4 Responses

1. measure
   I am starting e-learning in my company. As a start, I am using similar measure to the face-to-face courses. One measure is the cost and the others are the Kirtfatrick L1 and 2.
   I am concert on the course completion rate, it is rather low.

2. It is still learning
   Sonia,

   Can I suggest that you look at three areas:

   1. Feedback based on why you used e-Learning.

   2. Traditional evaluation & ROI – Kirkpatrick.

   3. Feedback labeled ‘Lessons Learned’ to make your next e-Learning implementation more effective.

   Let me explain in more detail:

   1. Feedback based on why you used e-Learning. – There was a reason for choosing e-Learning for this project – perhaps you have a diverse workforce – perhaps the timetable determined it – perhaps you are looking to save costs. Regardless, you need to see if the assumptions you made at the planning stage were true – and if not what was different. Perhaps ‘take up’ was poor – perhaps you didn’t launch the programme or make people aware of its significance or WIIFM.

   2. Traditional evaluation & ROI – Kirkpatrick. Did they like it, did they learn anything, are they using it in the workplace, has it had financial benefit? – Lots about Kirkpatrick freely available by searching Google.

   3. Feedback labeled ‘Lessons Learned’ to make your next e-Learning implementation more effective. Cover areas such as launch, support, interactivity, applying to the workplace etc. Try to avoid the question “do you perfer this form of learning over the standard one day corporate course?” – I have usually found this question is absolutely meaingless.

   With regard to content developers – I’m not sure what you are looking for – if they are external developers I would have expected they would answer this question for you.

   If you need any more help give me a call.

   With regard to the other comment – if ‘take up’ is an issue and you are in a corporate environment can I suggest you focus on three things:

   1. Is it relevant? Did you provide a library of courses no one either wants or understands they need?

   2. Did you launch & internally market the programme explaining what it meant to the learners?

   3. Did you then explain to the management the importance of people completing the programme?

   If take up was initially good and then tailed off, try these:

   1. Is the material any good?
   2. Were there technical problems with the content?
   3. Is there a business reason for this?

   Hope all this helps.

3. e-learning is still learning
   I agree with Paul – where so many have gone wrong is to try differentiate between learning and e-learning. Use the measures that you already have in place for current forms of training.

   What you will probably find is that your current measures aren’t good enough! In my opinion, traditional happy sheets simply give instructors a warm glow – they tell you very little.

   Everything comes back to training design – did the training meet the objectives set?

4. Perceptions and objectives
   You could make objective tests based on exam grades

   You can also take perceptual measures based upon rigorously designed surveys

   Use both and you’ll get a really clear idea of where you are and where to go

   Dan