As someone who started off looking for e-learning development partners and ended up building an e-training (not e-learning development*) team in-house, I have seen features of this industry that continue to baffle me.

-          A classroom session is only as good as the instructor. Similarly, an e-learning is only as good as its instruction effectiveness. A bad instructor = bad classroom session. It does not mean classroom training per se is bad. A bad e-learning course is just that. It doesn’t mean e-learning as a media is bad. However, it's often done badly.

-          Which brings me to the way e-learning is often done today- at least, here in India.  You wouldn’t dream of calling a good orator, but who has no clue about the subject (say, Bill Clinton on quantum physics) to deliver a session, would you? Then why do organizations continue to handover their knowledge-based learning to e-learning development companies, who have no clue about the domain? Sure, they have flash coding and instructional design skills. That maps onto Clinton’s looks, charisma and speaking skills. And both beg the same response – So?

We need to distinguish between knowledge based  e-learning and behavior or non-knowledge based e-learning. Examples for each would be, say, a course on currency derivatives and one on Yoga.

The same e-learning methodologies are used for both. That’s not a good idea. If you want a learner to go through the equivalent of one full credit course and pass an exam, you wouldn’t put two bullet points and heavy graphics on each screen, as you’d do for a person learning yoga.

Knowledge based e-learning needs to be done differently. Let’s think back to that great chemistry prof at school. What made us think she’s a great teacher? First, her sheer knowledge – mastery of the subject. And second, how simply and interestingly she was able to explain it to us.

While the second point is relevant to all types of e-learning, the first is critical in a knowledge based program.

And yet, the process followed by, let’s say, a bank is:

1.       We need e-learning. We want to build our own.

2.       Let’s evaluate e-learning companies

3.       Who’ll show us fancy screens which swoosh and do fun stuff (think Clinton in a top-hat).

4.       Let’s  give them the contract.

5.       We also give them a bunch of presentations and documents (Clinton’s given Max Plank’s notes)

6.       We rub our hands and await the “ta-dah!”