Getting into e-learning for workforce training

As the shortage of skilled workers grows and the complexity of industrial jobs increases, new methods are being developed to provide the training these workers need. The field of e-learning is at the forefront of this effort.

Whatever you want to call it — e-learning, online instruction, computer-based training — it is widely regarded as a cost-effective, convenient replacement for traditional classroom instruction. While it may be just that, it is not always. And yet, it may be much more. The use of computers, and now the Internet, to provide instruction opens a new world of educational techniques and opportunities. In many cases, those opportunities can be a complete alternative to face-to-face classroom learning. In other cases, they cannot.

In any case, e-learning must now be a consideration in every industrial training program. According to the International Data Corp. (IDC), e-learning will account for almost 50% of the business skills training market by 2004. The American Society for Training and Development estimates that at least 650,000 courses are available online at any given time. Investments in e-learning infrastructure software are expected to exceed $1 billion this year, according to IDC, and corporate expenditures on e-learning could top $11 billion.

Success stories are numerous and impressive. According to Certilearn, an e-learning services provider: Cisco Systems reported cost savings of 40%-60% by putting 80% of its training online. Qwest Communications estimated that savings in training costs would be at least 50% in the first year alone. IBM's e-learning saved more than $16 million in 2000. Sun Microsystems determined that the cost per student for an online course is approximately 75% less than that of sending an employee to an offsite, instructor-led class. Accenture expects savings of $300 million over 3-4 yr with its e-learning effort.

Despite such impressive data, e-learning is not a panacea. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln: You can use e-learning for some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't use it for all of the people all of the time. As effective as it can be, there are still many cases in which it is not an adequate replacement for face-to-face, hands-on learning.

One of the major questions in using e-learning is whether you will develop your own courses (meaning, in almost all cases, hiring a professional developer) or use packaged programs available off the shelf or over the Internet. Then, or course, there is the third option of customizing the packaged programs.

Among the determining factors in these kinds of decisions will be your short-term and long-term training goals, your budget, your existing training capabilities, your computer system infrastructure, ability of your employees to use computers, level of management support, and others.

Earlier this year, MindIQ, an e-learning company, conducted a survey on the biggest challenges to "planning, rolling out, and managing an e-learning training program." As might be expected, the three leading challenges were:

• Money — including budgets, funding, allocations, etc.
• Resources — primarily, having enough
• people to allocate to the task
• Management "buy in" — convincing the people who control the purse strings that e-learning provides the benefits and returns they are looking for.

Other challenges mentioned less often, but not necessarily less important, were:

• Getting courseware objectives in line with corporate objectives
• Quick deployment
• Getting employees to take the e-learning courses during work hours
• Keeping content current
• Having students complete the courses they start
• Interfacing with the IT department
• Keeping students engaged.

The idea of taking an existing classroom training program and converting it to e-learning is an enticing one. There's a tendency to think that if you can do a PowerPoint presentation, you can create e-learning media. But such efforts are likely to be failures.

Good e-learning generally requires the involvement of professional educators and developers. While there are programs available to simplify the technical aspects of course development, it rarely works to simply sit a subject expert in front of a computer and expect useful results. Good e-learning courseware requires all of the planning, curriculum building, and other expertise required for classroom training — and more.

For example, good e-learning must have interaction and feedback built into it.

"Interaction is so important," says Laurie Moormann," director, Training & Performance Services, Rockwell Automation. "The ability to answer questions and get knowledge feedback is critical. That's what keeps [learners] interested. It keeps them engaged. It also tells them when they're not getting it. If you don't have that feedback while you're taking it, you can have your eyes in one place and your mind in another."

In the world of e-learning, doing it yourself usually means hiring or contracting with e-learning professionals to develop custom training, in contrast to buying prepackaged courses. Many plants use a combination of both.

There are, of course, thousands of ready-to-run courses available. And for many subjects, these are good values. For basic training in safety, OSHA compliance, and other fundamentals, off-the-shelf courses are often the best value. There are some excellent materials on the market at very reasonable prices.

There's no question that establishing and conducting an e-learning initiative can be very expensive. But that cost often pales in comparison to the expenses of sending employees to distant locales for days or weeks of training.

One of the problems is that the old rule of thumb, "you get what you pay for," doesn't seem to apply in e-learning. At least, not yet.

"Price is no indicator at all," according to Moormann. Her research has uncovered "everything from $25 for a 2-hr module to $2300. Some of it has to do with the quality of the content, some of it has to do with the topics. More generic, background, core-knowledge-type training is a lot less expensive than product-specific or application-specific training."

Whatever the "price," determining the cost of e-learning can be a complex matter. Many of the factors to be evaluated in determining the actual cost of providing e-learning are listed in the accompanying sidebar, "E-learning cost factors."

Evaluation of e-learning programs can involve a number of criteria (see sidebar, "What to look for in e-learning courses"). But nothing can match a hands-on review. Experts recommend obtaining a sample program or a demo version that you and others can use for evaluation.

Once you have the review course or module, have someone expert in the subject matter review it for accuracy and suitability in your plant. Also, have one or more potential students work with it. And, of course, review it yourself. Ask everyone who reviews it for their evaluations concerning content, applicability, and the all-important look and feel of the program.

Finally, have someone from your IT department check the system requirements to ensure that it can be accessed using your plant's networks and computers.

"The first and most critical step in planning a training program is to determine exactly what training is required," advises Michael Nikodem, executive vice president and COO, Telemedia, Inc., a training systems provider. "You need to know exactly what knowledge and skills your employees need to meet your performance goals. And you need to know what knowledge and skills they already possess. Based on this information, you can determine the exact training required."

In other words, you need a needs assessment.

Depending on your situation, a needs assessment can be a simple or complex matter, something you can do yourself or something you need expert help with. In general, the more simple and limited your objectives are, the easier the assessment will be. But if you are planning to make a major investment into the development of an extensive e-learning program, contracting with a consultant to conduct your needs assessment will be money well spent.

Once you've defined your training needs, you can relate those needs with your plant's business objectives and begin shopping for or developing the e-learning tools that will help you meet them.

All of the challenges notwithstanding, there is no question that e-learning should be a part of every industrial training program — if not as a substitute for traditional practices, then as an extension of efforts to build the knowledge and skills of the workforce.

These web sites offer a wealth of useful information on e-learning: astd.org, elearningmag.com, certilearn.com, vnulearning.com, learningcircuits.org, trainingmag.com.

The following books are useful in the development of any kind of training program:

Designing Powerful Training by Michael Milano with Diane Ullius. Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer, San Francisco, 1998.

Evaluating Training Programs, second edition, by Donald L. Kirkpatrick. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, 1998.

A Practical Guide to Needs Assessment, by Kavita Gupta. Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer, San Francisco, 1999.