Electronic learning is set for take off as learners graduate from learning basic IT skills to using information technology to round off their education, say companies offering such courseware.
Ronel Bornman, general manager at online degree institution eDegree, says she expects the growth in online learning to triple this year for the whole South African market.
"Online learning, whether it is for a degree or a course of some kind, is growing fast as people and companies realise the benefits," she says.
eDegree is partly owned by media group Johnnic and offers the online versions of various degrees from the University of the Free State, mainly in the commerce and law disciplines. It has a student population of more than 2 000.
"Many working adults have realised that online learning allows them to study for a degree in their own time, and they have the added benefit of being able to 'chat` with their lecturers in real time," she says.
Bornman says another growing market for e-learning degrees is from the rural communities, who would otherwise find it prohibitively expensive to attend a full time institution, or who fear the cultural and social changes that come with such a move.
After a number of years in the doldrums, corporate e-learning is beginning to fly again with growth rates of between 25% to 30%, says Learning Resources marketing director Lorinda Ellis.
"E-learning went through a bit of an hiatus during the past four years, because its original premise of teaching people basic desktop skills has fallen away as new job entrants are entering the market place with these skills as a given," she says.
Ellis says that companies now see the benefits of e-learning rest in rolling out product, skill development and knowledge support tools to their employees that eventually help them to roll out a new product or service quickly.
"For instance, in the past it typically took a pharmaceutical company 18 months to train its representatives on a new drug. Now, with e-learning, the courseware is developed and the theoretical knowledge is passed on quite quickly," she says.
Ellis says many corporations are using "blended learning techniques", where the learner studies the theoretical aspects of the course online and then some classroom work is done on the practical aspects.
Bornman and Ellis say that bandwidth constraints can easily be overcome for e-learning applications through the clever use of technology. However, the biggest inhibitor would be the access to the Internet, especially in a developing country.
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