By Daniel Bobinski
Do you know anyone at your work who avoids all technology? Impossible, isn’t it? Technology allows us to do phenomenal things today. For example, just about everyone uses a smartphone, which means we now carry more technology in our pockets or purses than what was used to get men to the moon.
Unfortunately, there are areas where we underuse technology, and one of those is training and development. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen amazing teaching and learning applications, similar to what you’d see in a “Star Wars” movie. But overall, it’s been my observation that many companies are missing out on even the simpler options available for improving their training, and are missing out on improving their bottom line.
Since my formal education has to do with workforce learning and development and I’ve created my fair share of online learning modules, I’d like to take this opportunity to explore some of the pros and cons of e-learning, including some tips for how to get the maximum return from using it.
To start, one big advantage for using online training is that learning is standardized. Everyone learns the same terminology, and steps aren’t inadvertently missed. The key to success here is to ensure your subject matter experts approve the training before it’s published.
Another huge benefit for using e-learning is the cost savings. Talking to the number crunchers, I’ve been told that for every $100 spent to put someone in a physical seat in a classroom, it costs only $30 to deliver the same training via e-learning. That’s a huge financial advantage, but to capitalize on that savings, we need to understand the best use of online learning.
As a background, training occurs in three distinct arenas: cognitive learning, skills learning and attitudinal learning, which is mostly safety and quality issues. Cognitive and attitudinal learning are easier to adapt to online methods. Teaching skills online gets more difficult.
Also, each of the three arenas of learning have different levels of complexity. To me, many companies waste time and money teaching basic knowledge and understanding in classroom settings. If a company taught those things cheaply online, then the more expensive seat-classes can be used for discussing how to apply that knowledge, or even get into some hands-on troubleshooting.
Teaching a subject using both online and classroom instruction combined is called blended learning.
Another benefit of online learning is letting people complete their learning at times that are convenient for them. The technical term for this is asynchronous learning, the opposite of synchronous learning, where everyone is taking the class at the same time. Asynchronous learning allows people to learn while eating pizza at 2 a.m. in their pajamas. If that’s what works best for them, let it happen.
Although asynchronous learning provides many benefits, the downside is that follow-through can be a problem. That’s because watching e-learning isn’t usually an urgent activity, so if it doesn’t get talked about, it can fall through the cracks. “Out of sight, out of mind,” as it were. Therefore, when e-learning is assigned, it’s important that supervisors remind employees to get their learning done.
I also want to point out that e-learning must be engaging. I see way too many e-learning modules that are nothing but a PowerPoint presentation featuring walls of text. Few things are more boring, and people don’t like boring. Watch any TV show or movie and count how many different camera cuts occur in a two-minute time window. According to an article in Wired magazine, “The average shot length of English language films has declined from about 12 seconds in 1930 to about 2.5 seconds today.” That means your typical e-learner is accustomed to seeing the content of the screen change every 2.5 seconds. If e-learning consists of walls of text that don’t change for 30 or 60 seconds, your learners will be bored quickly.
When I was doing preliminary research for my doctorate, I did a study on how front-line employees responded to e-learning. I was shocked to observe how quickly employees looked for ways to skip past presentations they deemed boring. In other words, their companies might have saved a few dollars by creating simple, inexpensive e-learning lessons, but that cost-savings was wasted because employees weren’t learning anything from it.
What are some e-learning best practices you should look for?
Make sure learning is interactive. A few minutes of video instruction followed by a couple of quiz questions covering what was just presented is a good, relatively inexpensive minimum. Even better if employees can interact with their learning, such as clicking on specific parts of an image as a way to choose correct answers.
Video is better that static images. Static images are better than bullet point lists. Bullet point lists are better than walls of text. Also, with technology being so cheap and easy these days, you should always include audio.
Make sure that learning can be accessed from multiple device types. Test the learning to ensure it works on desktops, laptops, tablets, iPads and smartphones.
Enable learning modules to be reviewed repeatedly. Also, if the learning involves a series of modules, set up the system so employees can log out and pick up where they left off when they log back in.
No matter how long a complete training is, individual lessons should not be longer than 15 minutes. If possible, design them so they’re between five and eight minutes. I’ve seen good training that’s 15-20 minutes, but it’s highly interactive and there are lots of quiz questions interspersed to ensure learning is occurring. Five to eight minutes is best.
Finally, the most important best practice when using e-learning is follow-up from those in charge. If e-learning is assigned, whoever is supervising the learners needs to talk about its importance and ensure it’s being done. If the boss doesn’t act like it’s important, it won’t be seen as important.
The bottom line? Using e-learning will have a positive impact on your bottom line, but it must be created wisely and managed well.
Daniel Bobinski, M.Ed. is a certified behavioral analyst, a best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. He loves working with teams and coaching individuals to help them achieve workplace excellence. Reach Daniel through his website, www.MyWorkplaceExcellence.com, or (208) 375-7606.
