Claire Schooley

eLearning is still new and organizations must reach out to employees and encourage them to try learning online. This takes much more than a company-wide e-mail. The training, human resources, IT and marketing departments must work together using the expertise of each department to craft unified messages that draw employees in to look at this new way of learning. Once they are there and interested, the first experience with e-learning must be a good one so that these new learners see value and get immediate satisfaction. Telling future students about e-learning, giving them orientation-type sessions and hosting tryout times with staff there to help answer questions are essential parts of any e-learning solution. If these efforts at marketing and smoothing the road to a new kind of learning are not done, there will be low attendance at programs and apparent lack of interest, which may send the message that e-learning is not working, whereas the real reason is that students have not been prepared adequately for the experience. Don’t let this lack of preparation jeopardize the e-learning program. People need encouragement to try something new, so use as many enticements as possible to draw them in.

Try one or more of the following to get employees involved in e-learning:

• Make sure there are no barriers to success. Equipment and the network should all function well. A policy should be in place for scheduling time for learning into each person’s day. Scheduling time for learning needs to carry value to learner success in company.
• The CEO or a top executive must kick off the e-learning launch by talking about the reasons the company is embracing e-learning. This commitment from the top is crucial in making employees take the movement to e-learning seriously.
• Use existing teacher-led classes to introduce e-learning. Conduct demonstrations in the classes and answer questions about the e-learning program. These instructor-led classes can also be used to get people started in their learning. Employees may have the option of taking their first course in a classroom setting with instructors around for assistance.
• Hold monthly events at lunchtime or other appropriate times to talk about e-learning, additional resources on the site or on the Web or any new courses, and to answer questions and moderate discussions. Organizations should advertise a different topic for discussion each month.
• Have an education day, with e-learning highlighted as one of the learning opportunities available via the intranet or Internet along with other learning activities offered by the organization.
• Advertise in employee communications media and publications. Feature e-learning "champions," new courses, success stories, e-learning statistics, etc.
• Honor those who complete "the first course," "the first learning module," "the first certification," etc. At the end of a set time period, all employees who have taken a certain amount of learning, made special efforts to help others in their learning, etc. might receive a special T-shirt, movie tickets, gift certificates, etc.

The most important thing to remember is that if the program is well designed, offers the right material and is publicized well, it will take off through word-of-mouth among the employees — the best marketing technique there is. The challenge for most organizations is to get a good program in place that meets learner needs and then help employees make the cultural change in the way they learn.