Nowadays, there are a great many places offering eLearning, mLearning, blended learning, online learning, web based learning and all manner of other terms. There's no point in getting too involved in definitions - for small businesses, eLearning really means any form of training that's supported by computers. Often, it will consist of short courses run online over a company intranet - but users might also want to use laptops, or smart phones.
Sometimes eLearning can be short and simple - bite sized chunks. Other types may need to be more like traditional courses, but delivered to more people, in a flexible ways, and continually updated.
When to use eLearning
Situations where eLearning is particularly appropriate include
- Training a lot of people, very quickly, but without the disruption involved in attending classroom courses - for example, getting everyone familiar with a new software system, or new work processes.
- Compliance training, where you need a record that your employees have taken a course, finished it and passed an assessment.
- Teaching different people the same thing every few days, weeks or months. Many companies use eLearning for some aspects of induction training, so that new employees are brought up to speed.
- Updating employees who completed basic training some time ago - the flexibility of eLearning will mean that they only need to look at those areas that are new to them, and not waste time on things that they've already learned in other ways.
eLearning - the Early Days
How much does it cost? The eLearning Calculator from Harlequin Solutions shows how cost effective eLearning can be over a three year period, and will give you a good idea of what to expect.
A good rule of thumb is about 50 hours of development time for one hour of eLearning based on an equivalent classroom course - but things like original video, voiceover, custom graphics or complex animations can take considerably longer.
Established in 2004, JME Associates has particular expertise in
- Design, development and adaptation of face to face learning materials or PowerPoint presentations into eLearning.
- Training and supporting clients to create or amend their own eLearning materials.
- Development of customised reporting and documentation systems for eLearning.
- Advising on the selection and implementation of Learning Management Systems suitable for small companies
- Development on online testing, assessment and exam systems for eLearning.
Our clients include companies, colleges and other public sector bodies in the UK, Europe and the USA. Please contact us and we'd be happy to discuss your project ideas.
