Contsum.Com - E-Learning Trend

8/14/2019 Contsum.Com - E-Learning Trend

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Using Business Book Summaries assing Business Book Summaries as a Tr A BusinessSummaries ® BusinessSummaries ® E-Learning Solution White Paper -Learning Solution White Paper

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A highly competitive global environment, free trade, and constantly changing market needs and

wants has created the growing need for highly skilled people in the workplace. This has challengedbusinesses to look at better ways to improve the efficiency of their human capital. Both private andpublic organizations are realigning, reengineering, retooling, redefining, redesigning, rethinking,resizing, retrofitting, repositioning, renewing and reinventing themselves to meet the demands of anincreasingly demanding customer base (Neilson, 1997). Thus, organizations that will not be able tocontinuously upgrade their competitiveness will be swept from the marketplace (Martin, 1996).Companies are therefore, under tremendous pressure to enhance the knowledge and the skills of theiremployees and workers.

Learning, indeed, has become the most important activity in the present knowledge based economy.However, while companies recognize that people can be leveraged to create and sustaindifferentiation in a highly competitive environment, nonetheless there is still much prudence andvigilance in spending for employee training. In this respect, the market has opened up to innovativeinformation and communication technology as an enabler to new, relatively more inexpensivelearning platforms. One such emerging solution is the web-based electronic learning or E-Learning,which others refer to as electronic training or E-training. The term e-learningrefers to the employmentof new technologies for learning purposes. E-learning allows a focus on the development of flexiblemechanisms forthe delivery of learning content (Henry 2001).

E-learning has spurred a trend of convergence and integration of various technologies that allowopportunities for the globalization of new learning practices. One of these technological innovationsis the convergence of book reading and the Internet. In this scenario, the global connectivity offeredby the Internet and the availability of innovative information and communication technology arecatalysts to a new Internet-based learning paradigm that offers a great opportunity for companies toeducate and train their management andstaff.

Business book summaries as an e-learning solution capitalizes on this new learning platform andaddresses the need for more cost-efficient training while continuing to develop more productiveemployeesand harnessingtheir skills. The effective useof book summaries provides theuser learner access to a comprehensive collection of easy to read instructional content best suited to one'slearning goals and needs. The learning content ranges from function-related, skill enhancingprinciplesand livebusiness insights andcases to light-read, inspiring, motivational lifestories.

Using book summaries as a learning tool provides a solution that keeps employees informed of thelatest business insights and concepts, providing them with vital information that may likely provide for a sustainable advantage over competition. This happens while not taking the employee away fromwork at all.

It was not until the 1990s that Chief Executive Officers began to recognize the value of leveraging onintellectual capital and companies started talking about knowledge management. As CEOs realizethat the success of a business and its competitive advantage have shifted from physical goods tohuman capital, they began to take active interest in the kind of knowledge available in theorganization,how it is being used andmaximizedas well as enhanced.

Notwithstanding, it was about the same period that networked computers have made it possible tocodify, store, access and share information more easily and economically than before. Thus, paving

Abstract

A BusinessSummaries ® BusinessSummaries ® E-Learning Solution White Paper -Learning Solution White Paper

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Background



10 Things That Keep CEOs Awake by Elizabeth Coffey0 Things That KeepCEOs Awake by Elizabeth Coffey

the wayformarket acceptance of online learningor e-learning. Unfortunately, until recently there hasbeen much debate about the overall effectiveness and costs of e-learning versus traditionalclassroom learning.

In the knowledge economy, survival of companies depends on its sensitivity and alertness to theenvironment, capability to adapt to fast change, continuously learning and rapid transformation.Many realize that the Internet is one of the most transforming inventions in human history. It has thecapabilityto change thewaypeoplework, learn andplay. Aworldwide survey of 500large companiescarried out jointlyby theEconomist Intelligence Unit and BoozAllen andHamilton,a consultancy firm,found that more than 90% of senior executives and top managers believe that the Internet willtransformthe global marketplace. One of such transformations that will be introduced by the Internetis the way people learn, which relates to the investment in human ware, perceived to be the oil of the21 century (Kamel, 2002).

The global connectivity of the Internet, its ability to rapidly deliver and store vast amounts of educational content, and the availability of new generations of hardware and software applicationsare factors that have contributed in fueling the new e-Learning paradigm (Alavi, Yoo and Vogel,1997). Respectively, time and distance are not anymore deterrents to education and learningbecause various courses can be delivered to students' desktops anytime, anywhere, throughinstructor-led or self-paced learning mechanisms (El Koishery and Elazhary 2001). Harasim (1990)summarized the characteristics of online courses as place and time independent, allows many-to-many communication that fosters real collaborative learning and dependence on text-basedcommunications to promote thoughtful and reflective commentary. Further, E-learning can beprovided through theuseof a variety of web-based instruction systems.

According to the International Data Corporation, the future of e-Training looks extremely bright withexpected worldwide revenues beyond 23 billion US dollars by 2004, which is extraordinaryconsidering the market, was less than 2 billion US dollars at yearend 1999. IDC estimates that by2005 over 27% of business skills training content will be provided by E-learning, representing acompound annualgrowth rate of 108.2%over a five-yearperiod.

Despite the bullish projections, there continues to be a number of challenges and hurdles that E-learning mustsurmount.

Today, much of the major challenge faced by E-learning has to do with efficiency of content. E-learning content is expected to play a major role in the success of E-learning applications.

Presently, among the gaps in content include:

Failure to acknowledge user needs.Many E-learning applications focus on the kind and designof technology, never mind if it does not deliver effective instruction and a user-friendly E-learning experience.Blatant disregard for user-needed training content as well as user-friendly instructional designand interface

Absence of a feedback mechanism. Quite a numberof E-learning providersare inflexible;

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Bullish Outlook for E-Learning Remainsullish Outlook for E-Learning Remains


Key Challenges and Recent Developmentsey Challenges and Recent Developments

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insist on acceptance of canned learning programs that have becomeineffectiveover time indelivering on instructional goals.

Information overload. Online learners hate going through voluminous information that is notmeaningful or relevant to them. They prefer to cut the chase and move directly to the data theyneed or the vital information being shared. This is because they do not have the luxury of timenordo they wish to have anyunnecessary distractions. Absence of motivation to do E-learning. Some e-learning providers fail to explain the benefitsbehind e-learning i.e. skills enhancement and professional development for the individual andgreater productivity and lesser training costs for the organization, among others. This is thereasonwhyE-learningin many companies take a backseat while organizationsthat do have e-learningfail to get thecritical mass in user numbers to sustain theprogram.Perceived premium cost. Some potential clients are under the impression that e-learningprograms are expensive and carry a premium over traditional classroom learning or company-mounted in-house seminars.Othersbelieve that additional capital expense is needed that mayinclude thepurchase of a serverand a customizeduser interfaceprotocol.

Despite the barriers posed by detractors to the system, supporters of e-learning indicate a growingmarket and use for e-learning applications. One of the indicators is the new trend of chunking dataonline that has found growing marketacceptance.

Business book summaries as an E-learning tool recognizes the value of bringing vital information inchunked form to online users as part of a greater advocacy to help harness and leverage the humancapital while propelling E-learning growth. It provides instructional content made available via a self-service Web-based interface. The learning program allows significant amounts of learning content tobe delivered to the web while users choose data that they need, only when they need it. Thus,speeding up the transfer of knowledge.

Below are thereasons whytheuse of book summaries helps harness knowledgecapital.

Yearly, about 2,000 books are published in the United States alone whichis a lotof reading just to stayupdated. Unfortunately, business people do not have the luxury of time to go through thousands of reading material with more than a hundred pages each. The downside without reading, one maymiss a fresh insight on ideas that can possibly propel one's business to success. Book summariesallow readers to pore over the best ideas and concepts without taking too much of their time. 8 to 12page book summariesprovide users an option to technically read more books at anypoint in time.

E-learning through business book summaries allows one to enhance skills and training with as muchfreedom to assess content anywhere and anytime when one has more dispensable energy, zeal andopenness to learn.

The use of business summaries allows one to navigate through data that one needs. There is often adeluge of information that comes with canned traditional classroom learning and public seminars aswell as some E-learning content. Reading business book summaries gives the learner the option tonavigate through content that one feels is more relevant and meaningful to oneself. This avoids

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Vitalbusiness insights in chunk data

LearningConvenience OwnTime andPlace

Personalized andcustomized E-learning

Why Business Book Summaries For E-Learninghy Business Book Summaries For E-Learning

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information overload and helps the learner immediately assess how new learning can be applied topresent or futurework or lifeexperience.

Business book summaries as an E-learning tool provides opportunities for professional developmentand new job skills that can only enhance employee motivation. A comprehensive collection of learning content allow learners to explore other functional disciplines and master in principle other functional knowledge, hence preparing them for possible job transfers or assignments in cross-functional jobs.

Likewise, business book summaries has a selection of content that is life-inspiring and motivatingthus, enabling employees to maintain a betterattitude towards work and life.

Business book summaries enhances the benefits of E-learning. There is no need to set up a physicalenvironment on or off-company site, no need for travel arrangements, no need to disassociate theemployee from work at designated days and times; and no need to spend on training manuals, trainer fees and logistics costs. Direct and indirect costs attributed to training are minimized as the learner sets the pace, time and venue of learning often, with only a computer monitor and screen and minimalintranet or Internet investment.

The use of business book summaries for training provides speed in transfer of knowledge. Traditionalclassroom learning requires days to set up and demands companies to appropriate a designateddate, time and venue for training. Until then, transfer of knowledge is deferred. Business booksummaries allows learners to access content immediately and apply learning as needed, whenever andwherever and in lessthan thirtyminutes foreach summary

The learner is as much a part of designing the learning content and environment. Because the user has the freedom to choose content that addresses one's learning goals, the learner is more likely tolearn more accurately, retain the insights longer in memory and is better able to use what has beenlearned to improve workperformance.

Because the learner is driven by learning goals and chooses the content based on one's learningobjectives and needs, learning is much more focused and personalized, confined to what the learner actually needs and wants to learn thus, reducing training hours. Moreover, readingBusinessSummaries®is a learning application that does not take more than 30 minutes.

Business book summaries avoids the esoteric language and uses instead, language that is engagingand simple,meant to help the learner understand. Likewise,visualsor graphics used aim to enhanceandnotdistract from meaningful information andinsights.

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E-Learning throughbusinessbook summariesmotivatesemployees

E-learning throughbusinessbook summaries is cost-efficient

E-learning throughbusinessbook summaries allows speedin Transfer of Knowledge

E-learning throughbook summariespermits greater User Involvement and retention

E-learning throughbusinessbook summariesreduces timespent on training

E-learning through business book summaries uses understandable, effectiveCommunication

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E-learning throughbusinessbook summariesprovidesa feedback mechanism

E-learning through business book summaries cultivates and sustains a learningenvironment

E-learning through business book summaries allows students to learn from actual

businessgurus as opposed to invisible instructors

Business book summaries aims to foster a productive learning environment and respects thelearner's role in the environment. A feedback mechanism is provided to ensure quality of learningdelivery.

Because access to e-learning can be anytime, anywhere barring any need for a physical classroomand expensive logistics support and reading book summaries take no more than thirty minutes for each learning material, education becomes continuous. Thus, allowing the organization's knowledgecapital to be harnessedat all times.

Business book summaries uses content from books written by the most-respected leaders of variousindustries. Unlike other e-learning programs that utilize content written by andwriters, the learner is most oftenaware of thecredentials andcredibility of thebusiness book author.

Alavi, M., Yoo, Y. and Vogel, D. (1997)., Academy of Management Journal (40:6).

Berge, Z.L. and Smith, D. L. (2000).Distance Learning Technologies;

Issues, Trends and Opportunities. Edited by Linda Lau. Idea Group Publishing, Hershey.

Deitel, H. M. and Recter, P. (2000). . Edited by Paul J.Deitel. Prentice Hall, New York.

Docent, Inc. (2000). Fortune. 5:15

El Kosheiry, A. and Elazhary, M. (2001). .Information Technology in Egypt: Challenges and Impact. Proceedings of the BITWorldConference, Cairo, Egypt 4-6 June

Harasim, L. M. (1990). Online Education: Perspectives on a new environment. Praeger: NewYork, USA

Henry, P. (2001). Education + Training. 43 (4,5):pp. 249-255

Kamel, S. (2000). Distance Learning Technologies:Issues, Trends and Opportunities. Edited by Linda Lau. Idea Group Publishing, Hershey.

Kamel, S. (2000).

invisible faceless

Using Information Technology To Add Value ToManagemeng Education

Implementing Corporate Distance Training Using ChangeManagement, Strategic Planning and Project Management.

E-business and E-commerce for Managers

Online Learning.

E-Learning versus Traditional Education for Adults

E-Learning Technology, Content and Services.

The Web as a Learning Environment for Kids.

The Role of Virtual Organizations In Post Graduate Education In Egypt: The

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References



Case of the Regional IT Institute in Felix B. Tan (ed).

A New Way To Learn?

Cybercorp: The New Business Revolution.

Developing A Learning Environment: Applying Technology and TQM toDistance Learning in Mehdi Khosrowpour (ed.).

Collaborative Technologies and Organizational Learning.

Cases on Global IT Applications andManagement: Successes and Pitfalls, Idea Group Publishing and Information Science Publishing,

Hershey.

Khirallah, D. R. (March, 2002). ( ).

Martin, J. (1996). Amacam: New York.

Mitchell, A. C. (2002).Web-Based Instructional Learning, IRM Press,

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Neilson, R. (1997). Idea GroupPublishing, Hershey

www.informationweek.com

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Published by BusinessSummaries, Building 3005 Unit 258, 4440 NW 73rd Ave., Miami Florida 33166 ©2003BusinessSummaries All rights reserved. No part of this summary may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without priornotice of BusinessSummaries.com.For more information, pleasevisit http://www.bizsum.com.

Published by BusinessSummaries, Building 3005 Unit 258, 4440 NW 73rd Ave., Miami Florida 33166 ©2003BusinessSummaries All rights reserved. No part of this summary may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without priornotice of BusinessSummaries.com.For more information, pleasevisit http://www.bizsum.com.

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