Written by: SmartGrowth 5/4/2010 3:46 PM
Deciding on e-learning: When is it right for you?
E-learning is a popular learning strategy and as learning consultants one of the questions we often hear is, “When is self-paced e-learning the right choice?” In a sea of choices ranging from classroom-based learning to Web 2.0 technologies, it can be difficult to choose the right delivery approach.
Although there are several factors to evaluate when considering e-learning, it is often helpful to start with the “Five Cs”: Workforce Characteristics, Consistency, Content Stability, Course Objectives, and Comparative Cost.
Workforce Characteristics One of the most useful applications of e-learning is training a large, geographically dispersed or high-turnover audience. E-learning eliminates travel costs, logistics planning, and non-learning time-off-the-job spent traveling to a classroom event. E-learning allows diverse learners to choose where and when they want to learn and to assimilate information at their own pace.
While self-paced e-learning can be highly advantageous in these situations, it is important to ensure you launch a program with audience appeal. Audiences that are highly social may be less motivated to learn through self-paced e-learning. Building social or peer-learning opportunities into the learning approach can help, but be sure to consider the fit of the overall solution to your audience’s preferences, motivations, and e-learning aptitude.
Consistency
Product, policy, compliance—each are examples of training where consistency of the message is vital. When consistency is critical, e-learning can be an excellent choice for ensuring learners receive the same information regardless of where or when they are trained. E-learning removes variables that may be introduced in a classroom such as instructor word choice and class pace. Administering and tracking training and completion are also typically easier with an e-learning solution. The consistency provided through e-learning and the ability to track completion can be powerful reasons to choose self-paced e-learning over other alternatives.
Course Objectives
Although e-learning has come a long way in creating a more realistic environment for skill practice through simulations and branched case-studies, some learning objectives may be better addressed through classroom-based learning. Consider a course on coaching. While managers may learn how to structure a coaching discussion through a self-paced module, a stand-alone module is unlikely to achieve the same level of skill development as a practice-rich classroom-based program.
Therefore, the choice of learning delivery method should consider how readily the learning objectives can be accomplished through that method. Informational, technology, and process content are typically excellent candidates for self-paced e-learning. Soft skills, like coaching, may be better served by classroom-based learning or a blended solution that includes multiple types of learning.
Content Stability
Content that has a long shelf-life and is highly stable is typically well suited to self-paced e-learning. Conversely, content that is undergoing rapid change may be better suited to another delivery mode.
Developing an engaging and effective e-learning program can be more costly and labor-intensive than developing an instructor-led program. Highly interactive, media-rich e-learning often requires significant graphics, narration, and other resources not required to develop an instructor-led program. Given these factors, e-learning can be less flexible and cost-effective to update on-the-fly when compared to other alternatives. However, it should also be noted that the specific design of an e-learning program can greatly increase or decrease its ease of update, as can the choice of development tool.
Comparative Cost
The cost of developing and deploying an e-learning solution compared to other alternatives is, of course, a critical consideration. You may have stable content, an audience that likes e-learning, and ready access to e-learning development resources. However, if your audience is small and centralized, it may be more cost-effective to deploy a classroom-based program. Therefore, the comparative cost of alternatives should be evaluated when selecting a deployment method.
As you consider these and other factors, keep in mind that they should be collectively considered. A factor that points to e-learning, for example, could be outweighed by several that point to classroom-based learning. Moreover, e-learning may be an important component of a blended solution. Carefully balancing these and other factors, you should be able to make more informed choices about when e-learning is right for you.