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Introduction

As you may have already noticed from this Weblog, I am a University Student studying in the field of Human Resource Development and Workplace Training. Throughout the completion of my degree, I have had the opportunity to study and explore the area of E-Learning, as it is a growing field within the Human Resource Development practice. E-Learning can simply be defined as “…learning where computers and networks play a significant part in the learning process.” This is a fairly loose definition, as e-Learning is still a developing field, which is in the process of differentiating itself from Web-Based learning and Distance Learning. In the following is an analysis of my learning experience from my E-Learning Experiences class. In my analysis, I will be incorporating my experiences from analysing Return on Investment (ROI) in e-Learning, my reflections regarding the Spanish Steps online course and my general experiences from starting this Weblog.

Current Practices in Measuring ROI for e-Learning Initiatives

While researching for this subject, I have found that different organisations measure the ROI of their e-Learning Programs in their own particular ways. ROI can be defined as “a comparison of the money earned (or lost) on an investment to the amount of money invested” (Wikipedia 2006, para. 1). However, a popular model for evaluating e-Learning programs is Kirkpatrick’s Phillips evaluation model. Each level of this model evaluates the different aspects of an e-Learning program to determine its effectiveness. The fifth and last level added by Phillips measures ROI. Continuing into my analysis into organisations, I found that The Department of Human Services (DHS) seemed to focus on measuring the cost saved from implementing their e-Learning initiative. Cisco Systems however, seemed to focus their ROI more on how their e-Learning initiatives improved organisational performance. As a result Cisco Systems also seemed to be more focused on measuring the monetary gains from their e-Learning programs. However, through my other research I have also found other ways of measuring ROI for e-Learning in organisations. Organisations are starting to change the way that they measure ROI. This is evident with Kossman’s article where he coins the term Return on Value (ROV), where organisations are not only measuring the hard financial benefits of E-Learning, but also the soft and intangible benefits such as customer satisfaction. Cross however argues that ROI is measured differently in an organisation depending on the position one takes in an organisation. An example of this is that a Training Manager will measure ROI in a different way to an Executive Manager.

BBC Spanish Steps Online Course

For a part of one of my e-Learning assignments, I had to complete an online course for 6 to 8 hours and reflect upon the learning experience. The course that I decided to complete was the BBC’s Spanish Steps course, which is an online course which introduces learners to the Spanish language. Before the commencement of this course, I completed a survey which revealed my preferred learning orientation of read/write. What this means, is that the most effective way that I learn is through reading and writing.

Spanish Steps is a course that contains different features to maximize the learners learning experience. Most of the course is laid out in a slide show format, with sound files announcing every word that is displayed on screen. Games or “activities” are also used to help in embedding the content into the learners mind. They are also used to introduce new words and phrases that are related to the slides.It is also quite evident that the content and activities in this course have been arranged in a logical, easy to follow manner. As my learning style preference is “read/write”, I found the option of printing transcripts really useful, allowing me to read and repeat new words. This feature also encouraged me to write notes about Grammar, pronunciation and the meanings each word. 

My Weblog Experience

My experience in starting this Weblog has been mixed. When I first started this Weblog, I felt that it was a waste of time, having to record my reflections about my learning experiences for my E-Learning Experiences class. However, as I began to record my reflections regarding e-Learning, I realized how much I actually learnt from this subject. As my preferred learning style is ‘read/write’, I began to notice how much my Weblog has aided in my learning as I recycle content through my writing.

As I continued to write posts, with references to other online articles, I realized that I was also building a wealth of information. Doing this has even helped me to complete my other assignments for other subjects, allowing me to use the links that I have compiled on my Weblog as references.

As I continued further with this subject, and advanced my knowledge in blogging, I began to see the potential that they have in building social learning circles. This is evident with features that allow people to comment on your posts and which also allows them to “Ping” you.

Similarities and Differences in my e-Learning experience

As I continue with my degree, my experience in e-Learning is increasingly expanding. Throughout this degree, I have worked with e-Portfolio’s, studied ROI for e-Learning, completed an Online Course and established this Weblog.

Differences

The most noticeable differences in my e-Learning experience have been from my work with e-Portfolio’s, Weblogs and the Spanish Steps Online Course. In my experience, I have found that Online Course’s such as Spanish Steps are more enjoyable to use than e-Portfolio’s and Weblogs. A major influencing factor is the fact that the Spanish Steps course uses different ways to display and teach content, making it a stimulating way to learn. This is evident with the number of video clips, sound files and games that are used in the course. Another influencing factor is the fact that people generally do not usually equate reflection as a method for learning.

My learning experiences with e-Portfolio’s and Weblogs have been less enjoyable. This is because, learners are required to capture and publish their thoughts about their learning experiences. This involves a process of changing implicit knowledge and skills into well-structured, ‘thought-out’ explicit sentences which require both time and effort (Clegg, Kornberger and Pitsis 2005).  

Relationships

Even though all of my previous experiences and studies of e-Learning have been different, there are clear relationships in their applications to organisations. E-Portfolio’s and Weblogs are quite similar in their nature. They both can be used as tools for reflection. They both can be used as information libraries, where a person can ‘pull together’ knowledge resources. Another benefit of these e-Learning tools is the fact that they can be used as social learning tools that aid in the sharing of large amounts of useful knowledge. This in the end, benefits an organisation as it encourages people to share knowledge, increasing the chance of innovation (Heier, Borgman, Manuth 2005).

Online Courses such as Spanish Steps can also be used to aid in workplace learning by providing a more cost-effective way to provide training that is both interactive and stimulating.

Therefore, all of these e-Learning applications can be implemented into an organisation to improve its performance, encourage innovation and to lower training costs. In order to evaluate the effectiveness and monetary value of these e-Learning initiatives, an organisation will measure their respective ROI.

Conclusion

Therefore, my e-Learning experiences have been quite varied throughout the completion of my degree. Since the commencement of my degree I have worked with E-Portfolio’s and Weblogs, completed and evaluated a short Online Course and have researched and written about ROI for e-Learning. I find e-Learning to be of interesting, as I see it as a major influencing factor for Workplace training in the future. As I continue with my degree, I look forward to future opportunities to explore this field of e-Learning. I hope to use what I learn about e-Learning to ‘springboard’ me into a career in Human Resource Development.

References

Heier, H., Borgman, H.P. and Manuth, A. (2005). “Siemens: Expanding the Knowledge Management System ShareNet to Research and Development”, Journal of Cases on Information Technology, vol. 7, iss. 1, pp. 92.

Clegg, S., Kornberger, M. and Pitsis, T. (2005). Managing and Organisations: An Introduction to Theory and Practice, SAGE Publications, London.