E-learning should be incorporated into learning offerings as part of a blended training package. This was the message presented at a discussion forum on e-learning in Sunninghill today, sponsored by the Graduate Institute of Management.
Educor CEO Rob Katz said there were international moves to "blended" learning and soft skills training, with courses becoming "learner-centric" rather than "instruction-centric". He noted that the US and Europe have learned from their initial mistakes, and e-learning is now being integrated with traditional learning on a growing scale, for maximum impact.
Katz said that e-learning presents the benefits of cost-effectiveness, time-saving and convenience. "With e-learning, there is flexible, scalable access to lifelong learning."
However, Katz warned that simply loading an education programme onto a company server will not bring about effective results. "E-learning needs to be promoted during a change management system. Therefore, management must buy into the concept and staff should be given incentives to take part."
Katz added that a lengthy wait from concept to implementation is likely to result in a loss of interest from both staff and management. "Smaller pilot e-learning programmes can be rolled out early to introduce learners to e-learning and check for any shortfalls in the programmes."
He noted that factors critical to the success of an e-learning programme include the quality of the programmes, their cost-effectiveness and the infrastructure in place to support them. Partnering with a reputable training provider is important to ensure there is no "reinventing of the wheel" in terms of planning, positioning and setting up an infrastructure for e-learning within a company.
Ian Turner, a professor at Henley Management College which provides distance learning for students worldwide, agreed that the infrastructure for an e-learning programme is of critical importance.
"We have found that Web-enabled learning is easy for most learners to access and use. It also offers the advantages of asynchronous training with easy interaction between students, or between students and experts."
Turner warned that design and content could make or break the course. "Simply putting text on the Internet is not effective, but overly sophisticated design features can slow down the speed at which learning and interaction takes place."
Ideally, courses are presented in a user-friendly format that allows for quick and easy interaction and assessment. This can be combined with instructor-led training to give learners the opportunity to engage in discussions and ask one-on-one questions.
Katz concluded that e-learning is growing rapidly because it can do what educators have long sought to do - "take learning to the people, instead of people to learning".
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