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A Guide To Implementing E-Learning in Smaller Companies

Written by: Arupa Tesolin

Article Overview: How to save money with e-learning, get a virtual training department with high quality content that rivals what large organizations have with no technology investment required.

A Guide To Implementing E-Learning in Smaller Companies

Copyright 2007

While the promise of e-learning in larger companies has fallen short of fulfilling the dream of low cost on-line training due to difficulties and cost of integrating technology, quite the opposite is true in small companies. According to a Canadian Federation of Independent Business survey nearly 2/3rds of smaller companies have not yet implemented e-learning.

Smaller companies need not struggle because cost effective, low-tech designed learning systems are within their grasp. They do need to recognize the links between better business performance and training and have the know-how to implement e-learning successfully.

Most training costs are recoverable through increased performance. For that reason training should be considered an investment, not an expense. Industry reports show the average ROI for classroom training is 45%. With e-learning many companies are experiencing 50-75% reduction in training costs as compared to classroom training.

Companies of all sizes agree that e-learning provides an effective classroom alternative to increase employee knowledge and skills. This settles the debate about whether people and technology can work together to produce a good learning environment. Industry experience shows both methods produce favorable learning results.

There are other benefits to providing training. Managers, employees and businesses all benefit when they are provided with training opportunities. Not only can a company expect a performance benefit, they can expect to have a better relationship with their employees too.

Some of the best programs for smaller businesses available on the market today offer an array of 30 or more bundled courses for less than $1 per day per employee with specialized content for managers priced just a little higher. Other courses can be purchased on a module by module basis with prices ranging from $60 - 150 each or more, higher for specialized or technology training programs. Contrast this with an average day of classroom training which costs anywhere from $300-600 for an in-house program or median range public seminar covering one topic.

Some courses are basic, giving great content that relates to day-to-day business realities. Other content adds graphics, video and more bells and whistles. Costs increase as e-learning gets more sophisticated. Also bandwidth can be a problem as higher end systems often require high speed internet connections to reduce downloading times, which not all businesses have.

The best systems also include value-added features like tracking systems and performance management systems that ask employees to set performance goals resulting from training. This assures both good learning transfer and the likelihood that the employee will be performing at a higher level directly as a result of training.

Here are some guidelines to help you successfully implement e-learning in your smaller company.

1. The first question a business needs to ask before implementing e-learning is to establish training priorities linked with business results. What capabilities in business do we fulfill really well? If we did this better how would it impact our business? What things can we improve that would most increase our earnings or the way we define success?

2. Translate these into a few clear training priorities which define skills, knowledge, performance practices and business results. Determine the workforce, managers, departments, and individuals who would benefit from the training. Then develop a clear corporate training plan with specific goals and completion dates. Also define how the company will measure the results.

3. Develop a communication plan for your e-learning system. Don’t expect that you will purchase a system and all your employees will magically use it. Expect to lead the communication of business goals, direct the training, and monitor and manage the completion process. Clearly identify how time will be provided for training activities, work locations where training will be completed (if all staff don’t have access to a computer terminal with internet access). "Do not disturb - I’m training signs" and other considerations are important.

4. Consider whether your workplace is large enough to require a pilot program. Pilots are a smaller implementation program to allow your company to work through any implementation issues before expanding it to the complete workforce. Ensure your pilot team of 6-12 people is carefully selected with process leaders from different levels and positions in the company.

5. Set a date and time for a classroom orientation program showing everyone the system features and how to use them. Even for simple systems this step goes a long way towards ensuring employees can and will use your e-learning system.

6. Assign a system monitor or administrator to have access to the non-confidential aspects of training, ie. to track completion of training as per company learning plans and to communicate any shortfalls to a designated manager for follow-up.

7. As some e-learning systems provide self-assessments that allow learning curriculum to be tailored to their individual training needs, this provides a good basis to develop career plans, job assignment and developmental opportunities and have a formal or informal arrangement to discuss these with management.

8. Consider establishing a company training team to communicate and resolve on-going issues with training, measure use and business results, set new goals, and continue the development of your workforce.

9. Determine whether some business needs require developing more advanced interpersonal training through "blended training". This is classroom training that builds on the basics or extends e-learning into specialized classroom training programs.

In short e-learning can enable you to have a virtual training department with content that rivals blue chip industrial clients at a fraction of the cost.

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