E-learning expansion brings options to fit smaller budgets
THERE IS A simple problem staring down the e-learning industry: most businesses cannot afford custom-built services that require expensive computer systems and software.
The latest report card shows multinationals, especially those based in the United States, are making use of the technology to enhance worker training and productivity, but smaller businesses have not been as successful.
So, the question remains how can the hundreds of small and medium-sized companies, which make up the bulk of the economy, especially in service-oriented Hong Kong, point and click their way to better human resources?
The solution appears in what is known as off-the-shelf applications, otherwise called ASP models. While custom-built e-learning programmes can be expensive, the kind of thing only big companies such as airlines and international banks can afford, ready-made programmes can be cheap and effective. For example, licensing an e-learning course on how to use Microsoft's Suite of Office products is easy. It will not cost much more for a small company to license the technology on a per-employee basis than it would for a large company.
'Implementing an e-learning system is probably not justified for small- and medium-sized companies because of the initial capital investment costs,' says Lewis Chan, chief executive of Cyberwisdom.net.
'By using an ASP model, companies do not have to invest in all the hardware and software. Instead, they use a pay-per-view style system to study certain subjects. It is one way to promote continuous education.'
There is, however, one catch: most of these off-the-shelf programmes are available only in English.
'Accessing titles in Chinese can be a problem, mainly because of the cultural and linguistic lines that divide Greater China,' Mr Chan says.
The difficulty and cost of translating these programmes into the various formats suitable to regional markets has so far been a big hurdle.
For example, Hong Kong versions of e-learning programmes must be produced in Cantonese with traditional Chinese script. China, on the other hand, needs Mandarin with simplified Chinese, and Taiwan requires a hybrid version, using Mandarin with traditional Chinese script. But more titles are becoming available. Mr Chan says his company has joined US e-learning content producer Netg as the local partner for Hong Kong and China.
Cyberwisdom.net produces customised e-learning programmes, but these generally require complex platforms and data-storage systems, making them cost-efficient for organisations of 100 employees or more.
Mr Chan says the online learning industry has grown up a great deal in the last few years. One changed assumption is the belief that online learning can replace instructor-led classes. Instead, e-learning today is structured around a 'blended approach' that uses online course-ware to facilitate the learning experience.
'In the past companies thought e-learning could replace the real thing. We have since discovered that there is not one solution that will replace everything. Our objective is to enable people to learn more effectively.'
Despite the shift in perspective, many of the original arguments used to support the adoption of the medium still hold water. Most important is the belief that e-learning provides a personalised experience that enables users to log on 'any time, anywhere', and is more cost-effective than sending employees to full-day seminars.
'You can combine the best delivery options to develop human capital in the most efficient manner,' Mr Chan says.
