I'm sure you remember a time, five or six years ago, when we were all told that E-learning was going to take over the world and make traditional classroom training extinct. Rather than taking its place next to the dinosaurs, traditional classroom training has more than held its own, particularly in the realm of leadership development. E-learning started out, in many cases, by over-promising and under-delivering. The good news is that the early generation of page-turner experiences have come a long way, and many of the E-learning solutions available today offer stimulating learning that can be tailored to a learner´s needs and interests. Solutions offered by Ninth House, DDI, AchieveGlobal and others offer a variety of solutions aimed at supplementing and/or replacing traditional classroom learning experiences.
In fact, what we´ve come to find is that E-learning can be a very powerful component in a blended learning curriculum. I say that because very few companies are using e-Learning exclusively. Recent research from Training Magazine, published in their 24th Industry Report in December, 2005 demonstrated the usage of E-learning versus traditional classroom training versus a combination of the two. Here is an excerpt of their chart called "Types of Training - General":
E-learning Traditional Both Don´t provide
Exec Development 1.2% 52.3% 25.5% 20.9%
Mngmt Skills/Devt. 1.2% 56.5% 34.7% 7.6%
Supervisory Skills 0.9% 57.1% 31.5% 10.5%
E-learning can be a very powerful tool for introducing concepts, models and other knowledge to learners. Pre-work and assessments can also be nicely accomplished using e-learning mechanisms. Traditional classroom time can be pared down and focused on highly interactive practice and feedback sessions, versus using the time to introduce new material. E-learning can provide case studies or scenarios that can then be discussed in the live sessions. E-learning can also be a powerful mechanism for post-program follow-up and performance support. There are a myriad of ways to blend E-learning with traditional classroom training, action learning, coaching and many other effective forms of leader development. What this data clearly indicates is that many companies are using a blended approach. The challenge lies in refining the mix to find the right combination to maximize results.
Although E-learning is unlikely to ever take over the world of leadership development, it can serve an important role. Perhaps it´s time to take another look? For more information on E-learning as a means of developing leaders, see an archive of my educational webcast called E-learning for Leaders. Also, for more information on leadership training solutions available through vendors, see my Leadership Training Resources Guide available in our HR.com store (free download for Premier members).
