IRS goes E

T+D, May, 2003 by Martha Gold

The second in a five-part series of case studies on enterprise-wide e-learning, this article takes an in-depth look at how in 2001, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service began an enterprise-wide e-learning system for its 110,000 employees.

The fist step involved convincing the IRS's 12 separate business departments to promote the switch from predominantly classroom-based training to online learning. Next was a requirements-gathering process that helped the group acquire a learning management system and integrate it with HR systems.

Corporate culture also required a shake-up. Support from management helped employees make the transition to accessing courses and other work-related info from their computers. But that didn't happen overnight: The IRS spent 12 years dabbling in computer-based learning and blended solutions to make workers comfortable with the enterprisewide change.

The final phase of implementation is still in progress. The IRS is integrating learning with work performance so employees can access content in the context of doing their jobs. Eventually, the IRS wants to make that content available to the entire federal government, while setting internal content management standards.