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Introduction
Effective
e-Learning courses
What
works well
What
doesn't work well
Case
Studies and Examples
Summary
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Which Topics Work
Well For E-Learning?
Just about
any topic that can be reasonably taught can be at least partially taught
using e-Learning. The question is what topics are best taught using an
e-Learning delivery model?
Professional Development
E-Learning
is often used for professional development, to help employees upgrade
their skills and become eligible for promotions into greater-skilled
positions.
Examples
include certified system administrator or network administrator training,
programming, technical writing skills, and how to use Microsoft Office
products.
Just-In-Time and
Refresher Training
E-Learning
is also used for "just-in-time" (JIT) training, to help people
stay up-to-date on evolving and emerging technologies in their workplace.
The JIT model uses e-Learning to help people learn basic concepts or
procedures during small blocks of downtime, instead of constantly sending
them to classes. Likewise, e-Learning is used for refresher courses
for tasks that are not often performed.
Examples
include orientation about a new employee benefits program, product information
before the annual sales meeting, company information as part of new
employee orientation, and procedures for using the company copiers.
Customer and Partner
Training
Even if your
company is not in the training business, e-Learning is a natural option
for training your customers or business partners. Done properly, e-Learning
can also be a very profitable part of your company's training products.
- E-Learning
offers your customers the same time and cost savings that you see for
employee training, plus your profit margins will increase because your
delivery costs are negligible (compared to a classroom instructor's
time and potential travel costs)
- E-Learning's
rapid update capabilities allow your training staff to quickly update
your courses (for new releases) and to offer update-only courses for
your customers
- If your
company sells through a third party channel (resellers, VARs, etc.),
developing e-Learning for part or all of your product training will
save your company time and money while allowing your channel partners
to access your product knowledge when and where they need it. For new
product releases, you can also get your product training into their
hands faster, so that they can start selling faster.
More Examples
- Hewlett-Packard's
Learning Center (www.hplearningcenter.com)
contains an assortment of technical and non-technical e-Learning courses.
Most are available free of charge. Click here to see what some of their
offerings are like.
- A 90-hour
long course called "Introduction to Visual Basic Programming",
covering the basics of VB programming, including: interface design,
debugging, loops, and decision making
- A course
called “Employees Community Fund Booster Training – ECF100”
for Boeing employees loaned from their current job assignment to the
Employees Community Fund Campaign for two weeks. They are called "Boosters"
during their two week assignment, and their job is to ask fellow employees
to contribute money to the Employees Community Fund. The course is to
provide Boosters with the necessary tools, skills, and knowledge to
be successful fundraisers for the Fund.
- Now for
something completely different ... Racewalking 101 (members.aol.com/RWLinkList/rw101.htm).
While this course doesn't have a lot of business relevance, it is wonderful
example of an interesting approach to teaching a subject that wouldn't
strike you as a good fit for e-Learning. Its multimedia is compelling
and works very well without requiring a broadband connection.
Now that
you've had a chance to consider some good matches for e-Learning, click
here to examine some cases where e-Learning is
not the best choice.
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