MAKING A BUSINESS CASEFOR E-LEARNING

2

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Introducing eLearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Applications of eLearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Blended Learning & eLearning Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Benefits and Limitations of eLearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Evaluating eLearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

In-house or Outsource eLearning Development? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Cost Parameters for eLearning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Recommended Process of Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Cost-Benefit Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

3

IntroductioneLearning as a corporate training methodology has grown substantially in the past two

decades. eLearning utilizes technology to design, develop, and deliver learning, outside of a

traditional classroom. eLearning has proven to be very effective in terms of learner engagement

and retention capacity.

If you are a training manager in an organization that is contemplating introducing eLearning,

you need to make a business case on its cost-benefit analysis to present to your senior

management and get their approval. And this eBook ‘Making a Business Case for eLearning’ is

just what you need.

This eBook showcases a path that will help make the journey of implementing eLearning in your

organization extremely easy and smooth.

Read the eBook and develop a strong, practical case that will fill in the existing gaps in your

research and help your management give the go ahead for eLearning.

Through this eBook, you will be able to showcase to your decision-makers:

How eLearning supplements classroom training

Where can eLearning be applied for organizational training needs

Its cost parameters

Cost-benefit analysis

And so much more!

4

Introducing eLearning eLearning as a method of corporate training has been in practice for the last 20 years. There

are many definitions of what eLearning is – from a simple “electronic learning” to more

complicated ones. Given below is a working definition.

Definition

eLearning is ‘learning facilitated by technology for its design, development, delivery,

administration, and evaluation’.

Instructional Technology, Information & Communication Technology, Internet technology, and

Mobile technology, all play an active part throughout the life cycle of corporate learning.

The basis in eLearning is an instructional systems design component that is further developed

with the help of these “learning technologies”. Contrary to popular belief, eLearning is much

more than just adding audio to PowerPoint presentations and publishing them online.

eLearning is NOT:

� Publishing PowerPoint decks to HTML format for online delivery

� Adding audio to a PowerPoint deck and uploading it online

� A web page, eBook, video or PDF in isolation

5

eLearning and Classroom Training

Classroom training continues to be the most popular method for training in corporates.

eLearning was never intended to replace it. Rather, it supplements and complements classroom

training by offsetting certain inherent drawbacks in classroom training. Here is a table

distinguishing between classroom and eLearning to help you use both to maximum advantage.

Table 1: Strengths of Classroom and eLearning

CLASSROOM TRAINING

Availability of SMEs and coaches to adapt to participant needs and questions

Dedicated time in a controlled environment, away from other work demands

Easy to update and disseminate

Greater capacity for hands-on experiences with physical devices and equipment

Scalable, with simultaneous, audience and/or enterprise-wide rollouts

Closer simulation of actual work performance, particularly people-based interactions

Reduced time away from work and cost of logistics

Live group interactions, collaborations, role-modeling, and mentoring possible

Convenient and flexible, available on-demand (24x7x365) even in remote locations

Ability to address topics and issues that are outside of the packaged course material

High individual learning accountability

Face-to-face sharing of experiences and social interaction

Consistency in the format and delivery of content

Easy to modify and adapt instructional strategies (activities and interactions)

Ideal for a multi-cultural and multilingual context

ELEARNING

Self-directed, enabling learners to proceed at their own pace

6

Adoption Trends in the Corporate Sector

Let’s examine the adoption trends of eLearning in the corporate sector:

Organizations are now converting their classroom training material to eLearning

curriculums to ensure learners have uninterrupted, on-demand access to learning

resources. Using authoring tools (tools that convert content into functional eLearning

courses) such as iSpring and Articulate Storyline helps make the process of developing

instructionally sound courses from classroom material quick and easy.

The race against time has made it necessary for organizations to go for rapid eLearning

– courses developed within weeks, not months – without compromising on quality and

learner engagement. Modern authoring tools such as Articulate Storyline, Lectora Inspire,

Adobe Captivate, iSpring, and dominKnow have made rapid eLearning a reality.

Organizations are using technologies that are able to deliver bite-sized learning through

technology platforms like the LMS (see below) to employees’ mobile devices. These

resources are curated and presented to learners based on their search results and learning

preferences. They also provide recommendations to learners based on their preferences

and training needs as dictated by their job responsibilities and business demands.

A Learning Management System (LMS) is an online software platform that hosts

eLearning courses and other learning resources and helps training managers administer

and track training. The growing emphasis on learners’ needs has also impacted the design

of learning management systems. Organizations nowadays are going for user-centric

LMSs that offer gamified features, visually appealing dashboards, easy administration

features, interaction data, learning analytics, and a multilingual interface.

The convergence of classroom and eLearning

Robust instructional design made rapid

On-demand access to mobile-friendly learning

A teaching LMS

7

To plan for the implementation of learning analytics, you need to plan for the information needed,

enable data analytics, collect data and monitor it, analyze the data, and finally report and discuss

it with the stakeholders concerned.

Organizational Training Delivery in 2019

0 30 60 90 120 150

Small (100 to 999 employees)

Midsize (1,000 to 9,999 employees)

Large (10,000 or more employees)

Training Delivery Methods by Company Size 2019

27% 44% 15% 27% 5% 6% .7% / .4% / .1%

25% 39% 17% 30% 6% 7% 1% / 2% / 2%

34% 36% 15% 32% 4% 3% / 4% / 4% / .3%

Blended Learning (a combination of methods listed below)Instructor-Led ClassroomVirtual Classroom/Webcast (instructor from remote location)Online or Computer-Based Methods (no instructor)Mobile (cell phones, iPods, tablets, PDAs)

Social LearningAugmented RealityVirtual Reality

Figure 1: Source: 2019 Training Industry Report

According to the 2019 Training Industry Report by trainingmag.com, the official publication of

Training Magazine Network:

� About 30% of training hours were delivered via online or computer-based technologies, up

from 26% last year. Virtual classrooms/webcasts accounted for about 15% of the hours

delivered, up from 10% last year.

Organizations are no longer satisfied with traditional reports of learning effectiveness

provided by summative assessments (scores) in eLearning courses. They are treating

training like any other business investment and focusing on the ROI it yields. Learning

analytics is now becoming a necessity as it is the essential building block of measuring

the impact of training at all levels.

Learning analytics

8

� 5% of training hours were delivered via mobile devices, up from almost 2% in 2018.

� 5.5% of training hours were delivered via social learning this year (versus none last year).

� Three new categories were added this year: augmented reality (1.6%), virtual reality (1.9%),

and artificial intelligence (0.6%).

Growth Estimates of the eLearning Market

According to Global Market Insights, the size of the eLearning market, valued at around USD 190

billion in 2018, will grow at a CAGR of 7% (compound annual growth) from 2019 through 2025.

According to Docebo, the global eLearning sector is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8% between

2019 to 2025.

Become an eLearning Champion

Get your copy now:

https://www.amazon.com/Become-eLearning-Champion-learning-Implementation/dp/167747551X

9

Applications of eLearningAreas of Application

eLearning can be applied to different areas of your business and it is important to decide which

department in your organization will actually benefit from it, either in isolation or in conjunction

(blending) with traditional classroom training.

The different functional areas that you might consider for applying eLearning include sales

training, product training, compliance training, and software training.

Sales Training

Figure 2: Sales Training

eLearning, when incorporated in sales and marketing training, enables learners to gain expertise

and practical knowledge on how to deal with different customers and sell their product or

service successfully. Here’s how:

� Ability to convince prospects: You can use an eLearning course that contains problem-based

learning components such as scenarios and case studies to help your sales reps identify the

needs of the customer and tailor their conversations around them.

10

� Ability to upsell and cross-sell: You can use eLearning to train your sales teams on your entire

product portfolio so that are they ready to upsell and cross-sell, when possible.

� Ability to deal with competitor products: You can use mobile-compatible charts and tools

to provide information about products that will help your sales reps highlight the superior

features of your products.

eLearning also helps increase marketing efficiency by showcasing strategies through different

avatars of eLearning like microlearning and mobile learning.

Product Training

Figure 3: Product Training

When a company introduces a new product, there is always a need to train employees on its

features and benefits. Creating a context and setting the stage before introducing the product to

the sales reps is a smart move.

Shifting product training to an online medium like ‘watch, try, do’ simulations to enable learners to

perform in a virtual environment, describing product specifications and functions through demo

videos, rolling out game-based assessments to assess and reinforce their product knowledge,

providing case studies to demonstrate a systematic research of the ‘how’ and why’ of a particular

situation, and using real-life scenarios to address a specific problem or situation faced by

employees can help make it flexible, easy and quick, reducing costs and time and resulting in

greater efficiency and productivity, thereby increased profits.

11

Case Study: Product Training Curriculum for a Biopharma Company

A reputed biopharma major wanted to modernize 11 eLearning courses on one of their

popular products. The legacy courses were:

� Lengthy, with an average duration of 60-90 minutes

� Low on interactivities

� To be upgraded with new content (based on changes to regulatory norms)

Once the courses were updated, the organization also wanted to translate them into Italian,

French, Spanish, and German.

Legacy product training courses were reconfigured into 36 microlearning modules. Articulate

Storyline was the authoring tool of choice as it has several intuitive interactivities (such

as sliders) and the ability to develop responsive courses. Assessments too were modified

transforming them into confidence-based assessments.

Once the English version of each micro module was approved, they were translated into the

four languages – text and audio translation. Finally, separate versions for each language

were created.

Read more: https://www.commlabindia.com/case-studies/product-training-curriculum

12

Compliance Training

The main advantage of online training for compliance and safety is that it can reach employees

all over the world, any time. Organizations can’t afford taking risks with mandatory safety and

compliance training, and classroom training is just not worth it when you have globally dispersed

employees. Online training helps mitigate risk while making learning engaging and interactive.

Figure 4: Compliance Training

Software Training

Figure 5: Software Training

Every organization uses software that caters to its organizational needs and goals. Each

software application has its own interface and modes, with different sets of employees having

different tasks and access privileges in the software.

13

Training with role-based simulations is a highly effective method to take employees through

the exact functionality related to their roles; scenario-based learning helps recreate relatable

situations around their work role, gamified learning helps employees grasp the necessary

knowledge in a simple, fun-filled way; just-in-time learning helps bridge the gap between the

software training and its actual application.

Here’s how we made software training easy for the organization and enjoyable for the learners

through eLearning for one of our clients:

Case Study: Blended Software Training

A leading biopharma company rolling out a new regulatory document management system

(RDMS) across the organization wanted to train employees on the system before it goes live.

They wanted to offer learners:

� Role-based training

� Flexibility to learn in their preferred formats

� Just-in-time support

We developed a blended training format

that included ILT materials, delivery of

classroom training onsite, standalone

eLearning modules, and performance

support in the form of quick reference

guides (QRGs).

For complete details, read the case study:

https://www.commlabindia.com/case-

studies/blended-learning-for-software-

training

14

Levels of eLearning

There are three commonly accepted levels of eLearning that will, in turn, affect the cost,

learning experience, and the time it takes to develop your project. These levels are based on the

interactivity involved, media elements used, and the degree of learner engagement. Let’s take a

look at the 3 levels:

Level 1 (Basic): This is also referred to as the “click next” style of eLearning. It has very little

interactivity and contains more static elements like text and images. Level 1 eLearning courses

are a quick and inexpensive way to deliver simple facts and data through the online learning

medium.

Level 2 (Intermediate): eLearning courses at Level 2 have richer multimedia elements compared

to Level 1, such as audio and video, basic animations and transitions, and quizzes with drag and

drop and matching activities. It, therefore, offers a rich learning experience without too much

development cost.

Level 3 (Complex): At this level, courses become a lot more sophisticated and interactive. They

include extensive usage of multimedia such as simulations, videos, animations, and more. Level

3 eLearning courses are generally developed for advanced topics such as medical training.

15

Blended Learning & eLearning FormatsBlended Learning

Classroom learning alone cannot meet the learning needs of employees in this digital era. Learners

need to have access to learning resources anytime, anywhere. This is where eLearning can

complement classroom training and take training a notch higher. eLearning and its various avatars

in conjunction with classroom training is the best option for any organization. This is what is

known as Blended Learning.

ILT + eLearning + Performance Support = Blended Learning

Figure 6: Blended Learning

Blended learning is the optimal mix of classroom and eLearning, offering learners the best of both

worlds. It provides a comprehensive learning experience that includes the personal touch and

attention of a qualified facilitator of classroom training and the flexibility and ease of eLearning that

caters to different learning styles and preferences of the learner.

16

eLearning and its Avatars

eLearning can take different forms to suit different learning styles and help make learning

engaging. A few popular eLearning avatars are:

Microlearning is a training approach that delivers short bites of learning, each focusing on

a single learning objective. It can be delivered through a variety of assets such as videos,

infographics, quizzes, and podcasts. It can be used standalone or as part of a blend.

Mobile learning definitely means the learner is moving about and not ‘tethered’ physically

to a location or a device. The devices used are wireless, portable, lightweight, electronic,

that are small enough to fit one’s pocket, purse or hand.

Mobile learning offers the flexibility of access with multi-device delivery, shorter duration

leading to higher retention and just-in-time availability, and can serve both as teaching

material as well as performance support.

In situations where a learner needs immediate help to perform his job, you can provide

learners with just-in-time learning. This is where performance support tools come in.

Performance support tools are learning aids designed to provide employees with support

and guidance when at work, such as job-aids, infographics, PDFs and other resources, that

the learners can immediately access and use at their end.

Microlearning

Mobile Learning

Performance Support

17

Blending these forms of eLearning can help your employees beat the forgetting curve and

retain information better, for a longer time. You can combine these eLearning avatars to

come up with a perfect blend that suits your organizational goals and impacts learning

effectiveness positively. (Learning effectiveness is a measure of how learning translates work

into productivity and in turn, business growth.)

According to Forbes, eLearning boosts retention rates by 25% to 60%, against the 8% to 10%

retention with face-to-face training.

18

Benefits and Limitations of eLearningBenefits

One of the major factors that led to the need for eLearning is globalization. With an increasing

number of organizations having their workforce in different geographical locations, training them

the traditional way was found to be time-consuming and costly.

Other factors that led to the popularity and adoption of eLearning were the changing demands of

business, expanding markets, and product proliferation. What it boiled down to is that employees

need to constantly update their knowledge and skills and therefore require training on a continual

basis. Here’s how eLearning helps train your workforce:

Convenient and flexible access

Convenience and flexible access are the key advantages of eLearning in the corporate training

environment. There is anywhere, anytime access available through multiple devices – mobiles,

tablets, laptops, or desktops. This means employees can manage their busy schedules and learn

at their own convenience when they have the maximum focus, energy, and retention capacity.

According to a Brandon Hall study, eLearning typically requires 40% to 60% less employee time

than a traditional classroom session on the same material (Forbes).

Budget-friendly

Designing and developing an eLearning course might require a relatively higher initial investment

when compared to classroom training, but that will be recovered as it can be reused several times.

Additionally, there is cost recovery from the savings on travel, hotel, and other logistic expenses

that classroom training entails, not to mention the cost of employees’ time away from work.

It’s an investment which will save a lot of money. The best part is, eLearning courses can be

reused, scaled up, and updated without much expense or time, providing an extended reach that is

far more than a traditional classroom session.

19

Compatibility with different learning styles

Different employees prefer different learning methods and styles. Some might be able to retain

better through videos, some through PDFs, and others through gamified learning. eLearning

provides freedom of choice of different learning styles to suit different learner requirements.

Measurable results and reporting

Every organization is keen to know how effective their training has been. It is quick and easy to

pull the data you need to measure training effectiveness. An LMS can help you gather information

on course completion rates, assessment grades, and even activities on social media. Also, when

eLearning is deployed through an LMS, it enables employees to collaborate with each other.

In addition to these, eLearning provides other advantages – it enables learning to be self-driven

and self-paced for employees, facilitates collaboration and community building, is environmentally

friendly, and offers learners immediate feedback. eLearning also helps offer standardized,

consistent training to globally dispersed learners.

Limitations

There are a few drawbacks to eLearning that must be discussed. Here are some:

Higher dropout rates: eLearning courses, unless extremely engaging, lead to huge dropout rates

as learners abandon the course mid-way due to lack of interest and personal engagement.

Relatively high initial cost: The initial investment for eLearning is a little on the higher side and

may be an issue for the overall organizational budget. For a small business, the eLearning budget

for the first year may typically be $30,000 - $50,000, while for a Fortune 1000 company, it may be

in the range of $100,000 - $200,000.

Lack of inputs from peers and instructors: Skilled trainers and subject matter experts are at their

very best when interacting with learners. These interactions result in better knowledge transfer

from instructors and better learning in learners. However, this face-to-face interaction is largely

missing in eLearning.

20

Evaluating eLearningYou can evaluate your eLearning program with the tried and tested Kirkpatrick’s model of

evaluation.

Evaluation Level 2: Learning

Evaluation at this level measures the change in learners’ knowledge, skills, or attitude after

training. Exploration at this level is far more challenging and time-consuming compared to

Level 1. The tools and procedures that can be used at this level include:

� Pre and post training exams, interviews, or assessments

� Observation by instructors and peers

Evaluation Level 1: Reaction

This level evaluates how individuals reacted to the training by asking questions. At this

level, each program needs to be assessed to improve for future use. Learners’ responses

at this level also determine how invested they will be in the next learning. The resources or

techniques that can be used at this level include:

� Smiley/Feedback rating sheets

� Interviews, surveys

� Printed/oral reports organizations

21

Evaluation Level 4: Results

Evaluation Level 5: ROI

Level 4 measures the success of the training through factors such as returns on

investments, product quality, production time, and sales quantity.

ROI is a fundamental business measure that describes the success of an initiative in

economic terms. If the return on investment increases after adopting eLearning, it is

deemed to be successful. ROI is generally calculated by monetizing the business impact

gains/result.

ROI = Gain from investment – Cost of investment x100

Cost of investment

Evaluation Level 3: Transfer

This level analyzes changes in workplace behavior post training. This helps assess if the

knowledge and skills taught are being applied.

Testing at this level is challenging since it is generally impossible to anticipate when a

person properly utilizes something he has learned from the program, making it more

difficult to determine how often and exactly how to evaluate a learner post-assessment.

This level of evaluation starts 3-6 months post-training. The assessment resources and

techniques at this level include:

� Surveys and observation by supervisors

� 360° feedback

� Assessments developed under applicable scenarios

22

In-house or Outsource eLearning Development?Whether to develop your custom eLearning courses in-house or outsource it to eLearning vendors

is something that has to be contemplated seriously. To be able to make an informed decision, an

organization needs to be aware of what goes into a typical course development process and its

various components, so that they can see if they have the in-house capability for each component.

The main question that needs to be answered is whether everything is to be outsourced or only

certain aspects. Whether an organization wishes to outsource just a few components across

various phases (like instructional design, course development, translation and localization, or

legacy course conversion), or the entire eLearning depends on factors such as time-to-market and

resource availability.

When an organization does not have learning design capabilities in-house, it is recommended that

they outsource the entire development process across all phases and components.

Pros and Cons of Outsourcing

Before outsourcing eLearning design and development, an organization has to know the pros and

cons of outsourcing.

23

Table 2: Pros and Cons of Outsourcing

Pre-work for Outsourcing

There is some pre-work to be done by organizations before outsourcing that includes:

Setting measurable learning objectives – An ideal learning objective has 3 components: performance, condition, and criteria.

Checking the availability of content – Appropriate and necessary content has to be filtered based on the pre-set learning objectives.

Getting SMEs onboard – Subject Matter Experts are high-value assets who provide and validate content. All efforts must be made to conserve their time.

Costing the project – The cost, duration, levels of interactivity, and translations (if any) have to be determined.

PROS

� Cheaper, faster

� More vendors available

� High data security

� Low cost

CONS

� Working with an external partner can

be difficult (especially an overseas

partner from a different time zone and

culture)

� Quality might be compromised, and

unanticipated delays might occur

� May turn out to be expensive,

especially initially

24

Finding a suitable eLearning vendor-partner is extremely important to develop courses as per

organizational needs and expectations. There has to be complete transparency between the

eLearning vendor and the organization when it comes to the course requirements and budget.

Hiring an experienced eLearning vendor with an impeccable record of developing diverse courses

is the safest and smartest move as they know exactly how to go about the development process.

An eLearning vendor can charge anywhere between $50,000 to $100,000 for the entire range of

services. So, it is important to set up the budgetary parameters. Keeping in mind the final output

of the course and its repeated usage, and the savings on time and other resources, hiring an

eLearning vendor is a smart business move.

There are 3 steps to select the right eLearning vendor:

1 . Shortlist 5-7 vendors from the list of vendors vetted by industry associations such as:

● eLearning Industry

● ATD

● Brandon Hall

● Training Industry

Also, check for their experience, thought leadership, and customer education initiatives.

2 . Evaluate their websites and select the top 3 vendors and assess their understanding of the

subject matter. Ensure the vendor’s core business is eLearning development. Review the

company’s team members. You can ask for resumes of the team members you will be

working with.

3 . Ask for a prototype and carefully evaluate their instructional design (ID) and project

management skills and how well it is aligned with your expectations.

25

Here’s a checklist that can help

What is their expertise in Instructional

Design?

What is their proficiency in

using authoring tools?

Is their project management

process streamlined?

Do they provide additional services

(e.g. translations, LMS)?

Do they have experience in

handling global clients?

26

Cost Parameters for eLearning When it comes to introducing anything in an organization, even the tiniest of things, it all boils

down to the top management asking one question – How much will it cost? Let’s face it, cost is

the most crucial and important element when you consider starting or changing anything in your

business. Here are some of the important factors that determine the cost parameters for

an eLearning program:

The level of interactivity and other elements will also impact the cost parameters of your courses.

Media Elements: As you have already seen,

there are different media elements used for

different eLearning levels. The richness of the

multimedia used in an eLearning course is

directly proportional to its cost.

LMS: To roll out eLearning courses,

you need a Learning Management

System. The LMS is essential to track

learners’ progress and assess them

on their efficiency level. An LMS can

cost you anything from a few dollars

to thousands of dollars depending

on its features. Considering the

requirements related to your LMS is

an important cost parameter.

Duration: The longer the course is,

the more the number of man-hours

that go into it and the higher the

development cost. The duration of the

course is one of the core parameters

that affect the cost of the course

development.

Translations: Outsourcing the translation

requirements of your eLearning courses is a

smart move rather than having it done in-house

as it enhances the quality of the course and

improves your ROI. Outsourcing eLearning

translations might not be very economical but

provides excellent output at the end.

Audio: Audio is another element that affects

cost. Going for a professional voice-over is

going to cost way more than using a few

very basic audio clips for a sound effect (also

available in a few video templates) in an

eLearning course.

27

Recommended Process of Implementation Adopting eLearning is a complex process that needs a thorough examination of different

aspects and criteria before implementation. These steps can prove to be helpful for adopting

eLearning:

Evaluating your readiness

Before taking any big step, an organization has to assess how ready it is, where it stands, and

what other changes need to be done before going for that big step. Only when an organization

is fully equipped and prepared, should it take the risk of taking up that task. Evaluating your

readiness is especially essential in the following arenas, as described by Samantha Chapnick:

a . Content Readiness: Content is the lifeblood of your organization and its readiness will impact

your budget, timeframe, and resources required. To measure your content readiness, you have

to consider a few points:

● How aligned is your current content with the objectives you aim to achieve through the

eLearning program?

● How well is your existing content organized? Does it have a clear outline and learning

objectives?

● Is there a requirement for customization of content?

● How frequently are content changes expected?

b. Technology Readiness: eLearning is built on technology and requires learners to be able to

use the technology on which it is delivered. Identify learners who do not possess the required

skills and provide training on the basic skills, before eLearning is rolled out.

However, ask yourself whether it would be feasible to impart training to these learners, or

whether changes must be made to the eLearning plan itself to accommodate these learners.

28

Technological factors that need to be considered and assessed include:

● Internet connectivity skills to be able to access information online

● Learners’ experience with computer usage

● Familiarity of learners with computer terminology and jargon

c . Stakeholder Readiness: Your stakeholders’ approval is essential for success. Ensure they are

ready for the transition to eLearning. It can include informing them, consulting them to obtain

feedback and comments, conducting a collective enquiry to take their inputs into account, or

empowering them through partnerships and other forms of collaboration.

d . Learner Readiness: This is the core component for the readiness assessment as it is the

learner who makes or breaks the eLearning program. How tech-savvy the learners are, their

prior knowledge of the subject, and their ability to grasp knowledge through a different learning

medium, all these constitute a learner’s readiness for transitioning towards eLearning.

e . SME Readiness: A subject matter expert’s e-readiness depends on various aspects of

infrastructure and technology, the human capital, information security, commitment and

assurance from top management, and the resistance to change to this transition. Evaluating

your SME’s level of readiness for each of these aspects will help you take the necessary

measures to roll out a successful eLearning program.

Implementation Strategies

There is no better way to convince top management on the effectiveness and efficiency of

eLearning than rolling out a pilot project. A pilot project is a small scaled-down version of a fully

functional course that can be used to evaluate the feasibility, duration, cost, and learner acceptance,

and improve upon the design prior to actually rolling it out to your employees.

In other words, it is a trial and error sample project that will help you look at the pros and cons of

that particular model and make changes and improvements where necessary. Rolling out a pilot

project helps set a strong base for the idea of introducing eLearning and helps stakeholders and top

management look at all the relevant aspects in a practical way.

29

There are a few strategies that might help an organization decide on how to go about the process of

eLearning implementation:

Strategy 1: In this strategy, the organization can get learners accustomed to eLearning. In the

process, stakeholders will also collect valuable data about learner experiences that will be invaluable

when scaling up.

The simplest option available is purchasing a catalog course(s) on a generic topic. An organization

can simply purchase licenses of these catalog courses on generic topics which their learners might

find interesting and engaging and roll it out to the workforce. They can even roll out the course only

to a selected group of learners who may be chosen for their openness and enthusiasm to try out

new things.

This will save a lot of time and resources as the course is tested only on a limited group of learners.

This strategy can be implemented without any capital investment and can be used to analyze how

learners are receiving the course and how effective the course is.

Strategy 2: Strategy 2 offers the option of developing one popular course on a company-specific

topic (Mission and Vision, Diversity, or Onboarding) with the help of PowerPoint presentations used

in classroom training and host it on the company’s web server, LMS, or SharePoint. The course can

be published in-house using the free trial option of any standard authoring tool or can be outsourced

to an e-learning vendor.

This step allows the organization to get their feet wet on course design and development,

experience working with internal SMEs and/or external eLearning vendors, and gain insights on

learners’ behavior. It gives an opportunity to evaluate the pros and cons of developing courses in-

house vs. outsourcing.

Strategy 3: The third strategy involves a slightly higher level of exposure where the organization is

considering setting up a Learning Management System. The organization has the option of going

for a cost-effective, free open source LMS like Moodle (the company’s IT department can set up

the basic version of Moodle). Or, if the company is willing to spend US$2500-5000, it can enlist the

services of a MOODLE partner for its set up and support.

30

After setting up the LMS, the organization can go with Strategy 1 or 2 to populate the LMS with

e-learning courses.

Strategy 4: This strategy involves implementing a customized LMS. As this is critical to

performance and involves heavy capital investment (anything from US$50,000 and above), the

organization has to conduct due diligence before implementing this step.

The decision of going for an LMS and eLearning is to be taken only after analyzing all the aspects

involved and after getting all the stakeholders and management onboard. As this strategy involves

heavy monetary investment, it is recommended that the organization goes for strategy 1 or 2 to

initiate the implementation process to get an idea of how and what it takes to roll out eLearning

across the company. However, if the organization decides to invest in a customized LMS, they can

go for Strategy 3.

31

Cost-Benefit AnalysisAs mentioned earlier, the monetary benefits of e-learning are proven beyond doubt, even if

productivity gains are not. Consider this example of a cost-benefit analysis:

Cost of setting up MOODLE: Setting up an open-source LMS like MOODLE is a cost-effective option,

as all the organization needs is an IT team to set up the server and download the open-source LMS

without any cost. You can consider enlisting the assistance of a MOODLE partner who will help you

set up a better, highly configurative version of LMS. The services of a MOODLE partner can cost

about $5000 depending on the customizations required.

Cost of one in-house custom e-learning course: Outsourcing the development of one

30-minute eLearning course with level 2 interactivity will cost around $5000.

Benefits of eLearning in Comparison with Classroom Training

Let’s take the example of a compliance training that takes 8 hours in a classroom. 25 people attend

the training per session, and the total number of employees getting trained is 200.

The costs would approximately be as follows:

Items Units of Measure Cost per unit Total Cost

Participants

Sessions

1 trainer per session

Travel expenses

Stay and Food

Opportunity Cost

Total man-hours spent participants and trainer

Total cost of classroom training

200 employees

8

8 days

200 employees

200 employees

200 employees

$1000

$400

$100

$300

$8000

$80000

$20000

$60000

1664 hours (200×8 + 8×8)

$168000

32

The same training, done through an eLearning course with medium level of interactivity, would

reduce your costs as follows:

Items Units of Measure Cost per unit Total Cost

LMS

Server to host the LMS

Participants and sessions

Stay, food and travel expenses

eLearning outsourcing

Total man-hours spent by SME to build the eLearning

Total cost of eLearning rollout

1 (medium customization)

1 (charged per annum)

Unlimited

Unlimited

3.5 hours

$2500 $2500

$5000 $5000

0 0

0 0

$9000 $31500

60 hours

$39000

and by 200 participants 700 hours

* Expenses for travel, food, and stay are obviously nil in this case.

The total cost savings from eLearning when compared to the classroom training amounted to $129,000 and the total time saved was 904 hours with an additional benefit of being able to

use the eLearning course multiple times!

www.commlabindia.com

Get in Touch

About Us

CommLab India is the most sought-after global leader for its rapid eLearning solutions. It has been

ranked first among top providers of Rapid eLearning and Blended Learning Solutions for 2020 by

eLearning Industry.

With our formidable authoring tools expertise and decades of experience in corporate training

and instructional design, we offer rapid eLearning solutions for speed, scale, and value…with any

authoring tool!

What we do:

� Convert ILT material into instructionally sound, visually appealing, engaging eLearning curriculums, virtual sessions, and other digital learning formats.

� Convert legacy courses developed in Flash or any other authoring tool to HTML5, even without the source files.

� Translate English eLearning courses into 35 international languages – both text and audio.

34

Want to Become an eLearning Champion?

Get it Now

Don’t miss this eBook that is filled with practical insights,

implementation ideas, best practices, and more. Explore how

you can align L&D with corporate strategy to design and deliver

online training programs that will help employees stay current,

competitive, and contribute to your organization’s bottom line in

today’s dynamic business environment.

‘Become an eLearning Champion’, dedicated to learning

professionals, is a distillation of CommLab India’s 20 years’

experience in instructional design, eLearning, corporate training,

and technology-enabled learning.