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MARCELA PEREZ DE ALONSO
"The other E in e-learning"
ASTD TechKnowledge 2005
Las Vegas, Nevada
January 30-February 4, 2005
© Copyright 2005 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P
All rights reserved. Do not use without written permission from HP.
Thank you very much. It's good to be here with you today.
I hope the past few days have been very enlightening to everyone, and in keeping with the theme of this conference, I am going to talk with you today about e-learning.
I'm going to talk about where I believe learning has been, and where it is going. I'll also offer you some insights into what we at HP are doing in this very important field for our employees, for our customers and for our partners.
The role of technology and e-learning
I want to start off by saying that the E in e-learning is really a nonissue. The truth is, the application of technology to the growing field of learning has become widely known and readily accepted. Sometimes I think the idea of always referencing the E is the equivalent of saying "Please turn on the electric lights" - as if there could be another energy source for the lighting in the room.
But that's not to say that downplaying technology in e-learning reduces its importance. There's no question that technology represents a driving force behind the success of students, employees and professionals. And we're seeing evidence of its effective application everywhere - from employee orientation to career development, and in education at all levels.
Transformation is under way
Today, we're experiencing tremendous growth in learning technologies because they offer both individuals and organizations the potential to greatly enhance performance. Obviously, many factors are contributing to this growth, but one of the most prominent reasons is the fundamental transformation that's taking place in how information and content are both provided and consumed. The transformation that I am referring to is one in which every physical process and all analog content is rapidly becoming digital, mobile, virtual and personal, and the evidence of this change is everywhere.
Take photography, for example. How many of you own digital cameras?
I happen to enjoy photography myself, and I think it represents one of the most striking examples of how the digital and physical worlds are rapidly beginning to merge. Today, digital cameras are fast becoming the preferred means of taking pictures. And it's not limited to cameras in the traditional sense - many cell phones can take pictures as well. You can also send pictures to friends and family by e-mail, or print them off at home with the same quality results offered by a photo lab. All of this adds up to the transformation of an analog, physical process into one that is digital, mobile, virtual and personal.
This trend is also having a profound effect on the processes of learning and training, as the trend shifts away from traditional analog methods in favor of the time, cost and flexibility that e-learning offers.
At HP for example, when we merged with Compaq in 2002, we essentially doubled our employee base. And one of the many challenges we faced in that process was the ability to assess the skills and capabilities of our marketing department. We knew that we had a very talented team of people who would be instrumental in driving the marketing efforts of the new company, but we didn't have a clear sense of their collective strengths or areas to improve. As a result, we wanted to be able to offer marketing employees the opportunities to both determine their strengths and enhance their capabilities.
To address these challenges, we partnered with Dartmouth College and their Tuck School of Business, and provided employees with an online marketing course which provided participants with some of the best examples of what e-learning has to offer, from computer-based training to real-world business simulations to case studies to coursework - in which students could apply a minimum or maximum level of focus.
While all of many of these features and benefits are available to a certain degree through traditional learning, I believe that they are much easier to leverage and apply through e-learning. Learners gain flexibility and control by being able to learn at their pace, any time and any where - translating into improved performance. And based on that fact, I guess you could say that the E here could stand for enhanced learning.
Simulations are an important approach in how we train our customers as well. For example, our recently introduced High Performance IT Service Management simulation is a fun, exciting and highly interactive method of learning the basics of IT best practices in service management.
We have found that using this simulation accelerates the "aha" factor in helping customers grasp concepts faster than in a standard classroom, as you'll see in this video.
[ Video plays ]
Collaborative learning
Switching gears slightly, collaborative learning is another capability within e-learning that involves the use of networks to conduct live, online classes that are controlled by an instructor or facilitator, who can provide content in the form of text and images as well as audiovisual either by phone or over a web portal.
And an excellent example of how collaborative learning is being applied at HP is in our HP Virtual Classroom, which is a web-based capability that provides up to 2,200 participants with a rich environment for effective, interactive online training and collaboration events from anywhere in the world.
It also offers all the advantages of live interaction - but without the need for travel. And it enables people to share documents, whiteboards, PowerPoint presentations, and other applications, as well as the ability to conduct Q&A, polling and more.
During the time before the merger had actually closed, we were faced with planning the integration of both companies - which in itself was a significant challenge, when you consider that it was the largest integration effort in the history of the IT industry. But what made this challenge even more difficult was that we had to accelerate the timeline for completing the integration of both companies from three years, to only 24 months. So, you can imagine…
The integration process involved 900 HP and Compaq employees who held an average of 50 meetings per week. Under the old model for meetings on this scale, the cost of providing travel for 20 people per meeting amounted to approximately $1,000 per person and totaled $20,000 per meeting. Clearly, this was not the most cost-effective way to have meetings!
As an alternative, we turned to the HP Virtual Classroom, which not only allowed for shorter, yet more frequent meetings, but it ultimately achieved $50 million in cost savings for the company.
Another example of our application of the HP Virtual Classroom was when we had to prepare the entire HP management team to execute the company's first Focal Point Review, which is the employee evaluation process. This effort required the training of 20,000 managers in 57 countries around the world to use a new performance management system, a new salary system and a new stock option program.
Under the old approach, a two-day, face-to-face class for this many people would have cost the company $23 million and taken 9 to 12 months to complete. However, by using the HP Virtual Classroom, we managed to train all 20,000 managers over a five-week period, at a cost of just $500,000 - which is a far cry from $23 million!
Without question, we've found the HP Virtual Classroom so effective in building capabilities that we have made it an important part of our service to customers and partners as well - because it allows people to communicate, train and collaborate with a worldwide audience quickly and easily.
Content management
Now, let's talk about content management. I believe that success in e-learning depends closely on effective content management. This is because, in order to be successful, learners must be challenged enough to maintain their interest.
The fact is, we all live in a very fast-paced world, and people aren't willing to waste time. So, to counter the "drop-out" threat, the content must effectively engage the learner throughout the course. We need to use a variety of learning techniques, such as the ones I described earlier in the Tuck example.
If anything, I believe that when the content for e-learning is fine-tuned to the specific needs of the learner, we can apply a new E in e-learning, in terms of effectiveness.
Effective learning that is applied and embraced across the entire organization has many benefits that we've already discussed. But when learning solutions are ineffective, corporations, schools and related institutions will incur not only greater costs but also decreased performance. And in today's fiercely competitive business environment, no one can afford sub-par performance - which is exactly why we have so much to gain with e-learning.
When you look back on the fundamental processes of training and education, technology has done more to improve these processes within a 20-year time period than we as a civilization have experienced since the invention of the printing press. So another E we can add to our discussion is evolutionary. Today, we just have to look back at how far we have come and see the results on a daily basis. Those of us who are directly involved with learning and training are thrilled at the prospects of this new world.
To go back to the point I made earlier, the electronic aspect of e-learning is simply a component - just like a blackboard, or a lecture or a case study. Taken separately, each of these components can effectively deliver information, but actual learning can be limited. It is only when these tools are applied with other forms of teaching and information sharing that true learning can be achieved.
Obviously, there is always room for improvement, but there is no denying that we have made some very significant strides when you consider that learning - whether it is at the school, corporate or institutional level - has evolved from a state that was previously defined by a host of rigid and well-defined processes into a wealth of unique opportunities that offer some of the best possible means of education.
Existing challenges
On the other hand, while all of these options are very appealing and offer tremendous potential, the truth is that widespread adoption of e-learning still faces some significant challenges - from both the perspectives of organizations and individuals alike. As a result, the means of accessing information and resources for developing new skills must be easily attainable - anything less will not be acceptable.
At the same time - but from a different perspective - there remains a significant gap on a global scale between the haves and have-nots in terms of access to information. At HP, we refer to this gap as the "digital divide," and for this category of individuals, there is a clear need to not only establish the means to access content and information, but provide opportunities that can educate and train them rapidly and effectively as well.
At HP, we recognize the needs of this very important group, and we are actively working to provide them the tools they need through a program called i-Community. I-communities exist in various locations around the world and are designed to help develop opportunities and unlock potential in underserved communities by investing money, equipment and people to help these communities set - and achieve - their goals.
From an organizational standpoint, companies are faced with driving the benefits of e-learning at a time when return on investment, tight budget constraints and rapid development expectations have become standard operating procedure.
Globalization
At HP, we are focused on meeting the developmental needs of 150,000 employees in 176 countries, and to help us in this effort, we have implemented a global enterprise learning management system that is tailored to accommodate the variety of needs, learning preferences and business circumstances in each region HP operates in.
And the global capabilities are particularly important for us, as well as for many other organizations around the world. This is because globalization as a concept is one that is growing in concert with technology, and as a result, the need to be able to work, learn and communicate without the barriers of distance or language is greater than ever. And once again, technology makes all of this possible.
The future
Essentially, the capabilities offered through innovative programs like the HP Virtual Classroom represent just a small sample of what lies in store for the future of e-learning as a whole. And when you stop and consider the amount of progress that has been made within a considerably short period of time, the capabilities and opportunities for learners and organizations alike will only continue to expand.
However, there will also be the need for training and development departments to become accountable, because demonstrating a return on investment has now become the rule, rather than the exception. And the best way of demonstrating accountability is by using metrics and other methods not only to establish benchmarks to assess the overall effectiveness of learning but also to highlight the contribution of learning to performance improvement.
Another trend that I envision will be the need for e-learning to be embraced across the entire organization, and not just in pockets. Because, if support remains sporadic, so will investment considerations for additional training and development funding opportunities.
In 2004, HP's investment and commitment to learning resulted in approximately 6 million hours of training, or an average of 40 hours of training per employee for the year. These figures are not just the results of investment in learning, but of a carefully balanced plan to meet the business-critical program needs across all our businesses.
Clearly, engagement is everything, and this is one of the most vital factors to consider going forward. It also represents yet another E in e-learning.
With respect to the official E in e-learning, the prominence of technology will remain vital, as will its role as the enabler of e-learning. And as e-learning continues to grow, the need for learners to be qualified to use the technology will grow with it.
I also believe that the overall concept of learning will evolve from the tangible opportunity it represents today into more of an ongoing distribution of knowledge and development that is controlled by the learner. This gives us yet another E: empowerment.
Today, as we experience a world where greater numbers of learners want to be connected and have access to the right information, I also want to emphasize that such growth doesn't suggest that we're in the midst of a total departure from conventional learning. Quite frankly, when you want to change attitudes or behavior, there is no substitute for the experiences of physical presence and face-to-face interaction.
The same mindset can be applied to the importance of instructors or facilitators. While time, budgets and other constraints may suggest alternatives, there will always be a need for the human element. That's not to say that the skills required to lead or facilitate learning won't change, because the critical skills necessary for success in this "blended world" will focus more on mentoring and coaching than on training in the traditional sense.
Closing
Without question, technology will continue to complement learning, and the scope of its many benefits will by no means be limited to improvements in cost-effective delivery of training. Rather, the benefits will truly be realized by the ability of both entities to enhance professional development and improve performance at an individual level, while driving and supporting organizational transformation and operational excellence.
So, with all of this being said, where does that leave today's e-learner? It leaves them enhanced, effective, evolving, engaged, and empowered.
Thank you.
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