Let’s Kill e-Learning

Over the past couple of days I have been in a variety of meetings, classes and conversations about e-learning. After processing the information I have heard I am wondering (only half sarcastically) if the current goal is to kill e-learning so we can all move on to the next big thing and buy new toys…er, I mean tools.

Allow me to expand on this. The central theme of these discussions is this: most compliance training has been moved to e-learning (70% is the number that is tossed about). No one likes this training. It is described non-verbally by most by the miming of an air-mouse click-click-clicking into the air of a virtual page-turner. The only thing that seems to generate any excitement at all in compliance training is the ability to say with authority that 100% of the target audience has completed the training, as proven by the detailed LMS reports, pie charts and graphs.

Let me restate that – a larger (and growing larger percentage) of e-learning now consists of training that excites no one who is developing, delivering or taking it. Having experienced my own share of requisite compliance training I think it safe to describe it as self-administered PowerPoint presentations, and if you thought death by PowerPoint was bad when you had a presenter in front of the room, imagine it without even that minor diversion.

There are 2 responses to this. OK you say, it's not a problem because "my" training is not like that. "I" am not developing boring page turners. "I" am developing fully interactive e-learning modules that take advantage of everything I can find to increase user involvement.

Yeah yeah yeah. But where is it being delivered? On the same platform that users have come to associate with those compliance modules? So having bored someone to distraction, you now are using the same platform and think they will be excited by your training. This is a great plan. Do you also think that everyone enjoys going to the dentist?

The other logical observation is that compliance training is by definition there to ensure that everyone is compliant with some requirement. There is nothing unreasonable there - or is there? If the only reason a class is offered is to ensure that everyone has clicked the completion screen, whether or not they learn anything, then is it time to question the need for these classes? I realize that this is a naïve question.

Almost as naïve as thinking that shifting hours of self administered PowerPoint's to a learning platform will have no effect on how people view that platform, the concept of training, or the people who are requiring it.

R