Role of Online Learning

Dr. Mohammed Al Muhtadi

Online learning or most commonly known as e-learning, has already been in the mainstream for the past decades. The concept of learning is usually associated to educational context.  Based on an online definition of the term, it is the word used to describe the situation where students and teachers utilize online technology to interact and participate. However, such concept has been applied to different areas such as the business context. In the business industry, e-learning is likely related much towards employee training.  The use of online technologies has of great importance to corporate training initiatives.  As according to Chen, “the key of e-learning in corporations is to reach the organizations strategic goals through reliable learning.”

E-learning technologies and strategies are widely embraced by training professionals.  It is considered as a probable training strategy which has benefits and advantages if compared with the usual tutor-student set up.  The basic objective of e-learning is to make sure that technology contributes to the development of highly-skilled employees and basically to aid in the corporate progress towards economic competitiveness. Specifically, there are varied roles the e-learning plays as a training strategy in the business context.  E-learning could be useful in identifying and recording training needs such as the use of interactive questionnaires, in delivering the right learning objectives as well as in supporting distant learners, in assessing training outcomes through the use of computer-aided tests of knowledge and skills, in recording and monitoring learning of employees, and many others.

There are various benefits organizations and firms could achieve when integrating e-learning, most particularly in the area of employee training and development initiatives.  These include growing intellectual capital, reducing training delivery costs and learning compression, improved performance through improved learning, improved transfer and consistency of learning, increased availability for performance support, monitoring and evaluation of learning and many others.  However, all these benefit could be attained when organizations effectively identify and consider technical and organizational factors that might affect the success of the entire e-learning program.

To highlight, when organization tends to implement e-learning as a tool for their training strategy, e-learning systems and strategies should be recognized and well-supported by the top management and the IT department of the company.  Companies should make certain that they select, design and implement the right infrastructure to support the initiative.  E-learning infrastructure should be in the proper place or is optimized enough, because if not, it would likely pose higher cost burden when it comes to operating the entire system. Most companies do not have the capability to design their e-learning infrastructure. However, there are various third-party companies that provide software, technology, content, development and various services in order to aid the company’s effort .

Other important factors that impact the success of e-learning systems by which companies should take consideration into their e-learning strategy are motivation and resistance.  Basically, employee should be motivated enough in order to assess the effectiveness of the e-learning strategy. Although the concept of e-learning is a self-directed learning, motivation on the part of the employee is quite a challenge.  E-learning, therefore, relies on the level of motivation every employees have.  Strategies should take consider on such notion and should encourage every employee that e-learning systems that are to be integrated into organization do not only benefit the company but also how it benefit the company through convenience and effectiveness of the system.  In other words, strategies for e-learning should place great emphasis on convenience and availability of the system which likely compensate or overshadow the lack of motivation amongst employees.

On the other hand, success of the e-learning system of the company could be hindered because of employee resistance. Most importantly, the strategy should encourage changes in the entire culture of the organization when it comes to accepting the adoption of e-learning systems. This is because, when the organizational culture does not completely embraced the adoption of learning and its opportunities to offer as well, most likely is that employees themselves would not want to try the e-learning. It is simply to say that cultural resistance is a critical barrier to e-learning.

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