Slow Take-Off For E-Learning

E-Learning has yet to take off as hoped for or predicted, according to an article in the current issue of People Management magazine.

According to an annual survey of training and development conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development less than a third of training managers said that they used e-learning.

The article continues, “For those that had used it, the main recipients were IT staff. Moreover, most of the learning was IT-related – regardless of the learner’s work or role.”

The survey findings were not all bad news, however. It found evidence that e-learning was not destined for the history pages, but only taking a breather.

The key point for trainers, according to the article is to approach e-learning in a new way. Merely making standard, generic, e-learning products available on an intranet or at a learning resources centre will not lead to effective learning for individuals or support business objectives.

The articles argues, “E-learning is a change management process, not an exercise in cost cutting. It is learner-centred and demands the provision of effective learner support, a consideration of learner preferences and time and space to learn.”

Underlining this, the survey found that 90% of the managers who had used e-learning agreed with the statement that “E-learning demands a new attitude to learning on the part of the learner."