Skilling Up - Learning About E-Learning

E-learning provides some exciting new possibilities for the training department, but to really take advantage of these will, in most cases, require a radical review of available competencies and an up-skilling programme aimed at the principle job roles of e-learning - manager, developer and e-tutor. In this chapter, I look at the skills needed to make e-learning a success, at the issues involved in bringing these skills in-house, and at the opportunities currently available in the UK for training in e-learning skills.

New skills – who needs them?

In many ways, as far as trainers are concerned, e-learning is just ‘more of the same’ – the same mountain of training needs, the same demanding learners, the same inadequate budget and the same impossible time constraints. What’s changed is a promise. The promise that, by making use of computers and networks to assist us in managing and delivering our training, we could meet a higher proportion of these needs, more quickly and more cost-effectively. That’s the promise.

The reality, of course, is that things are never that simple. First of all we have to create the infrastructure necessary to support e-learning, which may mean new hardware for some and possibly a learning management system. Then we have to effectively integrate e-learning into our overall learning strategy, taking best advantage of what technology has to offer without sacrificing the good things we’ve been doing so far. Next we have to source the content, which may mean buying off-the-shelf, but often means building something from scratch, a task that is quite different from putting together an instructor-led course. Lastly, we have to overcome cultural resistance, often from our own department, and then enthusiastically support the new training solutions so people actually use them. All in all, not quite business as usual. Same business, same customers, completely different business model. Skilling up for e-learning is a must-do activity for just about every training department.