Guest Blogger: Carmen
The American Society for Training and Development’s 2010 State of the Industry Report reports that technology-based learning climbed to its highest level of 36.5% in 2009. With that in mind, there are three concepts every training and development professional should know about e-learning.
1. E-Learning is NOT a Fad
Increasingly, organizations are moving towards creating more e-learning solutions. One senior director of training said the ratio of instructor-led training to e-learning is 4 to 1, but believes the trend will reverse itself over the years to come. The use of more e-learning programs does not mean classroom instruction will become obsolete. However, it does mean that training and development professionals should embrace e-learning as an important and viable learning option.
2. Collaboration is an Essential Component to E-Learning
Today, collaboration is an important component of e-learning. Traditional theories, such as social constructivism, and emerging ones like connectivism, explain how knowledge-sharing among peers is essential to the learning process. Often, collaboration occurs through e-learning platforms, which support blogs, wikis and podcasts. Not all e-learning platforms are created equal; finding one that fits the organization’s needs and training philosophy is critical. This will require some research and package testing. Remember: ideal e-learning fosters a collaborative environment.
3. Knowledge about E-Learning will Make You More Marketable
It’s important to strategically think about how e-learning can help you. Organizations look to hire training and development professionals with an understanding in e-learning. In a tight labor market, e-learning experience opens the door to instruct both instructors and end-users. You can stay abreast of
e-learning topics by:
- Researching e-learning best practices;
- Subscribing to e-learning magazines;
- Networking with e-learning specialists;
- Taking e-learning courses;
- Teaching e-learning courses.
Remember, your best marketing tool is self-development.☼
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Which e-learning concepts do you think are essential to training and development professionals? Please share your comments.
Hi Carmen,
I enjoyed reading your post. I am currently a graduate student in Roosevelt’s Training & Development Program and I also manage my company’s online legal ethics and compliance training program. We use a third-party provider to provide our employees with short, targeted e-learning courses. E-Learning is not going to go away but will drastically change as more providers and companies allow learners the ability to complete on their I-PADS, IPHONES and other devices. Face to face training should also never go away but people need to learn how to make e-learning work for them and their organizations.
I am a Graduate student a Roosevelt University and I found this post to be very relevant given the mobility of business and the fact that education is a global commodity and if we expect to stay in step with or even ahead of the curve we need to be prepared as T&D practitioners; which include all of the fore stated. This post also helped me to take inventory of my knowledge. skill and attitude toward e-learning to determine how I should move forward in my personal educational efforts.
Hello Carmen,
This is an excellent post! You highlighted some key areas that workplace learning professionals need to be aware of.
Realizing that e-Learning is not a fad but here to stay not only highlights where the industry is going, but also identifies the skills and experiences we should begin to hone. I too have acknowledged this shift, from instructor-led trainings to computer-based and blended approaches to learning, and it encouraged me to take some e-Learning courses as I pursue my M.A in Training and Development here at Roosevelt. While I was not extensively familiar with the concepts or using them in my current role, I wanted to prepare myself for future opportunities.
Acknowledging the need for collaboration not only addresses many adult learning principles, but reminds us that with the loss of the face-to-face interaction, more work and effort needs to be put into engaging learners and providing the best learning experience possible.
Thank you for these reminders!