We have now experienced ten years of e-learning and this is a good time to reflect on its impact. Sloman’s (2009) paper entitled “Learning and technology – what have we learnt?” explores the progression of e-learning and its possible future directions. It extracts research conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), in the UK, from 2001 to 2008.

CIPD’s research found that 57% of the responding organizations had used e-learning in some form, highlighting how e-learning has become an essential part of training delivery today. Although organizations seem to recognize some advantageous benefits of the delivery method, training managers on the other hand, did not consider e-learning to be as effective. Only 7% of training managers chose e-learning to be the most effective practice. This disparity highlights that organizations perceive greater benefits in e-learning than learners and trainers do.

This incongruity in perspectives acts as a great reminder of what organizations should be doing when designing and implementing e-learning programs for their employees. With a decade of experience in this subject matter, there is greater awareness of successful practices, which needs to be leveraged to help the future of e-learning. My article highlights the CIPD’s view, that the following principles should be adopted to underlie any e-learning strategy, program, or intervention:

·         Start with the learner: Know your audience – acknowledge the needs, preferences, strengths and limitations of your target audience. 

Reference:

Sloman, M. (2009). Learning and technology – what have we learnt? Impact: Journal of Applied Research in Workplace E-learning, 1(1), 12-26.

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ASTD Research has released its Learning Executive Confidence Index for the fourth quarter of 2009. 271 learning executives (LXs) responded to an online invitation-only survey, contributing to a Q4 LXCI of 60.2. There was minimal change in the LXCI, with only a 0.5 point decrease from Q3’s LXCI of 60.7, indicating stabilizing optimism in the performance of the learning function.  Highlights from the report include:

• The confidence of learning executives (LXs) stabilized in the fourth quarter of 2009, after rebounding earlier in the year.
• The overall LXCI for Q4 2009 was 60.2, essentially even with Q3 (60.7), demonstrating that collectively LXs expect their learning functions to remain the same over the next six months.
• Two of the four major indices (impact on corporate performance and status as a key strategic component) decreased slightly in Q4, while the other two (ability to meet learning needs and availability of resources) registered only minor increases. This pattern highlights that expectations are stabilizing after reaching their highest on record in Q3. 
• Expectations for outsourcing on external services that aid in the learning function showed minor changes in Q4, with an increasing number of LXs foreseeing a continuation of the status quo or an increase in outsourcing. 
• Nearly three-quarters of LXs anticipated WLP funding to increase or remain the same in the next six months, an increase from Q3.
• A majority of LXs who anticipated a decrease in their learning expenditures over the next six months predicted an improvement in their organization’s WLP expenditure from Q3 2011 onwards.

To download the full report or for more information, visit the LXCI page on the ASTD website.

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Talent management has become a top priority for organizations, highlighting that the optimization of talent in the workforce directly affects everyday operations and in turn drives the bottom line. The ASTD-i4cp Talent Management Practices and Opportunities Study found that 19.9% of organizations reported that they manage talent effectively to a high or very high degree, with an additional one fifth admitting that their companies were effective users of talent to only a small extent or not at all. Talent management is anticipated to grow: over 80% of participants predict a growth in the next three years.

What does the talent management puzzle look like?

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The 2009 State of the Industry Report revealed that workplace learning and performance has withstood the challenges of the difficult economy. Although investment in training was stable in 2008, organizations achieved positive outcomes and successfully contributed to their employees’ development with more formal learning opportunities while using fewer resources.

Although many organizations were forced to cut costs wherever possible, workplace learning and performance did not suffer disproportionately to any significant degree. Investment in employee learning and development remained steady through the end of 2008. Although the average annual learning expenditure per employee fell from $1,110 in 2007 to $1,068 in 2008 – a 3.8 percent decrease – it was not large by any means. The commitment to learning is also evident from the figure for average learning expenditure as a percentage of payroll: it increased from 2.15 percent in 2007 to 2.24 percent in 2008.

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Is your organization getting its value for money from its training evaluation? According to ASTD’s Value of Evaluation report only about one-quarter of respondents agreed that their organization got solid “bang for the buck” from its training evaluation efforts. With the tough economic demands, business leaders have to scrutinize costs even more, to find greater efficiencies. This highlights the need for the true value of evaluating learning to be realized and for current practices to adapt to increased efficiency and effectiveness demands.

Ninety-two percent of respondents to ASTD’s Value of Evaluation report indicated that they measure at least Level 1 (reactions of participants) of the model. More...

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ASTD Research has released its Learning Executive Confidence Index for the third quarter of 2009. 292 learning executives (LXs) responded to an online invitation-only survey, contributing to a Q3 LXCI of 60.7. This score is an increase of 1.3 points from a Q2 2009 LXCI of 59.4. This score is the highest value on record, indicating increasing optimism in the performance of the learning function. Highlights from the report include: More...

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Does your organization have an executive development program? If not, they are representative of the 34% of organizations recently sampled in the Executive Development: Strategic and Tactical Approaches report that have no active executive development program. Only 38% of participating companies have an active executive development program, while 23% have a program that is activated as necessary.

The executive development “playground” is dominated by “the big kids” – large organizations with substantial revenues. As annual revenue increases, so does the likelihood of having an executive development program. Executive development is a costly investment, with the average amount spent on each employee participating in a program reaching $12,370. More...

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How can there be light during a downturn? By using their expertise, workplace learning and performance (WLP) professionals have been given a torch, to help their organization survive the downturn and allow them to emerge in a stronger competitive position when the economy recovers.

In the current economic downturn, organizations have been forced to use cost cutting strategies. Departmental budgets are being trimmed, with the learning function being no exception. Learning and development functions are not only being pushed to economize spending on learning activities, but to simultaneously continue to build critical skills and knowledge. A new report by ASTD and i4cp, Learning in Tough Economic Times, indicates that between a fifth and a quarter of respondents said that, to a high or very high extent, the down economy has had a negative impact on each of the following:

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