Just Married: E-Learning and Traditional Training A new marriage of sorts is going on these days: that of e-learning and classroom training. In a recent survey conducted by the newsletter Learning Decisions, more than 85 percent of respondents said they will have added some type of "digital surround" to their classroom offerings by March 2002. Digital surrounds are technology features that "surround" a classroom to enhance the learning experience before, during, or after the class.
A full 87 percent of respondents said they use post-course resources such as e-mail access to instructors, or would be using such resources by March 2002. Additional e-learning elements offered or in the works by respondents include online registration (84 percent); online pre-work, such as preparatory readings (80 percent); and online assessment/evaluation (78 percent).
"This is where e-learning is spreading most rapidly through organizations, and where some of the biggest return on investment can be accomplished quickly," says Elliott Masie of the Saratoga Springs, N.Y.-based MASIE Center, which publishes Learning Decisions.
The online survey included 1,360 individuals from a variety of industries.