In the July issue of Chief Learning Officer magazine, Cushing Anderson reports some interesting data on the various learning modalities that comprise "blended learning" in organizations (see "Cost and Availability Drive Modality Mix"). The subhead for his article states quite clearly a point I've been making throughout this year in my presentations on how to blend the latest technologies with traditional formal learning, namely that "CLOs are increasingly trying to apply the right delivery option for the content, audience, and environment." (Emphasis mine.)
The data that Anderson reports comes from the latest web-based survey administered by IDC to Chief Learning Officer magazine’s Business Intelligence Board (BIB) on a "variety of topics to gauge the issues, opportunities, and attitudes that make up the diverse role of a senior training executive." This latest survey provides data on "learning modalities and how they are evolving," with nearly 300 BIB respondents sharing their thoughts.
Some key results from the survey include:
- Classroom training represents the delivery option most used, though cost has driven its use down in the past year.
- Both synchronous and asynchronous e-Learning have seen the most rapid growth, in part due to cost savings.
- For many organizations, asynchronous e-Learning has also seen growth because of the increased convenience.
- A significant number of organizations are using formal, on-the-job (OJT) training as a key component of their overall education programs.
- Due to lack of available content and complete technology solutions, portable learning technologies did not gain traction as much as some had anticipated.
- More than 60 percent of CLOs selected the modality for their blended offerings based on the availability of modalities. The value and potential of blended learning continues to be constrained by the availability of content in a variety of modalities.
What training and learning modalities do you have available for your learners, either from internal sources or from your learning partners? Do you have the headaches of dealing with multiple vendors for your learning programs that require different modalities, or do you have a partner that can provide content and support for classroom training, various e-learning modalities, and performance support tools?
— Thomas Stone (Tom_Stone@elementk.com)
Comments