E-Learning: Gaining Business Value Through Six Sigma

Clomedia.com Editor - 1/2/04

As its use in organizations increases, e-learning is evolving from being a new initiative to becoming just another business process. Much of this paradigm shift is being driven by businesses that are moving away from envisioning the potential of e-learnin

This changing dynamic poses an intriguing challenge for learning professionals, many of whom have never been required to use business metrics to quantify the success of their training programs. This maturing vision of e-learning is forcing training decision-makers to move away from proprietary training rituals and reporting to more conventional or mainstream business practices where quality programs and process improvement initiatives are the norm. This article will explore how applying Six Sigma methodology to e-learning will enable those overseeing online learning programs to use the correct metrics to gauge the success of e-learning programs and to present these metrics in a language that the CFO or CEO can understand.

The Current State
Practically all e-learning is currently developed using Instructional System Design (ISD) or some variation. The effectiveness of these programs is normally assessed from a pure training point of view, using Kirkpatrick’s four levels of evaluation. In this model the Level 1 feedback, along with attendance, the number of employees trained or the number of courses available, tends to be what is communicated to senior management. A benchmarking study of e-learning providers (performed by the Depository Trust & Clearing Corp., or DTCC) indicated that the most popular data reported to senior management about e-learning included:

The number of employees registered for learning management systems.
The number of courses that the companies had available.
Scores on level-two evaluations.

This study included practitioners from a variety of industries, including financial services, manufacturing and insurance.

This type of information, while popular with e-learning professionals, does not necessarily reflect what is important from a business perspective, and may in fact be one of the reasons that training managers often have difficulty communicating the effectiveness of training to business leaders. A good example of how there can be a disconnect between what training professionals think is important and what businesses really care about might best be illustrated by examining the dynamics of harassment training.