Latest e-Learning research in Europe Middle East and Africa

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I have condensed some of the findings from the latest piece of research by SkillSoft to identify the perceptions of e-learning amongst over 200 employees, within organisations across EMEA, who are actually using e-learning as an integral part of their development.

16 organisations participated in this study and made their employees available during the research phase.

You'll see that there is unequivocal evidence that e-learning delivers knowledge and skills to those that use it. There's also evidence that course completion isn't a true indication of what's been learnt - as the immediacy of the medium allows employees to dip in and out of courses, just learning what they need. You'll see that the learning is put into practice and that it delivers a range of specific benefits to the enterprises in which employees work. And you'll also see, most importantly of all, that the overwhelming majority of employees like learning in this way.

Within the majority of organisations, e-learning is now a well accepted means of increasing skills and knowledge across the enterprise. Early adopters no longer think of themselves and their organisations as pioneers of a new and unproven method of training. For the most part they have seamlessly integrated e-learning into their training strategy along with all the other methods of delivering training available to them. Even those organisations that waited until e-learning was proven are now enjoying cost efficiency, accessibility, flexibility and the many other benefits that e-learning brings. However, whilst much has been made of the benefits to the organisation of e-learning, there has been little, if any, qualitative investigation into the attitudes and views of the users themselves. What do they think about it? Do they like it? Do they learn from it? And most importantly of all, are they able to put into practice what they learn - and does it make a difference to the way they do their job?.

Employees genuinely like e-learning and find it effective Courses are enjoyable - 93.5% state that they have enjoyed the courses they have taken The learning is effective - 87% can give tangible examples of how they have applied their learning Application of the learning goes beyond just the individual - 52% pass on what they learn to someone else The whole e-learning experience is engaging - 98% say they would recommend e-learning to a colleague. Course completion is not critical -92.5% learn what they need to even if the course isn't completed

Why do employees like e-learning ?The ability of employees to take e-learning at their own pace is key -93% value e-learning because of this Ease of use is also important - 87.5%think it's easy to use The flexibility of e-learning is highly rated - 85% cite flexibility as one of the key reasons why they like it Its efficiency in terms of time is cited by77.5% who appreciate being able to learn whenever they have time73% of employees like e-learning because they think it's an interesting way to learn

Why are they learning and where are they learning? The majority (34%) are learning to improve their competency and efficiency in their current roles or they want to broaden their skills and knowledge (16%) Most of the learning is done by employees at their desk - almost 70% learn at their workstation Two thirds of those who learn at their desk do so during the working day One third of those who learn at their desks do so before they start work or after 5:00pm. There is very little formal dedicated time for e-learning in most organizations.



All major IT skill areas are represented in the sample. Employees are using e-learning to develop skills across the wide range of general operating systems and network fundamentals, including; Microsoft, Cisco, Unix, SQL and Lotus. Additionally, some employees are developing more sophisticated skills in web development and programming languages in areas like Java, C++, C# , FrontPage, and Dream weaver.

In relation to business skills, the picture that emerges is similar to the IT area. The users who participated in this study are using e-learning to help them with their professional and personal development across a wide range of competencies including the following areas:

Customer Service
Change Management
Dealing with Conflict
Presentation Skills
Project Management
Strategic Planning
Accounting & Finance
Coaching
Communication Skills
Motivation
Teamwork
Emotional Intelligence
Management
Leadership
Marketing
Sales
Finance
Operations



Having established the range of skills that the participants were engaged in learning - and where and how employees learnt - the research went on to determine how effective the learning had actually been. Each participant was asked whether they had used any of the skills they had learnt from their e-learning course/s. An overwhelming majority (87%) said 'YES' they had used or put into practice skills and knowledge they had gained from e-learning. To test the veracity of this, each participant was then asked to give an example of how and where this learning had been applied. In each and every case, an example was cited; and in most cases more than one example was given. On closer analysis it appears that there are 5 major areas where the impact of the learning is being realized:


• Tangible business benefits - the respondents cited examples of increased sales, happier customers and an improvement in their negotiation skills


• Improved processes - such as better project management, improved reporting, and more efficient contract management


• Improved communications - both internally across departments as well as with customers and suppliers


• Personal skills development - in key areas like management, leadership, coaching and mentoring, assertiveness, time management, and presentation skills to name just a few


• IT and computer literacy - the skills base of employees, at both beginner and advanced level, has been significantly improved.

The verbatim comments aptly illustrate the individual experiences:


• 'I'm closing deals quicker!' Conference and Events Manager, Hilton'


• I applied the project management knowledge gained; it has helped me balance the 13 projects I'm working on at the moment. 'Customer Account Clerk, FedEx


• 'I've been able to create a project framework and an intranet for our team.' Lead Intranet Developer, Norwich Union Life


• 'I learnt how to make customers understand that I appreciate their problems. Recently, I had a very angry customer but I was able to calm him down and rectified his problem. So we were able to keep the customer who has now done additional business with us. 'Service Quality Consultant, Intelligent Finance


• 'I've implemented some new systems and spreadsheets, including a spreadsheet for monitoring payment of overtime. This saves a huge amount of time compared to the way we used to do it before.'Service Centre Unit Manager, Royal Mail



Why would you recommend e-learning to a colleague?


• 'It's a very easy way to learn; it's better than a book; and more cost-effective than a trainer. ' Project Manager, Schlumberger


• 'It's a good way to learn things quickly without waiting for a course.' Business Analyst, Deloitte


• 'It's easy to learn at your own pace. The ability to dip in and out and the just-in-time aspect is very useful.' Business Services Consultant, Norwich Union Life


• 'I recommend e-learning to my team all the time. You can do it if you've got a spare 10 minutes, and you can do a bit in between handling calls.'Customer Interaction Centre Manager, Siemens Communications

Without effective ongoing training, the ability of any organisation to compete successfully is under threat. Its competency and efficiency is reduced and the development of its intellectual capital is restricted. In an ideal world, a mix of classroom and online learning is acknowledged as the preferable route for employee development. But, these are not ideal times, and the undisputable fact is that e-learning can equip far greater numbers of employees with the skills and knowledge they need than the classroom alone.

It should come as no surprise therefore, that e-learning continues to grow across the enterprise. But the important fact for organisations to bear in mind is what this research proves; that e-learning really is delivering. And it is delivering because it offers good ROI; employees like it; and - most important of all - it works.