I think there is and probably always will be a whole lot of ineffective training out there because most people still think training = data dump and rarely do people do up front analysis, even when they claim that they're following the ADDIE model... what do they think the A stands for?

It makes no sense to me for anyone to spend time debating over which is more effective and/or comparing ILT to e-learning. There are too many possible permutations of what those are to say that one is more effective than another. There are too many factors involved in what makes a particular learning opportunity effective to say any one delivery mode is more effective than another.

In short -- What is or is not effective is a matter of too many variables to be able make an assertion either way.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LoveLearning,

quote:

Originally posted by kmingo:
Hi everyone,

Can e-learning be used as an effective training tool for employees?

Of course, depending on why it is being used and for what .

I have done ILT and both sync and async elearning. All work for some things. Mentoring and coaching is better for some things.

Asking a question like the OP's is kind of like asking "Is training of any kind really effective for employees?" The answer is, as others have already said, is, "It depends."

I know about management edicts that say "move to elearning". I also know that is kind of like saying "use laptops". Neither works all the time.

Please don't start a design with the delivery technique. Start out by looking a the needs, goals, material and so forth and go from there. Consider all the alternatives including ILT, elearning, coaching, mentoring, books, ebooks, short videos, theatre and everything else you can thing of and pick the best one for the job. (And despite our idealism about learning and desire to optimize learning, "best" might include learning objectives, ROI, time to market/deployment, etc in addition to other factors.)

quote:

Originally posted by LoveLearning:
I think there is and probably always will be a whole lot of ineffective training out there because most people still think training = data dump and rarely do people do up front analysis, even when they claim that they're following the ADDIE model... what do they think the A stands for?

In many organizations the A stands for "as soon as possible"...

You are right on target here, the analysis often gets cut short-- even asking a fundamental question such as "is training the solution?" Sometimes, all people need is a job aid... yet a training program gets designed instead!

At the risk of sounding contrarian, I hardly think one individual's opinions/published findings qualify as an anomaly in how mainstream learning is dispensed or delivered.

Although I must admit that I'm not familiar with your work (something I intend to remedy), is it a coincidence that her recommendations/findings just so happen to support her mainstream business---one could argue that her opinions are skewed given your commercial interest in e-learning (http://www.clarktraining.com/).

Respectfully,

Scott Miller

quote:

Originally posted by Amy_L:

Trainers really, really want to believe this. But, research does not support it.

See for example Ruth Clark's research/books Efficiency In Learning and Elearning And The Science Of Instruction. She has done extensive meta-analysis.

Scott,
That is interesting you bring that up, because honestly that is the same thing I thought about your response. Considering that The Training Associates specializes in ILT, one could make the same assumptions.
I just wanted to remind everyone that we all view different training styles through our own paradigm.
To answer the original post:
eLearning can be a very useful tool, but my honest opinion is that a true blended approach works well to utilize the cost savings and just in time benefits of eLearning and to not lose the personal touch that comes with having an instructor involved (remembering that this could be in a traditional or online synchronous environment).
Michelle Frederick

quote:

At the risk of sounding contrarian, I hardly think one individual's opinions/published findings qualify as an anomaly in how mainstream learning is dispensed or delivered.

Although I must admit that I'm not familiar with your work (something I intend to remedy), is it a coincidence that her recommendations/findings just so happen to support her mainstream business---one could argue that her opinions are skewed given your commercial interest in e-learning (http://www.clarktraining.com/).

Respectfully,

Scott Miller