Getting Business Results From E-Learning

January 25, 2010

”The organizational factors that prevent employees from converting e-Learning into business achievement can be boiled down to five key principles. We call these principles the 5As and together they make up the “5As Framework.”

E-Learning has become a mainstream tool for employee learning and development. Approximately a third of training is delivered electronically (ASTD 2008 State of the Industry Report). According to a study by the U.S. Office of Education, the evidence is that e-Learning (primarily Web-based education) can have a strong impact on learning outcomes (i.e., academic knowledge) in certain situations, even more so than traditional instructor-student face-to-face instruction.

Tony Payne, Senior Vice President of Information Technology for Focus Engineering, has pointed out that in addition to achieving these learning outcomes, the speed of delivery and relatively low cost of online programs make them very attractive. It seems like the e-Learning technology gets better every day, with excitement building around a wide variety of mobile tools that are becoming readily available.

It’s understandable that many training professionals are enthralled with the glitz and glamour of e-Learning. Initially, achieving learning outcomes and business goals aren’t as important as experimenting with a promising new delivery method for learning. That’s the normal course of adoption of instructional methods: early adopters use the technology because it is new, and then others get on the bandwagon when the technology is clearly a solution to a specific need that they have.

However, companies should invest in e-Learning with their eyes wide open, and we don’t mean like kids in a candy store. We mean proceeding with a clear understanding of what it takes, beyond the technology and content, to turn e-Learning programs into business results. Otherwise, it’s a poor investment.

Commenting on the field, Clark Quinn, the author of Engaging Learning: Designing e-Learning Simulation Games writes in his blog, “The waste of organizational resources and learner time is tragic. Seldom has so much been done, for so many, for so little gain.” But before writing-off your investment in e-Learning, you may want to consider what is preventing employees from using an…

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01/28/2010 11:46 am
by latourem

Very good article. I often have to explain why training endeavors fail in organizations. I always remark that the training itself must be part of a larger and integrated performance solution to include tools, policy and mentoring. The main reason good training programs fail is because there is no provision for bridging the training event to the workplace. Why do we ignore the learning events 7, 8 &9 so crucial to the application and transfer into the workspace? This article provides a sound framework from which to construct that bridge.

01/29/2010 4:13 am
by jlmckissack

The one A that is missing is "Actor". What I am witnessing as the number one failure of e-learning is that the employees (the Actors) don't show up for the play. We've brought e-learning to the desktop, but we've forgot a key attribute of Instructional Design, the learning environment. How many on-line courses have I started, but couldn't finish because of interruptions and more important events (and I'm an ID). It's like trying to study with a room full of kids and the TV going. E-learning can work, but companies need to still create a learning environment that will facilitate the learning. Employees still need to scheduled for training events, removed from the work schedule, and go to a training room where they can be free of all those constant interruptions. The media and method is only one component to learning.

02/08/2010 10:54 am
by arossett

I like what you've done here.
If e-learning is the focus, your 5 As make great good sense. But if leadership competence is what it is about, which should be the case, well, I wonder about the Resource Guide as the heart of the matter.
My guess is you will get improvement NOT because of elearning (the online guide) but because the organization got itself together and pulled in the same direction, exemplified by the 5 As. The Resource Guide is one factor, but not the star of the show.

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