Product Description
Learn how to improve productivity through Internet learning from the founder of the Cisco certification and e-learning programsLearn how to combine e-training, e-communication, and e-assessment to build a successful learning program and increase productivity in the organizationGain from the expertise provided by the founder of the successful Cisco certification ProgramBypass unnecessary trial and error with real-world case studies that show successes and pitfalls en… More >>
The Business Case for E-Learning
Tags: @elearning, Business, Case
#1 by Brenda Wright on March 27, 2010 - 3:15 pm
This book is an easy read, both informational and concise. It may be written for the CxO audience, but anyone who has a vested interest in the success of an eLearning deployment should read this book – cover to cover. The shaded excerpts from Tom Kelly are practical and plain-speaking. His extensive experience and humorous tone clarifies the mystery of balancing a business case with practical tidbits for a successful execution.
I highly recommend this book, for the fundamental messages are still as applicable as they were in 2004 when the book was published. It will definitely stand the test of time and worth your time to read and share with your team.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Todd Keller on March 27, 2010 - 4:20 pm
I have been an opponent of E-Learning for several years after having seen some very poor attempts at deployment and usage of it as a business solution. In many cases it has been less than desirable because of its lack of flexibility and its “dumb” approach that tends to lean more towards fact pushing than to learning. The problems that deterred me are the same issues that have companies running from the technology they should now be embracing. The problem is there wasn’t any good “lessons learned” being shared with the rest of the business world. It was a forbidden topic left to only the training department to discuss how poor it was and always will be. The few people that realized any benefits of it were those that took it on themselves for personal development, many of which in my experience were people that did so due to financial reasons above it being a better alternative.
The reality is that there are many reasons to be using these technologies in today’s environment. This book does an excellent job at showing those lessons learned in such a way that it enables businesses to make a truly informed decision into using e-learning to boost the bottom line. The business community has more capability today than they have in many years to reap substantial benefits from E-Learning than ever before. This book illustrates this in many ways but the best is by exposing the inefficiencies of classroom based training and it’s inflexibilities to fully accommodate the particular needs of the needs within departments and specialties.
Its examples include the sales force being able to concentrate on specific sections of a technology to more accurately and efficiently hone in on a region or area based on its unique needs and demands. The case studies presented are both concise and educational on how to maximize and measure return on investment and focus the business in on what it can do to fully realize the potential.
The need within a company is to enlighten its staff to properly sell, support, and deploy its products. This cannot be done without some form of educational and measurement tools. E-Learning does this in the most efficient manner while also enabling the second most important factor, that of measuring its own effectiveness with trackable progress and known content. Something that is much more difficult with a classroom environment. These efficiencies and measurements alone are worth the price of admission for this book.
I would highly recommend this book to any business leader but also feel it’s best information belongs in the hands of the Mid to Large business sector.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by John Matlock on March 27, 2010 - 6:42 pm
There are so many reasons to believe that E-Learning is going to become a major part of how people learn that it’s unreal.
So far, most of e-learning has been business oriented. Businesses educating their employees is a major expense and is easy to quantify. You can have someone take a course in almost anything from human resources Policies, to transmission repair, to the details on the new life insurance policy you’ve just come out with. And at the end of the course you can ask a few questions and you know the effectiveness of the training immediately. And the business case is also easy to measure. For a few hundred dollars in equipment and communications cost you replace a classroom, a teacher and their administration.
Not far behind are the colleges with distributed campuses. I live in the American west. We have a small branch of a college some hundreds of miles away. A wide range of subjects which cannot generate enough interest for a class to be held here can be taught with this student studying one thing while the one next to her studies something entirely different.
Finally we have become a nation of computer users. That kid playing that video game may not realize it, but he is in training to be able to drive a tank. The Army just needs to make the tank controls match those of the game.
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Professor Donald Mitchell on March 27, 2010 - 6:48 pm
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book because I hadn’t seen anything about the payoff from e-learning. I know that most training has benefits that are hard to document unless you tie the learning into a high payoff program . . . like Six Sigma.
The Business Case for E-Learning exceeded my fuzzy expectations in a number of ways.
First, the book contains lengthy explanations of how Cisco Systems developed its E-Learning program and what the results have been. That alone would have made the book worthwhile.
Second, the authors pull from the cases (both Cisco and nonCisco) to identify what’s needed to make E-Learning a profitable activity. The three key elements are communication (to drive alignment), training (to add new information) and assessment (to see whether the information has been absorbed and applied correctly).
Third, you also find a model for how to develop and test the payoff of such an initiative. That will be essential for those who will need to start small (almost everyone).
Fourth, there are quantifications of the payoffs from the case histories that can be used to both select areas to create e-learning and to document the potential for economic benefits.
Fifth, the book does a superb job of describing how e-learning can make product rollouts much more effective by engaging sales people and partners in rapid and value-adding ways. Anyone who works with an organization that adds lots of new products should definitely read and apply this book.
The book does have some limitations though.
It is often repetitive. You are constantly reminded that Cisco saves $16 for every $1 it spends on e-learning (most of these references come before the part where the savings are documented).
The book often seems to be trying to push Cisco’s products and services.
There are not enough nonCisco cases. Cisco can hire the best people and deploy the best e-learning practices. It’s more valuable to me to learn about mere mortals do in this area. In this regard, small organizations will not find much that is directly aimed at their needs in the cases or discussions.
The book isn’t very well written. It’s more like a series of edited essays on the subject than a book.
But I’m glad I read it . . . and I suspect you will be too.
Rating: 4 / 5
#5 by John Anthony Purdy on March 27, 2010 - 8:56 pm
This book is all about its title: building the BUSINESS case for e-learning.
It turns out that the obvious reasons for doing e-learning are just the ones that lie on the surface. As you read and explore Tom Kelly’s and Nader Nanjiani’s tightly focused book, you’ll learn not only how to build that justification for e-learning on sound business practices, but will be exposed to a number of ancillary reasons for implementing this evolving area of empowering your people.
The book gives solid reasons – with hard, real-world numbers – about why e-learning is rapidly becoming mission critical to businesses of all sizes. Besides the plentiful examples from Cisco Systems, several case studies from other industries and companies are included. When you are finished reading this book, you will be convinced of why now is the time to get serious about implementing e-learning in your organization, and, you’ll pretty much have all the steps and material you need to put a plan into action.
I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 5 / 5