Companies are increasingly opting for flexible online MBA programs, in order to help their international executives handle their work and business commitments better. Despite e-learning being a relatively recent phenomenon in the corporate world, the cost-efficient and result-effective aspects of computer-based training are no secret.
The most common objections to e-learning are generally that “it does not work; it lacks the personal interaction between students as well as between students and professors; it lacks the quality of on-campus programs and it only works for dry, rote material.” Nearly all studies comparing e-learning with classroom learning show it is as effective, and can deliver the same quality as traditional programs. For companies willing to tackle the tasks involved, e-learning can provide not only a cost-effective method for meeting the training needs of employees, but also an innovative way to strengthen relationships with suppliers and clients, to reach new markets, and even to build a new profit center.
E-learning provides a platform or solution for training, learning, knowledge sharing and networking, that results in an increase of interaction among and between functionally or geographically dispersed departments or business units. Working together, studying the same materials, learning from one another, or striving to reach the same goals, are clear ingredients of an increased sense of belonging, especially for companies that work on many markets across various regions.
There are some good reasons for companies to use e-learning:
Student-Centered Learning: In an online environment, students learn on their own and even teach one another. This has the benefit of increasing employees’ initiative and self-reliance.
Improved Writing Skills: On average, online courses are far more writing-intensive than traditional classes have ever been, since in an online course, general discussions, requests for elaboration or assistance, answers to directed questions, group projects, most assignments, and many tests and quizzes are in written form. There will be a marked improvement in writing skills.
Highly Interactive Discussions: In the online environment, when an instructor posts a question on the discussion board, every student in the class is expected to respond, as many times as possible. Many online students have indicated that this is the first time they have ever “spoken up” in class and that they enjoy the opportunity. Introverted staff benefit significantly from this.
In addition to prompting more discussion, online education fosters a higher-quality discussion. Before students respond to an instructor’s discussion question or to classmates’ posted comments, they can refer to their course materials and think through their answers, without the demands of the immediate anxiety of face-to-face discussion, which often elicits the first response that comes to mind rather than the best possible response. This is one practice every boss is sure to approve of.
The online environment fosters self-motivated education. Students direct their own use of Internet links, search engines, discussion boards, chat, e-mail, and other media. All this self-motivation and self-reliance can only benefit the company.
Enriched Course Material: A high quality, well-constructed, creative online course can expose students to experiences that simulate real-life situations, thus preparing them better than with only theory. World-class resources can be accessed, viewed, and studied 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
On-Demand Interaction and Support Services: Instructors can offer many types of interactive learning aids on their course sites, and interaction with instructors and classmates through e-mail can take place any time, not just during on-campus office hours, with a whole host of campus services available, including registration, academic advising, financial aid information and forms, services for students with disabilities, 24/7 libraries, and online tutoring.
Greater Access to Instructors: Online students frequently engage in a dialogue that would be hard to duplicate in colleges. Online tests and quizzes can be constructed with an automatic grading capability that provides immediate feedback and references to text and class notes that explain the correct answers. Assignments, including grades and editorial comments, can be returned to students more promptly and usually with more detail, allowing the company to monitor their progress as well.
Flexibility: Corporate students are generally unable to commit to a traditional course because of family or work responsibilities. Online learning, however, includes ample opportunities for students to pursue coursework at their own convenience.
Close Community of Learners: It is common for participants in online courses to develop a strong sense of community that enhances the learning process. By extension, the company will benefit from a closely-knit employee base.
A culture of self-development is essential if businesses are to gain advantage from the opportunities available. Informal learning, communities of practice and networked learning will all increase to support the growing number of knowledge workers. E-learning has shown great promise in helping firms to deliver training more cost-effectively. The intangible benefits, particularly associated with more advanced-level training and development, are much more difficult to quantify. In the long term, they may have more impact on business performance than applications aimed at cutting the costs of training.
(Dr. Mukesh Aghi is CEO of Universitas 21 Global, an online graduate business school that has a regional office in Dubai.)