As a former student who has a depth of experience with online elearning classes, I can’t help but to remain excited about the possibilities that still exist, yet confused about the resistance of some toward adopting it into common place. eLearning continues to be underestimated by many business owners and institutions because they fail to realize the benefits it offers everyone involved. The reality is elearning has barely scraped the surface of its potential. In spite of that, its effectiveness and ROI remain astonishing – the facts speak for themselves.
- Increased Retention and application to the job averages an increase of 25 percent over traditional methods, according to an independent study by J.D. Fletcher (Multimedia Review, Spring 1991.pp. 33-42) That means that your employees and students are more likely to retain the vital information you teach them and apply it in the most important of situations.
- Learning times reduced an average of 40 to 60 percent, as found by Brandon Hall (Web-based Training Cookbook, 1997, p. 108). In short, with elearning you can cut instruction time nearly in half. This statistic coupled with the classic phrase, “time is money” gives you everything you need to digest the implications.
- Travel and accommodation costs associated with training are cut by at least 50% with the use of elearning (Hall 1997). Other studies have shown that if implemented properly, these costs can be reduced by at least 80% (Hemphill, Hoyet, H. (1997) The Impact of Training on Job Performance)
- Performance variance in live instruction is an inherent problem. Adams (1992) found an average delivery variance of 59% between presentations by classroom instructors. In contrast, with elearning an instructor can review and edit their content and presentation until it is fit for effective classroom use. This leads to a consistent delivery of material that is not possible in a traditional classroom setting.
With a little commitment and creativity on the part of corporations and institutions, elearning can not only enhance the quality of training offered, it can provide viable solutions to many of the new challenges that they will come to face. Now that’s what you call a return on investment.
For more information about how elearning can work for you, check out the CAE website at www.cae.net
