For businesses, up-skilling staff without the hassle of long periods of absenteeism and loss of productivity are indeed attractive. Gavin Smith looks into the benefits of e-learning. 

There has most certainly been an increase in the uptake of e-learning in the business sector in lieu of the traditional ‘talk and chalk’ methodology. According to Deon Benito, lead learning specialist at The Training Room Online, e-learning has become significantly more popular and important in recent years, and economic prospects for developers and suppliers of e-learning products have substantially improved accordingly. “The range of approaches and application areas is quite broad, and so is the range of products, comprising of computer-based training, virtual classroom and portal solutions.” Benito believes e-learning’s gaining of ground over the traditional classroom methodology can be attributed to the increased capacity to instruct more students while maintaining the quality of learning outcome equal to comparable forms of face-to-face instruction.

While echoing this sentiment, Warwick Kingsley, principal consultant at Pink Elephant South Africa stresses that, even though there has been an increase globally and in SA, e-learning has yet to really take off in South Africa. “That said, it most certainly will. Globally, e-learning is without doubt on the upward curve and it’s gaining a lot of attention.”

All about convenience

Kingsley notes that, interestingly, the worldwide trends seem to indicate that it’s not primarily about the price but about the convenience; the ability to learn whenever and wherever the student or course delegate happens to be. “The uptake in e-learning in SA is certainly about the convenience. I think e-learning in SA has been a little slower to get going as quality home-grown e-learning options are still fairly rare. South Africans who want to participate in e-learning still often have to purchase online courses from overseas and this typically means that the prices are no different or even higher than local classroom options thanks to exchange rates.”

With this in mind, Benito believes that the current surge in popularity of e-learning can be traced back to the rollout of telecommunications infrastructure. “Until about four years ago, there was no fibre in South Africa, apart from Telkom’s Diginet and Asynchronous Transfer Mode. Deregulation in South Africa has opened up the market and now more than seven companies are laying fibre. New infrastructure in the form of fibre and undersea cables will bring down internet costs in South Africa substantially and this will boost the uptake of e-learning,” he continued.

Anywhere, anytime, anyone

Essentially, South Africa have the structures in place to facilitate e-learning and it would seem that corporates are buying into the concept. But the question remains, what are the benefits to companies and individuals when choosing the digital route to education? Benito sums it up succinctly: “The growth of the world wide web, high-capacity corporate networks and high-speed desktop computers will make learning available to people twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week around the globe. This will enable businesses to distribute training and critical information to multiple locations easily and conveniently. Employees can then access training when it is convenient for them, at home or in the office.”

Kingsley concurs and says that, across the board, it is all about convenience. “For the student it’s the ability to study at one’s own pace, where and when convenient. To the institution, it’s about logistics. Online learning can be delivered to far more individuals without huge increases in costs whereas a classroom only holds so many.”

Generally cheaper

The cost factor also comes into play when looking at the e-learning model. Benito states that, when delivered through technology-based solutions, training is less expensive per end user due to scalable distribution and the elimination of high salaries for trainers and consultants. “The biggest benefit of e-learning, however, is that it eliminates the time, expense and inconvenience of getting the instructor and students in the same place.”

Expanding on the cost saving factor of e-learning, Kingsley agrees that, ultimately, for the provider, e-learning is easily scalable with minimum increases in costs the more students are enrolled. “And for students, again, aside from exchange rate-related anomalies, e-learning is generally cheaper.”

Finally, for those who think that e-learning is aimed squarely at the soft-skill and short-course market, think again. “E-learning seems to be gaining popularity in both the skills training and formal academic education spaces,” says Kingsley. “When it comes to degrees, e-learning still resembles the UNISA (long-distance learning) model, meaning that, while much content is presented online and admin is also accomplished in this way, students still use paper-based text-books and manuals and, of course, examinations for degree purposes are almost always administered in the traditional fashion (pen/paper and exam-halls). It is worth taking note of a particularly interesting form of e-learning, the virtual classroom or instructor led online course. This refers to students attending a lecture in real-time via an online portal. The class is interactive and all participate using headsets and video-streaming.”

Everything you need

Benito expands of the various offerings in the market at the moment. “Types of e-learning include online courses and campaigns; live online training/virtual classrooms; blended learning; learning via mobile devices and smartphones; social media for learning; video and podcasts.” He believes e-learning can cover many business areas, from compliance subjects such as health and safety, to performance support essentials such as customer service. E-learning can also be used on its own or as part of a blend. This can be a fusion of face-to-face and e-learning or the effective combination of different types of e-learning. “We will advise on the right solution depending on what companies want to achieve and the learner/business context of the challenge,” Benito notes.

“In the tertiary education space more prospective students are turning to online options. With a computer, an internet connection and a little self-discipline, you can earn a degree from home, work, or anywhere else for that matter.” He says that online degree programmes follow much the same routines as traditional learning, with a few twists. “There are lectures, but they won't be in person. There are assignments, but you won't hand them to your instructor. There may be a set time that ‘class’ begins, but you don't have to be there then. In most situations, you are free to ‘go to class’ when it fits your schedule,” Benito explains.

To the point

While there may still be sceptics within the business community e-learning is available, cost effective and has a gamut of products to suit just about every need. Training staff to become efficient, effective and productive is now simply a click away and does away with all the traditional barriers faced by companies when planning to up-skill employees.