Although it comes in several different forms, one of the questions that new or prospective clients often ask before beginning a new eLearning development project is “Will I get my money’s worth?”. It’s a fair question. We are all operating in a very tough economic climate these days, and smart decisions about resource allocations can make the difference between flourishing and perishing.
Yes, it is a fair question. And, on the surface, it seems simple enough. Suppose, for example, that I do not know how to use the red-eye correction on my new digital camera (perhaps I don’t even know the feature exists). If could learn to use red-eye correction by taking an eLearning course online, it would seem reasonable to conclude that the training was successful, right?
But what if there is more to the story? Perhaps, I am disappointed with the family photos I’ve taken with my new camera because everyone seems to have “devil eyes.” My friend, who has a different brand of digital camera, tells me that she never has any problem with this. I take a look at her Facebook album and – sure enough – her photos look great! At this point I’m a frustrated and unhappy customer. And I’m a customer who may be wishing that I bought a different product.
Now – would a “How To Use Red-Eye Correction” eLearning module turn me back into a happy customer? A customer who is not only capable of eliminating red-eye, but is also confident in the buying decision I made, and ready to recommend my camera to others? Frankly, I doubt it.
“Will I get my money’s worth?” If I’m the digital camera manufacturer, I might think of red-eye correction as just one more checklist item needed for the inevitable side-by-side comparisons with my competitors. As such, I might see little value in creating eLearning for the new model. And, with little perceived value to gain, the question of value for my training dollar might never be raised. But, throw in an unhappy customer or maybe a whole bunch of unhappy customers. Well that could be different.
My example is somewhat contrived, but I hope that it illustrates my point. “Successful eLearning,” which it surely must be if I am to conclude that it was worth the development cost, is not nearly so simply a concept as we wish it might be. And if “success” is difficult to predict and/or measure, surely a precise, quantitative measure of “return on investment” must be even harder to come by.
So what does one do? Give up? Move forward with eLearning development projects as an act of faith? Conclude that training is little more than a black hole for resources? Absolutely not.
Next time, I’ll give you my “seven-layer cake” recipe for defining, creating, and measuring successful eLearning. In the meantime, I’d like to hear from you. If you’re in the training world, what challenges do you face in getting funding for training development approved? If you are on executive row, how do you evaluate the business worthiness of training projects?