‘Time to make a difference – e-learning strategies to support business’ welcomed 75 delegates from 30 different organisations in Edinburgh last month.
The key aim of this highly interactive event was to get internal L&D teams thinking about how e-learning can be used to make a real business impact in their organisations.
At the event Donald Clark asked participants how much budget their organisations spend on informal learning. 43% of delegates answered ‘under 1%’ and a further 43% answered ‘under 10%’.
Many people claim, that 80% of learning occurs informally so this equates to a ‘spending paradox’. The findings challenge the quantity/effectiveness ratio associated with formal learning spend.
A later presentation from Brightwave’s MD, Charles Gould warned that the ‘spending paradox’ can strike wherever the right questions aren’t asked at the beginning of a project.
If this happens design decisions are made that do not meet the direct needs of business goals.
Brightwave’s MD Charles Gould says, “E-learning should be considered and used as a business strategy. The longer it takes for the learner to reach the necessary level of understanding/skills/knowledge, the more costly it is.
Let’s know where we’re going and pay more to get there faster and better, not just for learners to learn for longer.” concluded Charles. “The focus needs to be on quality and getting results, not e-learning by the hour”.
