Successful Implementation of eLearning The search for best practice

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Successful Implementation of eLearning The
search for best practice

• Innovation in eLearning in the Workplace
• 27th May 2004

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Agenda

• Background to best practice study
• Creating Sustainable e-learning
• The business drivers
• Tools and techniques
• Business engagement
• Who should be engaged with e-learning?
• Four engagement techniques

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Learning from others

• Background to the Linking learning to business
  study
• Moving beyond the one hit wonder
• Selection of participating organisations
• Identifying best practice with sponsors
• What are the common business factors that
  contribute to e-learning success within UK
  organisations?
• More importantly what do their learners really
  think?!
• Online survey with 2000 learners

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What do 2000 learners think ?
90 would recommend e-learning to a co-worker
91 agreed that it was important to have
e-learning as a choice
90 agree that they are able to use the learning
points at work
75 think e-learning provides more control and
visibility of their development
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Drivers behind sustainable e-learning

• Business drivers
• Increased sales
• Talent management and retention
• Systems implementation and Integration
• Sales and customer loyalty strategies
• Driving organisational change
• Compliance
• Endorsing business values and strategies

• E-learning drivers
• Speed
• Consistent quality
• Availability
• Increasing personal relevance
• Rationalisation
• Visibility
• Business or IT improvements
• Audience Volume

NB cost reduction was a secondary benefit not a
primary driver
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Training Technology Design

• Is e-learning success reliant on specific
  tools?
• Content driven
• 100 use generic content, 94 use bespoke
• Increasing trends to in house development tools
• 100 used tracking
• Success not reliant on consistent use of
  enterprise wide LMS
• Use of virtual classroom is increasing (75 to
  94)
• Success is not dependent on perfect
  infrastructure
• Many using work arounds
• Choice delivers flexibility and responsiveness

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Good design
Have nothing in your training offering that
you do not know to be useful or believe to be
beautiful to paraphrase William Morris

• E-learning beauty innovation, novelty - can
  have effect, but only at the start
• Usefulness drives sustainability
• 94 of sponsors agreed that
• it is important that e-learning is used to build
  skills critical to the learners current job
• my organisation agrees that e-learning makes a
  relevant contribution to business success

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Sustainable e-learning success

• Requires business alignment
• Aligning learning objectives and design to
  business goals and needs provides a critical
  connection between training and business
• But it was not the whole story -

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Sustainable e-learning success

• Also requires business engagement
• Strategies to engage result in capturing
  attention, involvement, and commitment.
• So who do we need to engage?

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Who impacts e-learning success? (sponsor
perspective)
Data taken from Linking Learning to business
Jan 2004
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Whos opinion matters to the learner?
Data taken from Linking Learning to business
Jan 2004
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Influence of individuals on success
Build vision Create priority Define success
Own business issues Incorporate learning as part
of solution Influence management define
success
Influence and motivate individuals Allocate
time Support
Participate in training Apply knowledge Improve
performance
Motivate, engage and support Ensure local
relevance
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When to engage stakeholders
Follow through
Launch

• Typically think about engaging users at the
  launch phase
• Sustainable e-learning success involves proactive
  engagement strategies at all stages
• Four engagement strategies.

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1 Engaging stakeholders measuring and sharing
success

• Management ownership during planning
• Work with stakeholder to define success in
  business terms
• What do you need to do to meet business
  expectations
• Jointly define ROI
• Use multiple methods of measuring success (on
  average each participant used five indicators of
  e-learning success)
• Management involvement during follow through
• Keep results visible internally
• Use league tables to encourage competition
• 88 believed external recognition of success
  improved internal recognition

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2 Engaging stakeholders Piloting

• 88 of the sponsors agreed that it is important
  to demonstrate success through a pilot before
  embarking on a company wide rollout.
• Why use a pilot?
• Prove the technology
• Ensure relevance of content
• Identify address obstacles
• Obtain success stories
• Increase credibility through involvement of
  stakeholders
• 100 of sponsors believed it was essential to
  deliver quick wins early in the implementation

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3 Engaging stakeholders structure and support

• Structure
• Users do not distinguish formal and informal
  e-learning
• 85 believe that it is important to complete
  e-learning from start to finish
• 87 believe that their achievements should be
  recognised
• Structure can be provided by
• Competency frameworks
• Clear articulation of outcomes and qualifications
• Use blended learning to create structure
• Support
• Support by multiple routes
• Technical and business support
• e-mail, web resources, reference materials and
  telephone help desks
• Make it easy for managers
• Management toolkits
• Recommendations of next steps and activities

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4 Communicating with Users - 3Rs

• Relevance
• Recommendation
• Peer testimony and success stories
• Review and repeat
• Multiple routes
• Implement feedback strategies

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Four engagement strategies

• Measuring and sharing success
• Piloting
• Support and structure
• Communication
• And more
• No longer an optional extra

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Long term impact of (e) learning
Business Goals
Engagement strategies help to address the
perception of learning within the organisation
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For further information

• Laura Overton
• laura_at_lauraoverton.com
• Laura Overton Associates
• www.lauraoverton.com

Linking Learning to Business Further details
www.elearningage.co.uk/go1.htm