Elearning - April/May 2008 - (Page 18)

webservices a variety of enterprise systems. Informal learning makes up the majority of on-thejob learning, and it’s extremely important for organizations to provide tools that support this. learning strategy success. The extremely brisk pace at which job roles, individual responsibilities, the marketplace and even whole companies change and evolve make it absolutely necessary for learners to Fortune 1,000. With on-demand software, there is no hardware to buy or software to install, which means there is less of an upfront investment. DHOLAKIA: The business value of ondemand learning to customers lies in the speed with which they are able to achieve their objectives as well as ensuring that the right information is available to an individual at exactly the right moment. Information is retained far better and is more valuable to the business and the employee when it is delivered closer to the point of need. This concept is also being driven by a demographic shift as more people in the workforce become more comfortable with new technology and social networking. It is exciting to see this movement in the marketplace, as it allows organizations to derive greater value from their learning and talent investments. ZARRABIAN: Without question, ondemand learning is a critical success factor for a rapidly growing percentage of our customers. Their view is that the key to success of their learning initiative is availability of up-to-date knowledge, independent of it being offered as a formal training module. In fact, they tell us that when the overall e-learning program includes interaction among the users and training professionals, the e-learning program becomes more dynamic and interactive and the value increases exponentially. In this environment, training and development professionals get first-hand knowledge about the training module and can continue on improving the content. At the end of it, the more dynamic the content is, the more collaborative the environment, the more impact it can have on the users, and the more effective and efficient they become. ‘The need for on-demand learning and information is increasing dramatically.’ —Julie Ogilvie, SkillSoft LAMBERT: On-demand learning has been a reality for several years. The new trend that is emerging today is learning based on Web 2.0 principles, or the ‘read/write LMS.’ [These] technologies enable e-learning programs to capture knowledge and contributions from the community of learners, and not just push pre-defined courses. For example, virtual classrooms and communities of practice can incorporate blogs, wikis, discussions and more, to build an informal knowledge base that captures the institutional knowledge of the enterprise. The interaction of formal and informal learning programs enriches the knowledge conveyed by formal courses and provides structure that makes informal learning more accessible. SHAW: Apart from the technology, the real obstacle is entrenched models of training and development. The move to on-demand learning requires changes in how content is organized, how it’s structured, and how success of L&D is measured. On the business model side, getting to on-demand learning requires an investment in new infrastructure at an enterprise level. Most organizations are reluctant to make this investment. Basically, the shift to on-demand learning has to be motivated at a very senior level in the organization with the support of business lines. Effectively, L&D must be a partner in this initiative, but may not necessarily ‘own’ the initiative. RUSSELL: On-demand learning is certainly critical to an organization’s overall 18 April / May 2008 Elearning! access just-in-time resources. Organizations and employees can no longer wait for the planning, creation and rollout of formal training programs. The world just moves too fast. To be successful, companies must be able to incorporate on-demand learning opportunities, justin-time training, on-the-job-training, as well as the technologies that enable informal learning like blogs, wikis and instant messaging. In this free market of learning, learners will find the best solutions to their learning and development challenges. RILEY: Absolutely. As the talent pool of skilled professionals shrinks, demand increases exponentially. If organizations are to compete in today’s global economy, they need to implement a strong trainingand talent-development program to maximize the potential of their employees while retaining them for future growth. With the war for talent, you might have to change your mindset and bring the desired skills to the employee instead of finding the person who already possesses them. On-demand access to world-class training technology makes this more accessible for all companies, not just the ‘It’s a question of meeting customer and learner needs.’ —A.G. Lambert, Saba

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Elearning - April/May 2008

Elearning - April/May 2008 Editor's Note Contents News Targeting Africa Locating Courseware People in the News Upcoming Events Deals Trendlines Web Services Building a Learning Culture Measuring the Learning Experience Making Learning Fun and Social LMS's 2008: What You Need To Know Learning Leader: CA Case Study: AVI Case Study: IBM Case Study: QualComm WBS Case Study: National Center for State Courts Case Study: Grundfos Pumps Case Study: Virginia Tech Pop Quiz Last Word

Elearning - April/May 2008

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