Why eLearning?

• Multi-media training provides a minimum of 15-25% performance improvement, pointing to overall "significant" increases in retention and workplace transfer of learning
  Reference: http://www.quality-one.com/training/cbt.cfm
• Learning gains through Computer-Based-Training is up to 56% greater than through traditional learning
  Reference: http://skillsoft.gmu.edu/SkillSoft/custom/learning_effect.htm
• Content retention is 25-50% higher than through traditional learning
  Reference: http://teamapproach.com/estats.asp
• The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) post-course evaluations showed that 94% of students rated the online learning experience as either "satisfactory" or "very satisfactory." When asked if they would recommend the course to a friend or colleague, 96% said "yes." And 97% said that they would take another ASAE online course. ASAE plans to add 2 additional online courses in early 2002, bringing their offering to 7.
  Reference: http://www.certilearn.com/1040_casestudy.asp
• Traditional learning can disadvantage fast or slow learners. People in the class talking or staring out the window are probably bored or lost. Now everyone can learn at his or her natural pace.
• Only eLearning can guarantee that everyone gets exactly the same training. Traditional training delivery relied on people to deliver the training in the same way, being in the same mood every time. Consistency of learning - the variance in learning across learners - is 50-60% better with eLearning
  Reference: http://skillsoft.gmu.edu/SkillSoft/custom/learning_effect.htm
• You can learn when you need to/want to. eLearning is learning on demand, you can fit it around your daily activities or even do it in your own time. This can deliver better training attendance and less attendance dropout because the learning is flexible to the learner rather than the other way around.
• Your learning options are not constrained by your geographic location. Often learners are disadvantaged by their location. City or rural, national or international, anywhere learning is now a reality.
• eLearning can be fit into your busy schedule. Busy learners may skip traditional training, or allowed their resentment at being taken away from work to block their learning. Now learners decide when they train and for how long.
• eLearning can be more effective for certain types of learners. Shy, reflective, language challenged and learners that need more time are often disadvantaged by traditional learning methods. The ‘one size fits all’ philosophy of classroom training is gone, now you can have true training involvement equality because these kinds of learners feel more secure to participate in online discussion and collaboration.
• eLearning promotes more student-to-student interaction. Traditional learning either isolated the learner through distance education or allows limited interaction because interaction stops when the class finishes. eLearning gives greater opportunity for peer collaboration because it’s easy and cheap for the learner to chat or email a fellow learner and continue doing this long after the course is over.
• eLearning is focused more on the learner and less on the instructor. Too often traditional learning absolves the learner of responsibility. No more listening to the trainer talk and then regurgitating it back. eLearning is often self-directed; the learner becomes responsible for his or her own learning.
• eLearning instruction is more customized and flexible. Traditional learning is often delivered using a ‘one size fits all’ philosophy. Now you can have true learning styles equality. Content can be presented as audio, visual, skills based, theoretical etc.
• There are side benefits of eLearning. Learners acquire skills in computing, self-directed learning, self-motivation, time management etc.

Managing the downside

eLearning does have some problems. Let’s look at each of these and look at the ways you overcome them.

• Equipment needs of students and learning providers. This is 100% true, learners and learning providers need computers and often networks. Both of which most organisations have. If the learning is designed for the standard computer of your organization, then all those learners with that computer can be reached. If they do not have a network, then CD-Rom delivery can be considered. Another important point is that blended learning or flexible delivery enables learners of all types and situations to access learning. eLearning is often delivered as part of a broader strategy involving paper-based and classroom delivered media.
• Academic honesty of online students. This can be a problem. Learners can cheat the system, just as they can with traditional training. Mechanisms such as ‘time-in-screen’ ensure learners are not just skipping through the content. Blending workplace observation, evidence portfolios and other traditional assessment mechanisms into the solution can ensure assessment results are valid. Assessment banks with randomized questions ensure that learners get different questions, which makes cheating virtually impossible.
• Lack of face-to-face interaction. This can be a problem. Learners can feel isolated, just as they can with traditional training. Mechanisms such as online collaboration, chat, telephone contact, email etc minimise this learner isolation. Also blending workplace interactions with peers and mentors and other face-to-face mechanisms into the solution can overcome this lack of human interaction. Often the reverse is true and eLearning actually improves human interaction because shy and reflective learners tend to ‘come out of their shell’.
• Equity of access to learners of all backgrounds and parts of society. eLearning does not claim to reach every human being on earth, but nor does traditional learning. eLearning can overcome literacy and cultural barriers just as easily as traditional methods by the use of simple grammar, cultural contextualisation and other mechanisms.
• Does not provide many social aspects of a true campus or traditional classroom. This can be true in that eLearning does not offer the same options available to a group of learners who are all brought together in a room. Sure they can go to the pub after training. But eLearners can meet up in virtual social environments, play games together and do any activities, which are just as social. Indeed, they can even meet up in real life, or with blended learning approaches, you can integrate classroom activities.
• eLearning is not portable and standardized. Not true, eLearning standards such as those developed by W3C, SCORM and AICC ensure that content can be developed once and delivered to a desktop, laptop, PDA, phone etc. It can also be transferred between learning management systems.
• It is just a passing fad. The IDC forecasts that the eLearning market, which was about $6.5 billion in 2003, will increase to more than $21 billion by 2008.
  Reference:http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=52600125