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Measuring The Impact Of E-Training In The Workplace

Measuring the Impact of E-Training in the Workplace

Most companies start to think of online learning primarily as a more efficient way to distribute training inside the organization, making it available “any time”, “anywhere”, reducing direct costs (instructors, printed materials, training facilities), and indirect costs (travel time, lodging and travel expenses, workforce downtimes).
Attracted by these significant and measurable advantages, companies start to look for ways to make the most of their existing core training available online, and to manage and measure the utilization of the new capabilities.
Under this approach, both clients and “e-Training” vendors focus on maximizing the amount of “content” that can be transformed into some kind of online training equivalent, basically using a “self-study”, programmed instruction methodology based on the interaction between the participant and the self-paced training materials.
The typical e-Training” material replaces the “face to face” interaction with the instructor with programmed interaction between the user and the computer, which operates as a tutor and a “corrective mirror” for the participant. This apparently “instructorless” kind of course is indeed heavily “instructor-centered”, the only difference being that the “instructor” is a “robot” program that guides, evaluates, reinforces and stimulates the participant following various pre-programmed subroutines.
The obvious advantages of the “e-Training” approach in terms of distribution and cost come at the expense of effective learning outcomes. CBT and WBT are efficient vehicles to “install” training into the systems, but they do not work well within the time span and conditions of the average work environment.
The design of e-Training courses is based on creating engaging interaction along programmed paths, and that competes with the demands of multi-tasking and fast turnaround that...