collective experience and overall satis-
faction with the methodology varies—
some have been greatly satisfied with
impressive performance improvements,
while others are utterly disappointed by
the overall experience and lack of tangi-
ble results.
Why the variance? More often than
not, it’s due to implementation. To illus-
trate, consider a recent study conducted
by Corporate University Exchange where
70 percent of 4,158 online learners
dropped out before completing the pro-
gram. If we are comfortable correlating
dropout data with satisfaction, these
learners were pretty dissatisfied.
Conversely, according to a recent
ASTD/Masie Center report, well-im-
plemented e-learning will obtain a more
than 80 percent acceptance by learners.
Again, if we feel at ease correlating ac-
ceptance with satisfaction, effectively
implemented
e-learning
achieves
learner satisfaction and ultimately con-
tributes to the successful attainment of
performance results.
Fundamentals
While there are numerous considera-
tions in ensuring an effective e-learning
implementation (see sidebar “Be Prepared:
The Action Plan”), the importance of lay-
ing a strong foundation cannot be over-
looked. Two of the most important
fundamentals include: 1) aligning and
communicating expectations and 2) ad-
dressing IT issues and needs.
Aligning and Communicating
Expectations
Assuming your organization has done
its homework and has determined to its sat-
isfaction that e-learning is the appropriate
method for the task, one of the first funda-
mentals to tackle is to make sure every-
one’s expectations are in sync. According
to Hank Kearney, senior director of Pro-
cessing Services at Independence Blue
Cross, “When some people hear the men-
tion of e-learning, they instantly worry that
trainers will be replaced. Others might
have had an earlier experience with e-
learning that was less than satisfactory,
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Implementing an e-learning initiative
can be very rewarding…and equally
tricky if you’ve never launche