John Chambers of CEO Cisco Systems commented in 1999 “The next big killer application for the Internet is going to be education. Education over the Internet is going to be so big it is going to make e-mail look like a rounding error.” That was fourteen years ago. This may have taken longer than expected but the explosion of the internet and emerging technologies now means distance e-learning is a given.
What does that mean to companies in today’s economic climate?
Companies are seeing the convergence of e-learning and on-demand and recognising the many benefits. The future John Chambers saw in 1999 has crossed over from educational institutions into society and therefore into business as practical knowledge-on-demand (KOD) applications are being developed. According to Training Magazine companies could save 50-70% from using e-learning over instructor led classes.
Demetrios Sampson and Charalampos Karagiannidis’s excellent paper Knowledge-on-Demand in e-Learning and e-Working Settings gives some fascinating insights into these knowledge systems and their impact on educational institutions and society. They talk of a knowledge society where there are new demands and objectives:
- Personalised training schemes tailored to the learner’s objectives, background, style and needs.
- Flexible access to lifelong learning as a continual process, rather than a distinct event.
- Just-in-time training delivery.
- New learning models for efficient integration of training on workplaces.
- Cost effective methods for meeting training needs of globally distributed workforce.
These Backend Users are offering solutions that take the complex technological processes away and provide easy to use toolsets. This allows their clients to focus on their training objectives, the content, and making the process & content reusable. The learning experience also becomes adaptive, interactive, consistent and highly accessible. Other key features are extracting strong analytical metrics, identifying ROI and realising cost savings.
This KOD revolution is not about replacing live classes, seminars, events, conferences or removing the need for face-to-face individual and group networking but recognises the how technology impacts learning/training culture and processes. Just like the arrival of the portable office, it is both a system and resource that companies must learn to use effectively not just today but in the future to make the most of their business opportunities.
How is your company dealing with the digital training culture? Is your company harnessing the potential of e-learning?