Why business needs to go back to school over e-learning

By Bert van der Zwan, VP EMEA, WebEx

In December 2006, the Government-commissioned Leitch Review of Skills stated that UK skill levels needed to be ramped up to avoid a 'lingering decline in competitiveness'. For a nation constantly at war with a skills-gap, it does seem absurd that for many workers, training seems to have changed very little over the last 20 years - which is probably why it is dropping down the business priorities list. Research shows that bosses view training as a cost to be avoided and deny their staff training sessions. And when training does happen, workers frequently revert to classroom stereotypes: Those at the front, set to answer every question the second it arrives, those at the back, cynical about the cost and time of their course and the rest of the class, for whom the novelty of being away from their desks and getting a free lunch has thoroughly worn off.

Training can be a lengthy and frustrating process. Courses are requested, researched, approved and then booked often weeks in advance. As a consequence, workers are often trained once they have become self-taught, or the need for training has passed. However, lack of training can leave workers under-developed and unsatisfied, whilst inappropriate training offers little ROI for an organisation and leaves employees feeling that their time has been wasted. So how can companies get it right?

One solution may be a greater adoption of e-learning tools. The purpose of e-learning is to reduce the time and expense of training and make it more relevant to the tasks at hand and in line with the business goals of the company, through the use of information technology, particularly the internet.

What is e-learning?
In the past, e-learning has been available in several forms, from digitised versions of heavy text books to interactive cd-roms, online quizzes and programmed step-by step walk-through programmes. E-learning today is literally taking a fully interactive classroom environment online. Students log on to a training session over the web, with a phone line and webcam. From there, they can chat to fellow class members, put their hand up to answer a question or get the attention of the trainer, who logs in from their computer to host the lesson. Learners can be split into breakout groups for mini-projects, have private one-on-one consultations with tutors and can even get caught out not paying to the class at hand, as many systems will detect if they are using other applications such as email, IM or web browsing. More advanced companies blend online learning with book-based study and use it to develop full catalogues of searchable electronic learning materials including video, blogs and even games. The most advanced can provide full training 'on-demand', giving sessions to workers as and when they are required and demanded.

Between 2002 and 2005, e-learning doubled in size, taking up 33% of all corporate training hours. But this was for companies with greater resource to invest in cutting edge training methodologies. In-person training, however, still took up the lion's share of learning time.

Over half of companies use e-learning for desktop applications and IT training, which makes sense as web-based learning allows students to be hands-on with computer programmes and applications. However, the biggest growth areas for e-learning include executive and personal development, and management training. Whilst this mirrors the training industry in general, it is important for companies to realise that e-learning is just as effective for training on 'soft' subjects as it is for IT skills.

To develop an e-learning strategy, an organisation must cover four stages; getting started; expansion; integration and alignment and finally, learning on-demand.

Getting started with e-learning
Businesses considering e-learning may ask the question: 'If we are simply doing what we once did in person, but online, then why do we need to bother?' The main business driver is money. Using online classrooms, businesses save on the costs of getting the right people and expertise in one place at one time. Many e-learning pricing structures are fixed as opposed to variable, making budgeting and planning much easier and classes can expand, enabling remote workers to access the training they traditionally would have missed due to travel restraints.

Besides cost, time is one of the most important benefits to be had from any e-learning scheme. On the first level, increased usage of e-learning reduces time spent out of the office and the time taken for sessions to be completed. Secondly, the time gap between requesting and delivering training is dramatically reduced as companies begin to provide learning on-demand.

Training and development professionals at the start of implementing e-learning are more likely to invest in an off-the shelf package, and will need to develop a catalogue of suitable courses and manage them and market them within their organisation. As many of these packages are available on-demand, accessed via a web browser, the installation implications are minimal and the technical know-how required of trainees is usually fairly basic. Subjects covered by e-learning will initially cover IT and desktop systems, moving onto soft skills such as sales or personal management training.

One of the most important lessons for companies using the basic online classroom model is to maintain high levels of interactivity between students and trainers. The more students interact during a session, the better they learn. For example, knowledge retention from a lecture is normally around 5% whilst experiential learning offers around 75% . Trainers should be confident to do the same types of activities and exercises in their online classrooms that they would do in their real-life training sessions.

Expanding e-learning
The challenges for expanding e-learning practices will include developing wider ranges of content and courses. Companies can also design blended learning programmes, mixing e-learning and some traditional methods. At this stage, many companies will need to invest in Learning Management Software (LMS) which helps manage the deployment and use of e-learning tools as more collateral is developed.

Many companies see content development as a massive hurdle. However, even smaller companies often possess the experience and know-how needed to effectively train their staff, as well as the content needed for interactive programmes, in the form of PowerPoint presentations and how-to guides.

Integration and alignment / on-demand
The next step is the integration and alignment of e-learning tools and systems with business systems, performance management tools and company goals. At this stage, more effort is usually put into developing the content of training schemes.

At its most advanced, e-learning can be integrated with work flow processes, performance support and learning systems to match pre-existing content and resources to specific learning requests. Recent research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) states that 8% of workers found 'on-the-job training' the most effective method of training. By not disturbing day-to-day work activities and patterns, this is effectively, what e-learning can provide. If someone is struggling with a job or task and there is no one to turn to for in-person advice, workers should be able to go to their e-learning systems instead.

Quality control
Reporting and quality control for training and professional development are largely managed using student and trainer feedback. With the ability to record entire training sessions and capture instant feedback, bosses can review trainer and trainee performance for themselves. As well as gaining a greater insight into what happens in training sessions, these tools can also help ensure regulatory compliance and aid reporting.

The quality of training itself can depend on a number of variable factors - the trainer, the makeup of the classroom and any obstructive office politics.

So why not?
So, why aren't more companies adopting e-learning programmes? One reason may be that many are stuck in the mindset of the stereotypical, in-person training session. Similarly, many companies don't yet understand e-learning and the benefits it can bring. Many are held back by the perceived enormity of fully-fledged e-learning projects, whilst others never look further than the occasional IT training session.

The tools needed to implement e-learning are inexpensive, easy to use and provide the reliability and security demanded in competitive business environments. Many tools are 'hosted' online by vendors, and are as simple as logging in via a URL and so there are no complex installation processes.

The fact is, many UK companies really are missing a trick when it comes to e-learning. The time, productivity and efficiency benefits are clear to see and if companies take a gradual approach to implementation, they will soon reap the rewards. If both end-user organisations and specialist training providers opened their eyes to these methods, the opportunities for increased skills and productivity are potentially massive.

When we consider what e-learning has to offer, isn't it time businesses went back to school and broke down the training stereotypes?