E-Learning : The Next Generation

Training & Development, April, 2001

In the beginning there is always hype.

When any new gadget or technology hits the marketplace, there are those who jump on it and those who wait to see if it works; if it gets cheaper, if it improves. And so it is with e-learning as well.

In its first incarnation, companies viewed computer-based training as a perfect way to save some of the costs associated with classroom training and to make training conveniently available to everyone in an organization. IT skills in particular seemed a good match with CBT. It's not that anyone thought computers would totally replace instructor-led training, but there were great expectations for their increased use in training. Now that the dust has settled and initial excitement has abated, a cold eye has been cast on how much various learning technologies have actually returned on expectations and investments.

The reality is that great strides have been made in the continuing evolution of e-learning. As organizations have evolved into high-performance and knowledge-based enterprises, e-learning has now become a necessary, strategic, and increasingly sophisticated tool for their business initiatives. Market projections foretell that e-learning corporate expenditures will bypass traditional classroom training in the next few years and will account for nearly half of the overall corporate training market. Certainly may companies now consider e-learning to be one part of blended approach to training--along with classroom learning.

So why, then, if e-learning is such an important tool for an organization, is there still resistance to it by many trainers and trainees? And how can smaller and mid-sized companies take part in e-learning when the required equipment can be a costly investment? We posted these two questions to eight e-learning companies offering the next generation of e-learning services; their experience and solutions provide insights and answers to both concerns.

Are we having fun yet?

According to Thomas R. Graunke, CEO and president of KnowledgeNet, there is no glossing over the amount of company resistance that he and other e-learning suppliers are encountering. And a prime reason for that resistance, he says, is simple: "First generation e-learning was boring--I call it e-reading. It consisted of taking text, putting it on a screen with some cartoon graphics, having some multiple-choice questions and a click button marked 'next,' and calling it an interactive learning experience. Yes, it was cheap and deployable company-wide, but in many cases the e-learning was receiving less than 10 percent utilization.

"Companies got so caught up in the hype of e-learning and the projected ROI, that many forgot about the second part of the word--learning. Clearly, the first generation of e-learning didn't deliver what was promised." Graunke says that calling e-learning e-reading five years ago largely fell on deaf ears; now his opinion of its earlier incarnation is shared by many.

Graunke and a partner launched KnowledgeNet specifically to offer multiple e-learning solutions in the IT training industry. Their three major product lines--LIVE, EXPRESS, and INTERACTIVE--are supplemented by mentoring services, hands-on labs, an online community, and customization capabilities. All of the solutions are designed to provide a highly interactive, hands-on learning experience.

Click2learn's vice president of marketing Craig Taylor agrees that many individuals just plain prefer the social aspects of classroom learning. "Sitting in front of a computer doesn't sound fun, and, up to now, it has been a less-than-riveting learning experience for many. That's why we have worked hard to ensure that our e-learning is engaging, relevant, and tied to an organization's specific business needs."

One way for a company to fan employee interest in e-learning is to launch an internal PR campaign. Don Duquette, COO of GP a-Learning Technologies, often tells organizations that "If you build it [without marketing it], they won't come." Right up front, GPe conducts employee assessments with their clients. "One of these is a Cultural Readiness Assessment, and it examines employees' e-learning experiences and determines their level of resistance. Then we design a campaign to minimize that resistance. Typically many companies have to undertake a major e-learning marketing effort in order to persuade their employees to try an online course.

"This campaign can be as simple as placing announcements and articles in the corporate newsletter or having special mouse pads designed of the e-learning site. Once an employee has a good online learning experience, he or she will spread the word and then the others really will come."

Duquette also notes the dearth of Web-based technical training now available. "The major off-the-shelf content areas are IT and soft skills training, such as team building and interviewing skills. There is very little manufacturing-related content." As an early entrant into that market, GPe has just released the first 50 of its planned courses in mechanical, electrical, and instrumental fundamentals. "As manufacturing companies get up to speed on e-learning, more content will become available to service their specific needs. And as other technical training content is designed, e-learning's market will expand and employee acceptance will increase."