How to build an online learning center: online learning centers may be the new construct for training and development

T+D, August, 2002 by Kenneth M. Boxer, Bernardine Johnson

Online learning centers is a concept for our times. Expect to see many more of them, soon.

RELATED ARTICLE: Sample Learning Center Offerings

Internal classroom training

External courses

CD-ROM courses

Self-paced learning tools

Streaming video

Internet learning conferences

E-learning courses

Coaching tips for managers and mentors

Audio- and videotapes

Books and articles

Corporate mission, values, and strategy

Strategy guides suggesting specific development actions, on-the-job and in the community

Corporate and industry news

Why a Learning Center?

Access. A learning center provides easy access to a wide range of learning content, delivered via diverse media appropriate to different learning styles.

Empowerment. A learning center helps people throughout the organization take responsibility for their professional and personal development.

Focus. A learning center visibly and tangibly links learning and development to business priorities.

Management. A learning center gives managers direct access to an array of practical tools to improve employees' performance and proactively guide career development.

Who's Ripe for Learning Centers?

Here are some characteristics of organizations we think are especially ready to implement a learning center:

* geographically dispersed learners

* technology-friendly employee population

* drive to maximize learning ROI

* strong senior management commitment to learning, and attracting and retaining top talent

* t&d staff overextended in trying to meet needs and fulfill commitments.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES

Online learning centers blend powerful new technology such as the Internet, intranets, and e-learning courses with traditional learning media, including audio- and videotapes, instructor-led courses, books, and articles.

W.R. Grace, a global specialty chemicals company, launched its Global Learning Center in 2001. Surveys had indicated a widespread desire for professional and personal development support employees could use on their own.

Available 24/7 to the company's 6000 employees in Europe, Asia, and Africa, the center is organized around core competencies, with lists of approved internal and external training programs; recommended reading lists; a rental library for audiocassettes, videotapes, and CDs; strategy guides; and more.

Some of Grace's tips for developing an online learning center:

* Line up senior management support.

* Build gradually.

* Invite involvement.

* Provide a variety of learning tools.

* Make the learning center a focal point.

* Make it part of the whole organizational system.

* Keep it visible.

* Ensure that the content is fresh.

Kenneth M. Boxer is president of Strategic Partners, Potomac, Maryland; kboxer@spisolutions.com. Bernardine Johnson is director of HR for W. R. Grace, Columbia, Maryland; bernardine.johnson@grace.com.

In his sophomore year in college, Kenneth Boxer beat the actor Alec Baldwin for election as dorm council president. "He obviously never recovered," says Boxer.

Bernardine Johnson, who keeps an eponymous bottle of wine in her office with the label La Bernardine Chateauneuf du Pape, says she's working on the ability to "trust one's own instincts."