E-learning has failed to take off as predicted and one company has already left the market. Has the bubble burst? Martyn Sloman gives his view prior to speaking on "Investing in the future of training" at the CIPD’s HRD 2002 conference and exhibition, Olympia, London...
People Management (article update June 2002), 21 Mar 2002
The results from this year’s annual training and development survey by the CIPD will not offer much cheer for suppliers of e-learning systems. Less than a third of training managers said that they used e-learning. For those that had used it, the main recipients were IT staff. Moreover, most of the learning was IT-related – regardless of the learner’s work or role. So far, the report says: "If, as some believe, e-learning heralds a revolution, it is clear that the main impact is still to be felt."
The past year has not witnessed the advances in e-learning that had been hoped for or predicted. The results of the American Society for Training and Development’s (ASTD) annual survey indicated a plateau rather than growth and concluded that "organisations are finding the obstacles to implementing technology-based training difficult to overcome".
Recently one of the UK’s leading suppliers of e-learning materials and schedules, Xebec McGraw-Hill announced that it was ceasing operations. Somewhat embarrassingly, this company was one of the three providers in a much heralded DfES Learning Gateway Initiative reportedly worth over £1 million over a period of five years (see "Learning zone", PM 22 June 2000). So what happened? Has the e-learning bubble burst? Is it all over before it began? Are we back to the good old residential course with its role play, flipcharts and the acrid smell of marker pens?
Taking a breather
In fact, the diagnosis of the problem is more subtle and the prognosis more positive. The problems in implementing e-learning are now too evident to be ignored but they will, and must, be tackled. The ASTD survey said: "We found evidence that perhaps e-learning is not destined for the history pages, but is only taking a breather." Most of us who are following developments in e-learning would agree. There is too much at stake to allow the barriers to remain.
What we can hope is that e-learning is entering a new age of maturity. The hype will disappear and overselling will prove unacceptable. Simply buying standard generic products and making them available to learners via the intranet or at designated learning resource centres will not prove effective. It may lead to a short-term rise in the profile of the training department when the initiative is introduced and it may save costs. But it will not lead to effective learning for individuals or support business objectives. It will not improve the bottom line.
The training managers who participated in the CIPD survey have read the situation correctly. Those using e-learning (remember they were less than a third of the total sample) were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements designed to explore their perceptions of e-learning.
Learning the attitude
The one statement that commanded overwhelming support, with more than 90 per cent agreeing, was: "E-learning demands a new attitude to learning on the part of the learner." This gets it in one. E-learning is a change management process, not an exercise in cost-cutting. It is learner-centred and demands the provision of effective learner support, a consideration of learner preferences, and time and space to learn.
The statement that attracted the second largest support (with around 70 per cent agreeing) was: "The first generation of e-learning products does not demonstrate what the future will look like." Amen to that as well.
A look behind the surveys and headlines offers much encouragement. There are many creative minds working in a lot of different organisations. These people are trying to overcome the barriers to the implementation of e-learning. Their efforts will be sufficient to ensure that the promised future will arrive.
Onwards and upwards
Going a stage further, based on the positive, innovative work that is happening in organisations, it seems that activities in three areas will drive e-learning forward. These are: first, the way that e-learning is increasingly used to support mission or business-critical activity; second, the way that the role of providers of training is altering; third, and most importantly, the shift in focus to the learner and his or her needs.
So far the business-critical applications of e-learning are mainly (but not exclusively) taking place in the larger, global organisations – many of you have sophisticated knowledge management systems already in place. Ernst & Young, for example, sees effective e-learning as a way of ensuring that their 77,000 staff worldwide can receive a similar standard of service to their multinational clients. Cisco is also using e-learning to communicate with suppliers and customers as well as employees.
But it’s not only global organisations that are looking at these critical areas. The way that Surrey County Council is developing its e-learning initiative offers some lessons (see below). Their experience demonstrates that the most important of the three critical areas is the focus on the learner.
This is a recurrent theme of all e-learning initiatives that stand any prospect of success. The emphasis is on supporting and encouraging the learner and will demand effective involvement on the part of line managers. We’ve been here before and will be there again. It’s hard work and often frustrating.
Problems, problems...
Some final illustrations come from the training manager of a large retailer. Understandably, neither he nor his company wishes to be identified. He supplied me with a fund of stories surrounding the difficulties experienced when CBT material developed in-house was distributed to 200 locations. It was hoped that time spent in on-the-job instruction by managers and supervisors would be reduced. Yet some local store managers were concerned about the problems of IT illiteracy among older staff. The managers resolved this difficulty by sitting alongside the "trainee", operating the computer and making the mouse clicks on their behalf.
There were also problems with the unfamiliar terminology. Managers were, at one stage, asked to click the CBT icon on the "training desktop". One manager reported back saying that they had not been issued with desks in the training room – just tables!
It requires a degree of honesty to admit to such problems. It is easier to bury them. However, the future of e-learning depends on our capability to recognise and overcome such practical learner difficulties.
Learning from experience
Surrey County Council is carrying out a full evaluation of training and development delivery as part of its best value programme. An e-learning pilot forms an important part of this project. The priority is to explore the potential benefits of e-learning rather than putting the emphasis on cost savings.
The pilot indicates that e-learning could provide a valuable tool in delivering learning. A number of issues arose:
• The need for e-learning content to be targeted at the public sector and customised to specific roles. The initial pilot focused on off-the-shelf "soft skills" products.
Yet it was found that most off-the-shelf material had a commercial content, which didn’t transfer well into the public sector. However, Surrey County Council has purchased three useful courses on public finance, e-government and best value from the Institute of Public Finance. The council has also developed an e-learning induction module in-house.
• The main problem volunteers had with e-learning was finding the time to do it because of everyday distractions in the office. Volunteers felt that staff would be more supported only when management viewed e-learning as an accepted training tool.
A suggested solution was having designated learning areas allowing staff to work without interruptions. Making use of the council’s own public library resources is being considered.
• Many volunteers disliked the solitary nature of e-learning. Incorporating some kind of learner support was a common suggestion for improving the learning experience. Suggestions included having e-learning groups, so people could train together online, and online tutors or discussion forums to allow debate about course content and personal experiences. The solution points to a blended approach, using e-learning as a prequel to classroom-based training.
• Improving the evaluation of the learning process was seen as important. So far this has been based on questionnaires and interviews with staff who have taken part in these pilots.
However, according to the project manager, more resources and time are required before putting a full validation process in place. Decisions over the implementation of a learning management system rely on a feasibility study into using an integrated HR system for the whole organisation.
Martyn Sloman would like to thank Rosemary Goodwin from Surrey County Council for her assistance with this feature
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