most comprehensive and pragmatic set of end-to-end resources for rapid e-learning available anywhere, in early November.