Myth And Reality page 2

Reality of E-Learning
Reality One: E-learning will not revolutionize training; it is only one instructional method among many, each better at achieving some instructional objectives than others.
Learner-directed, computer-based instruction does not have the same outcomes as an instructor-led classroom. For example, the primary reason employees give for liking off-site training programs is that they can meet and talk with people from other companies, or units within their own company, who have similar needs and problems. They learn from each other. This outcome is absent from asynchronous online courses. Communication among employees can happen with synchronous, online courses, but not with the same depth and quality as face-to-face meetings.
Even though computer-based technology is glitzy, cutting edge, and now widely available for self-study, trainers and learners continue to gravitate to the classroom. Galvin, in the ASTD report, writes, 77 percent of all training is still conducted in the confines of four walls with an instructor leading the way. (Galvin, 2001, p.10 ) One would think that learner-directed, e-learning would be a popular format for teaching computer skills, but even there, 74 percent of all IT training is delivered in classrooms by live instructors. (Galvin, 2002, p.12 ) Learners get something from the classroom that they cannot get from computer-based self-study. So the promise of employees learning on their own, significantly reducing the need for instructors, travel, and facilities, has not been realized.

Reality Two: Putting a course on the Web or on a CD-ROM does not ensure performance improvement.
Actually, increasing the capacity of employees to help their organizations achieve strategic goals depends on so much more than the instructional technology itself. It depends on the dynamic interrelationship of factors such as:

Reality Three: Employees learn in many different ways.
To assume that everyone can learn effectively looking at a computer screen, especially when much of it is text, is contrary to everything we know about different learning styles and preferences. Sound and video elements are improving in quality and can be added to accommodate learners who rely on those senses. Tactile elements can be simulated and even arranged to compliment the online instruction. However, these elements demand sophisticated and expensive instructional design and, so far, are not prevalent in the vast majority of organizations nor are trainers skilled enough to use these tools effectively.

To be most effective in performance improvement, learning should be just-in-time, occurring when, where, and how employees need it. To become proficient at Excel, I need tutorials while I am using Excel to manage a budget. To become a better project manager, I need frequent feedback from my project team. To lead meetings more effectively, I need checklists of what to think about before and after each meeting. Computer technology does offer us some options for facilitating this kind of just-in-time learning. Some examples are: tutorial help-windows; computer conferencing; and software that allows for collaborative work on a document.

An example of just-in-time learning is in addressing the problem of reducing the time it takes for call center employees to become proficient in responding to customer needs. Given the need to satisfy every customer who calls and an employee turnover rate in the industry of about 12 months, getting employees up to speed quickly is critical to building customer loyalty and reducing employee costs. Providing answers to frequently asked questions online or providing tips for handling difficult customer phone calls, are a few ways of using this technology to achieve business goals (Raths, 2001).

Some companies produce hundreds, if not thousands, of new products and variations on old products each month. This is especially true in the software industry where products are continuously being de-bugged and upgraded. Just-in-time, online information helps salespeople keep up with these changes. Specifications, features and benefits, as well as video demonstrations can be delivered to salespeople in the field for just-in-time learning.

Reality Four: E-learning is not a low cost alternative, especially if it is not aligned with the organization's strategic goals.
Saying that e-learning is cheaper than classroom instruction is like saying that a bicycle is cheaper than a car. Although it is true, the comparison is fallacious. Both are means for transportation but they have quite different purposes and benefits. So, too, with online courses and classroom delivered courses. One might be better for increasing knowledge and one might be better for increasing skills, shaping attitudes, and group learning. And it should not be a choice among these. I would not give up either my car or my bike. Together they provide me with the transportation options that I need. For many learning needs, even cheaper options exist than both online courses and classroom instruction. For example, for employees who need to enhance their abilities as supervisors, a mentoring program could be less costly and more effective than taking an online course on the topic of supervision.

The common wisdom in the training field is that 80% to 90% of the corporate training dollar is wasted. Nothing about e-learning suggests that this waste will be any less using this technology. If all managers in an organization are required to take an e-learning course on coaching skills, and then they are not in a coaching situation for weeks afterwards, the company has wasted the cost of delivering that course to those managers. Additional, hidden costs, are likely in this situation as well, such as the increased frustration a manager might feel after having taken a course on coaching and then being unsuccessful in a coaching situation several weeks later.

Investment in a Web site, software platform, and course development can be quite expensive. It can be between $500,000 and $1,000,000 for a course that includes many modules and simulations, instructor-student interaction, student-student interaction, and a testing and feedback component. Wasting this investment on employees who will not be in a position to use what they have learned, is very costly.

Reality Five: Having a vast selection of courses is meaningless.
The selection of books at Borders is huge, too, but if I know what book I want, the number of books they have does not matter. Selection does not ensure quality, relevance, or impact. Just because it is Web-based, glitzy, authored by a college professor, and has a large development investment, does not mean that it is right for particular employees. Does the course cover the content that they need in their situation now? Does it do this in a way that they can easily assimilate the information? Does it help them apply the information immediately in their workplace - with feedback? These are qualities of good employee training.
Online courses run up against the same problems that all workplace training and education programs face. Nairne and Keenan (2002) categorize these problems as:

Time: E-learners are faced with competing demands on their time. Many complete the coursework on the job, squeezing it in between job tasks, or after work when they are tired. When job deadlines loom, coursework is likely to suffer and the students sometimes fall behind.

Support from management: Some managers see training as "taking away"¨ from an employee's "real" work. If managers don't see the relevance of training to job performance, they are not likely to give their employees the necessary time to complete it.

Motivation/commitment: Even the most well-intentioned e-learners can experience flagging interest when no one is looking over their shoulder or when no incentives are provided for completing an e-learning course.

Unclear expectations: E-learners do not always understand what is expected of them, sometimes missing deadlines of showing up at workshops without having completed the required e-learning prerequisites.

Reality Six: Work and learning are the same.
The most insidious problem in the rush to e-learning is that it reinforces a mind-set that work and learning are separate activities. This is evident when bosses communicate the expectation that, with online courses, employees should now get their training after "work" hours. Businesses today cannot afford to separate work and learning; technology and the pace of change do not allow for this. Work is learning and learning is work.

Reasons to Invest in E-learning
E-learning can be an excellent investment, if an organization can get beyond the myths and focus on the reality of the technology. Before making this investment, one should be able to agree with the following statements:

Assessing the Learning Need
The key to the success of applying e-learning, or any instructional technology for that matter, is being clear about what an employee, teams, and the organization need to learn to build their capacity to achieve strategic goals. They need to ask themselves these questions (Brinkerhoff & Gill, 1994):

Conclusion
Is e-learning an effective performance improvement technology? The answer is, "It depends." It depends on clarity of goals, preparation of the learner, involvement of supervisors, a culture of learning in the organization, alignment of the method of instruction with goals, quality of the instruction, opportunity to practice application of new knowledge and skills, and reinforcement for applying the learning in the workplace. Online courses and electronic performance support tools should be in the mix of teaching-learning strategies that are aligned with strategic business goals. But to think that just because it can be viewed on a computer screen, it should be used to improve performance is holding on to a myth.

The exciting potential of e-learning is not in taking courses designed for the classroom and putting them on a computer screen. It is in delivering byte-size chunks of information, when, where, and how employees need them, for their rapid learning and immediate application to work tasks.

The key to performance improvement is knowing an organization's performance and learning needs and setting appropriate and attainable goals. Then the organization can decide if online and CD-ROM instruction should be in the mix of methods to achieve those goals. Regardless of the method, however, it is critical that the organization maintain an environment in the workplace that supports the learning and the application of the new knowledge, skills, and attitudes that employees develop.

E-learning technology is a wonderful addition to the arsenal of learning tools in the workplace. The potential for making information accessible when and where it is needed, as well as delivering messages in a consistent way to many people over long distances is tremendous. But this is not the answer to employee training and development needs. The real answer is clarity of business goals, aligning learning with those goals, and providing a mix of learning opportunities to achieve those goals.

References
1. ASTD (2002), The 2002 ASTD State of the Industry Report, Alexandria, VA: ASTD.
2. Brinkerhoff, R.O. & Gill, S.J. (1994) The Learning Alliance: Systems Thinking in Human Resource Development. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
3. Cohen, Stephen L. & Payiatakis, D.(2002) E-Learning: Harnessing the Hype. Performance Improvement, February, 41 (2), pp. 7-15.
4. Dietderich, A. (2001) E-education. Crain's Detroit Business. December 3, p. 3.
5. Galvin, T. (2001) 2001 Industry Report. Training Magazine, October.
6. Martin, P. (2002) E-Finance. T+D, 56 (3), pp. 77-80.
7. Nairne, C. & Keenan, M. (2002) The Keys to Successful E-Learning Initiatives, ASTD What Works! E-Newsletter, May 9.
8. Raths, D. (2001) Measure of Success. Online Learning Magazine, 5(5), pp. 20-26.
9. Society of Manufacturing Engineers, http://www.sme.org/cgi-bin/learningcenter1.pl

Myth and Reality of E-Learning (page 2)