Survey report
The survey
This survey was conducted as part of the 2011
Learning and Talent Development survey in January
and February 2011. The questions were distributed to a sample of 11,562 L&TD practitioners in CIPD membership. We received 601 usable responses amounting to a response rate of 3.5% (see the
Learning and Talent Development survey report 2011
Introduction
How is e-learning being used in organisations? What is e-learning being used for? Is this form of learning becoming the normal means of delivery for key learning and development inputs, or is it confined to certain types of activity? In this report we examine the data trends and identify the key factors driving e-learning. Here we look at the use of e-learning in organisations, including what it is used for, what proportion of training it accounts for and which methods of new media/web 2.0 are used to support aspects of learning and development. Finally the effectiveness and benefits of e-learning are assessed. This report will be followed by a major report on the practice of e-learning using key case studies and explaining the trends and evidence on e-learning from a wider perspective. We will follow up with further analysis as we examine the trend from adoption to acceleration of e-learning.
In the report we look at some of the major trends as reported in the e-learning section of our 2011 Learning
and Talent Development survey report. We look at a
whole range of issues and pose some questions about how e-learning is integrated with learning and talent development:
• the incidence of e-learning in organisations • sector and organisation size
• the scope and purpose of e-learning
• the proportion of learning and development activity which practitioners estimate is being delivered by e-learning
• the uptake of e-learning by employees and the levels of e-learning offered
• the reported effectiveness of e-learning
• the extent to which organisations are using social media and mobile learning.
Figure 1: Proportion of organisations using e-learning, by size and sector (%) 0 20 93 86 78 48 63 69 93 75 61 40 Percentage Base: 596
Manufacturing and production Private services Public sector Non-profit Fewer than 49 employees 50–249 employees 250–999 employees 1,000–4,999 employees More than 5,000 employees
60 80 100
Summary of key findings
Growing and set to grow more: accelerating use of e-learning
Overall, three-quarters (78%) of organisations use e-learning. It is particularly common in the public sector (93%) and its use increases with organisation size (Figure 1).1 More than half of organisations (53%) report they have increased their use of e-learning over
the past 12 months. This is part of a general trend whereby organisations are switching to what they perceive to be less costly development approaches. A slightly lower level of e-learning proliferation is evident in manufacturing and production (see CIPD
Learning and Talent Development survey report 2011,
section 1).
Currently focused on compliance? The scope and purpose of e-learning
Our findings suggest that e-learning tends to be focused on particular aspects of learning and development (Figure 2). It is most commonly used for compliance (for example, health and safety, hygiene and data protection), with one-fifth of organisations delivering all their compliance training in this way and a further third delivering more than 50%. E-learning is also commonly used for induction and on-boarding
and technology training. It is less commonly used for language learning, coaching/mentoring and issues such as product development and business development. Here, the important ‘don’t use’ figure is well above 50%, indicating that these forms of learning are not seen as suitable for e-learning. That could change with the proliferation of mobile learning packages around areas such as leadership, creativity and innovation, an issue and trend which we will explore in detail in our forthcoming report.
Figure 2: Purposes e-learning is used for and the proportion of content that is delivered in this way (%)
0 20 4 5 4 6 7 74 67 16 6 5 6 2 2 9 10 10 8 62 59 43 36 31 25 22 16 17 16 23 7 6 27 13 16 17 22 9 76 6 4 3 8 2 7 14 17 34 19 23 22 19 11 1 13 15 12 20 9 19 15 13 12 5 15 17 13 10 2 14 12 9 6 1 40 Percentage Other Compliance (for example health and safety, hygiene, data protection) Induction and on-boarding Technology training Professional development Awareness-raising on workplace and social issues such as diversity, drug and alcohol abuse, etc Basic skills development such as time management Advanced skills such as project management and finance Business development Language learning E-coaching/mentoring Product development training
60 80 100
100% content
More than 50% of content 30–50% of content
Base: 431
10–30% of content Less than 10% of content Don't use
Accelerating towards a tipping point? The time-share trend of e-learning
Although it is commonly used, e-learning currently makes up only a small proportion of the share of total training time in organisations. Two-fifths (42%) of organisations report it makes up less than one-tenth of their total training time and just over a quarter (27%) that it accounts for up to a quarter (11–25%) of their total training time share. Nevertheless, this is about to
change. The use of e-learning is expected to grow towards the 50% tipping point. Nearly one-fifth (19%) of organisations overall report it will account for more than 50% of total training time in one year’s time. All sectors expect that e-learning will increase in use as a proportion of total training time, although, as now, it is predicted to become increasingly common in the private services and public sector (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Proportion of total training time delivered by e-learning now and in one year’s time (%)
26 64 13 34 27 20 6 4 10 20 25 41 12 33 19 56 15 42 27 17 9 5 32 27 19 7 31 6 3 3 35 29 10 6 31 17 10 8 26 28 23 11 20 13 2 37 30 7 0 20 40 Percentage Base: 453 60 80 100 0–10% In a year’s time Manufacturing and production In a year’s time In a year’s time In a year’s time In a year’s time Now Now Now Now Now 11–25% 26–50% More than 50% Don’t know Private services Public sector Voluntary, community and not-for-profit All respondents
Growing uptake but completion and impact are concerns
More than three-fifths (63%) of organisations offer e-learning to the majority (76–100%) of their employees. The figure is lower in the production and manufacturing sector (44%). It appears, however, that many employees either fail to take up the offer or fail to complete the course. This indicates a problem with the embedding and impact of e-learning experiences as opposed to the more traditional types of learning. Only a quarter of organisations report that the majority of employees (76–100%) who are offered e-learning actually complete it. More than a quarter (27%) report that a minority, fewer than 10%, complete e-learning courses. Take-up/completion is particularly poor in the manufacturing and production sector, where nearly half (46%) of organisations report that fewer than 10% of employees complete e-learning courses and fewer than one in ten (9%) of those offered e-learning complete courses. Given that many of these courses are likely to be in critical areas such as health and safety, hygiene and product regulations, better completion rates should be a priority. It is also important that we design better assessment processes, although the technology and interactivity often provide this. Nevertheless, it is important that e-learning is blended with some form of additional activity such as mentoring, project-based learning and other interventions to ensure that e-learning is properly embedded.
Making social media productive: the use of new media/web 2.0 e-learning methods
We explored the proliferation of social media in our 2009 report Web 2.0 and Human Resource
Management: ‘Groundswell’ or hype? However, that
report was written before the advent of microblogging and mobile learning facilitated by smart phones and tablet computers. Nevertheless, it includes issues such as virtual learning environments, audio learning methods such as podcasts and methods such as e-learning. We asked in the survey about the impact of these trends.
Organisations were asked which methods of new media/web 2.0 they have used to support aspects of learning and development. The findings in Figure 4 show that organisations are making use of these technologies, even if for many it is only occasionally. Online virtual learning management systems (23%) and webinars/virtual classrooms (21%) are used frequently or regularly by more than one-fifth of organisations. Blended learning programmes are most commonly used, with more than a third (37%) of organisations reporting they use them frequently or regularly. It’s important that e-learning is enabled by a blend of approaches and, in our view, this seems the best way forward.
Figure 4: Methods of new media/web 2.0 e-learning used to support aspects of learning and development (%)
12 8 15 41 35 29 35 20 12 3 2 3 8 22 18 32 17 48 20 12 8 9 4 3 11 29 19 25 14 17 23 20 23 13 4 7 13 29 17 21 13 22 26 11 19 10 13
Online virtual learning management systems The use of webinars/virtual classrooms Use of learning libraries and wikis The use of audio learning such as podcasts Rapid authoring software E-books Media such as Facebook, YouTube and Linkedin Mobile learning packages designed for smart phones such as the iPhone and Android Windows
Figure 6: General benefits of e-learning (%) 2 2 2 5 6 20 45 23 6 6 43 37 7 7 33 45 10 8 29 42 18 8 25 49 19 6 22 48 22 6 0 20 40 Percentage Base: 458
Value for money Time to competence/proficiency Productivity and efficiency of output Implementation of learning in workplace Learner experience Learner reaction 60 80 100 Excellent Good Adequate Poor
Don’t know/No information Blending both ways: the effectiveness and
experience of e-learning
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents agree that e-learning is a very effective method of supporting learning in the organisation, although three-quarters (77%) believe it is not a substitute for face-to-face or classroom learning. The vast majority (93%) believe it is more effective when combined with other types of learning. More than four-fifths (86%) believe e-learning demands new attitudes on the part of learners. Despite its increase in use, only a quarter agree that e-learning is the most important development in learning and talent development in recent years (Figure 5). One in five organisations (20%) believe e-learning is excellent value for money and a further 45% that it is good value. About half (49%) report that time to competence/proficiency is good or excellent.
Views are less positive with regards to the learner experience and learner reaction, with just over one-fifth of organisations rating these as good or excellent and a similar proportion rating these aspects as poor (see Figure 6). Again, the issue may well be about the blend. Are people being planted in front of a computer with an e-learning programme and expected to self-complete? Is the programme interactive or is it just a matter of inputting answers? If e-learning ends up like a glorified online competency check, its value in energising and enhancing learning will be lost. The promise of using gaming technologies and virtual reality scenarios as well as networked learning is something we explore in the forthcoming report. In our view, appropriate blending of these approaches as well as the use of e-platforms to assist in delivering interventions such as coaching and action learning will be the growth area in e-learning facilitated especially by smart phone technology and cloud computing.
Figure 5: View on the effectiveness of e-learning in supporting, accelerating and developing learning (%)
0 20 40
Percentage Base: 458
E-learning is more effective when combined with other types of learning E-learning demands new attitudes on the part of learners E-learning is not a substitute for face-to-face or classroom learning in my organisation E-learning is a very effective method of supporting learning in the organisation L&TD people are slower when it comes to managing and implementing e-learning compared with IT people E-learning is the most important development in L&TD in recent years
60 80 100
Strongly agree Tend to agree
Neither agree nor disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know 4 4 20 37 29 57 36 4 111 58 8 3 12 41 12 9 21 45 17 14 4 1 22 32 21 15 8 22 29 30 14 2
E-learning is clearly accelerating and set to grow further in organisations. Whether this is as a result of an economic focus on cost reduction is a moot point. It is here and it is staying. The future shape of the workforce and the demand for increased connectivity are all driving the trend towards e-learning. Furthermore, globalisation and the need to scale up impact across a long tail of employees are making e-learning and social media in particular a vital component of capability. The massive increase in global interactions simply cannot be facilitated face to face, and the ‘networkability’ and connectedness of e-learning make it pivotal to the global future of business. E-learning’s collaborative and facilitative potential means that it will be important in the continued transformation of learning and talent in the public sector, exposing people to new experiences and helping to drive issues such as employee
engagement, customer service and communication. The effectiveness gap has to be addressed. E-learning needs to be completed, assessed and evaluated more than currently seems to be the case. The trend towards social media and mobile learning is already generating a step-change in the organisational value of e-learning, and the exciting future landscapes of gaming and virtual worlds promise more. It’s easy for advocates of e-learning to be carried away by hype and novelty, but e-learning is, as our surveys show, no longer novel practice. It is normal practice and its growth will enhance and energise learning and talent development across the board. It is no longer a question of whether we embrace or reject e-learning; it’s how we leverage this critical medium to help people and organisations.
CIPD. (2011) Learning and talent development [online]. Survey report. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/
hr-resources/survey-reports/learning-talent-development-2011.aspx [Accessed 15 June 2011]. MARTIN, G., REDDINGTON, M. and KNEAFSEY, M.B. (2009) Web 2.0 and human resource management:
‘groundswell’ or hype? London: Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development.
We would like to thank firstly our engaged practitioner community for finding the time to complete the survey and contribute to the CIPD’s compelling evidence base. We thank our survey analyst Annette Sinclair for providing another compelling report and our digital marketing team for putting it into a compelling format.
ence: 5577
© Charter
ed Institute of Personnel and Development 2011
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 151 The Broadway London SW19 1JQ
