Your
First Steps in e-Learning
 An
increasing number of organisations are exploring
the potential benefits of e-Learning. In this foreword
for the The Training Managers Yearbook 2003, Adrian
Snook explains what issues should you
consider and then what first steps should
you take.
In
their study "European Corporate Business Skills
Training Market Forecast and Analysis 2000" published
on January 21st 2002, IDC examined the Western
European market for business skills training. Despite
the economic slowdown, they identified that requirements
for European business skills training are growing,
creating a market with a five-year compound annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9%, forecast to reach
$13 billion in revenue in 2006.
Increasing numbers of enterprises and public sector
organisations are identifying the business benefits
of using technology to deliver and facilitate some
of this growing training requirement. This will represent
a shift in the market, from leading-edge adoption
to early mainstream adoption. By 2005, IDC estimates
that over 27% of business skills training content
world-wide will be provided via e-Learning, representing
a compound annual growth rate of 108.2% over a five-year
period.
The ASTD defines e-Learning as:
"a
wide set of applications and processes such as
Web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual
classrooms, and digital collaboration. It includes
the delivery of content via Internet, intranet/extranet
(LAN/WAN), audio- and videotape, satellite broadcast,
interactive TV, and CD-ROM"
The bewildering array of technologies and complex
terminology associated with this set of applications
and processes can be very daunting when you are taking
your first steps into the world of e-Learning. Where
on earth should you start out?
Your first step should be to look closely at your
organisation and its needs. In most cases a clearly
defined e-Learning catalyst initially brings the
issue of e-Learning up the agenda, in the form of
a training requirement generated by a significant
organisational change. This might be as simple as
rolling-out the latest release of Microsoft Outlook
or as complex as a merger, acquisition or cultural
change programme.
You may well have a default option which you would
normally use to address this training need, but someone
has suggested that e-Learning might offer a better
alternative. If you see your role as a Training Manager
as primarily tactical it can be very tempting to
view this catalyst simply as an isolated training
challenge which needs to be effectively addressed,
rather than as a part of a broader range of complex
strategic business and technology issues.
In the days when training was simply delivered in
the classroom, as content on local PC hard disk or
from a local CD-ROM, Training Managers could often
afford to implement training solutions without taking
a broader strategic view. After all, the requirement
for technology was pretty basic and did not impinge
on business critical IT systems. The development
and implementation costs were also relatively low.
The advent of networked e-Learning has changed the
rules, because the skills, knowledge and technology
challenges associated with e-Learning fall beyond
the typical remit of a Training team. Networked learning
requires careful conformance with network protocols
and constraints and is often delivered via large
numbers of PC's in use for a wide range of applications.
The development and implementation costs associated
with e-Learning can be significant and are only recouped
through the low cost of delivery to relatively large
number of people.
Before embarking on a serious exploration of e-Learning,
visiting exhibitions or talking to suppliers you
need to build a formal multi-disciplinary team, capable
of dealing with all the issues and questions that
will arise. You may feel that this represents organisational
overkill, especially if your e-Learning catalyst
is seen to be a low status issue. There is really
no other way to ensure you address the requirement
using technology and methods that are forwards-compatible
with the broader needs of your organisation.
The best route is to form a Project Steering Group
made up of your IT Director, HR Director and any
other board level sponsorship you can find. Get this
group to commit to regular meetings on a quarterly
basis. Form a dedicated cross-functional Project
Team made up of a senior HR specialist, a senior
IT specialist and a senior Training specialist. This
should meet regularly and drive the project forward,
presenting outline results to the steering committee
when it meets.
The first task for your Project Team is to establish
if the knowledge and skill-sets they will need to
define and implement your e-Learning strategy actually
exist within your organisation. If not, then you
will need to develop these competencies internally
or find a suitably qualified external partner.
The Institute of IT Training has worked with a range
of other key lead bodies to develop a set of competency
frameworks for e-Learning Developers, Tutors, Managers
and Consultants.
These frameworks form the ideal basis for making
an assessment of capability and can also be used
for the purposes of developing job descriptions for
any new project personnel that you might require.
If you do decide to choose an external partner to
provide consultancy then do ask some probing questions
about their qualifications, level of independence
from hardware, software and content vendors. You
need someone to act purely in your interests on an
informed basis, not work as a sales agent for someone
else.
When seeking any e-Learning partner it also makes
sense to seek out providers accredited under the
terms of Quality Assurance programmes run by the
Institute of IT Training, the British Association
for Open Learning, or in the case of e-Learning products,
by the The Open and Distance Learning Quality Council.
The obvious place to begin any e-Learning initiative
is with a pilot project. If an e-Learning catalyst
has generated your initiative, then don¡¦t
simply assume that the associated training requirement
would make an ideal pilot. Check that it passes the
following tests:
- does
the proposed pilot project have a genuine business
objective that can be measurably assessed
in terms of improved effectiveness or efficiency?
- is
the scale of the proposed pilot project large
enough to deliver representative results?
- is
the scale of the proposed pilot project small
enough to complete on-time and with minimum risk?
- is
the area of application ideal for an e-Learning
solution?
In general ideal applications for conventional modes
of e-Learning include:
- content
that is relatively stable and not prone to rapid
change
- content
that is primarily knowledge-based rather than
focused on psycho-motor skills
- requirements
for automated testing and record-keeping, perhaps
driven by mandatory regulations
- content
that meets the needs of geographically dispersed
learners with access to relevant technology
- content
that will meet the needs of a large number of
learners, either initially or over time.
A properly constituted and executed pilot project
will resolve the key questions and concerns that
your organisation might have, provide the data required
to justify or reject full-scale implementation and
allow you to define an optimum implementation plan
that builds on your practical experience.
If you have taken all these preparatory first steps
then you will have minimised foreseeable risks and
maximised the chances of achieving a successful result,
perfectly aligned with the broader needs of your
organisation.
The Training
Managers Yearbook is published by AP Information
Service, Marlborough House, 298 Regents Park Road,
London, N3 2UU, United Kingdom.
For
further information and subscription information please
see:
 
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