By Andy McCue, 6 December 2007 14:39
NEWS
Cultural and technological barriers are hindering the wider use of e-learning among UK organisations.
A survey of 998 managers by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and Centre for Applied Human Resource Research found only 54 per cent have used e-learning tools in the last year and just 20 per cent have participated in a structured e-learning programme.
Skills Survey 2007
Find out the exclusive results of this year's silicon.com Skills Survey:
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♦ How the staffing crisis is deepening
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Resistance to e-learning is caused by the loss of human touch, with 72 per cent preferring face-to-face conversations and 37 per cent opting for tutor-led development.
Another barrier is limited interaction. Almost a third (28 per cent) said e-learning content is not engaging and just under half (46 per cent) said there are too many distractions diverting them from PC-based learning material.
Jo Causon, director of marketing and corporate affairs at the CMI, said until organisations provide engaging development tools and support alongside these, uptake of e-learning "will continue to be slow".
But she said integrating e-learning programmes with social networking tools is one way organisations can engage young and junior employees.
Comments
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1. Kartik Patel
This is not a surprise!
Though platforms have shown lot of innovation, still face to face interactive experience is hard to feel. Platforms are no where close yet.
Also, content is still not being worked upon to harness full potential for customised content requirements for each of the subject in elearning. Reasons are various - budgets, time, and sophistication of tools to generate customized, interactive content without lot of time and pain........
Good points like accessibility, anytime access, self paced possibility, universal collboration would still dominate the reasons to go for this, and as time evovles, platforms evolve, and practical realities of conveyance becomes more and more difficult, this is the way forward......
2. Haydn Rees
My first degree was in Literature. I now hate Literature, and would much rather sit down with a good book.
Conclusion: either make your e-learning software gamelike, or go the whole hog and make it into a game.
You get to dictate the pattern of behaviour which results in winning, and the terminating condition. There's no coincidence that the military let their Kinesetic learners use simulators for everything from Attack Helicopters to Rocket Launchers to first person real time shoot'em up games.
3. Roger Huffadine
So its still the same as 20 years ago - what a surprise - the only miracle here is that companies are still peddling the 'e-learning' product when it has never ever been a solution. On the other hand if you can get someone to buy snake oil then I suppose its their problem.
4. Nick Cole
Why do we always get into the position of 'I told you so'. The problem really is that the young turks grand ideas and enthusiasm overtakes and overrules common-sense and experience, time and again.
The idea of listening to experience is so that we minimise the costs and wastes of relearning. Take advantage of those who have done it before to reduce costs and time instead of continually reinventing the wheel. Undertake proper holistic studies and analysis taking account of all eventualities instead of favouring only those that support the grand idea.
5. Richard
However, some of the "free" tutor led courses available on the web (sponsored by marketing budgets) are good, although the personality of the tutor is important.
Surprisingly, some "learners" on these free courses apparently expect their employers to pay them for the time spent learning!
Perhaps people need to take more responsibility for their learning?
6. anonymous
Not surprising... Most organizations create the barriers to e-learning by not making cultural changes that respect learners in the workplace and ensuring that a transition plan and briefings on the use of e-learning are accomplished.
In the US adoption in our large multinational needed to go through an intermediate stage of offering e-learning to groups or teams co-located in the same classroom. A short discussion at start and end allowed the context to be set and the experience to be understood.
Currently 70% of learning in our institution is accomplished as e-learning.
As for boring.... anyone who suffered through boring lectures in school and workplace knows e-learning has no lock on boring. Boring is eliminated with creative design and sensitivity to the needs of the learner. Good training is good design in any medium. Start over......
7. Kartik Patel
You are absolutely right!
Bill Gates once said, traditional paper books and morning newspapers would never be replaced with any technology!
Need to feel it......
Kartik Patel
8. Abhishek
Classroom are also considered boring by many students.
It all depends on how well lecturer teaches....and same applies to e-learning.