Hampshire (UK), June 2007 - Bourne Training, a provider of bespoke eLearning to the corporate and adult education markets, has published the results of "To Buy or To Build", an industry-wide survey to help understand the practitioner's view of eLearning today.
Undertaken over a three-month period, the survey reviewed three areas: How eLearning is currently being used across a range of organisations; the relative benefits of outsourcing development and in-house authoring; and views on eLearning in the future.
The results provide fascinating insight into what's happening in the real world:
Mike Ditchburn, Managing Director of Bourne Training commented, "The overriding message from the survey is that, as the eLearning market moves towards maturity, organisations are becoming more discerning in their buying decisions and more aware of the types of learning interventions available. The mystery of the 'black art' is being unravelled, and there are some fascinating conclusions for suppliers of eLearning".
"More accessible technologies and a greater understanding of the role eLearning plays in the learning mix should, in theory, improve the quality of training and offer greater opportunities", explains Ditchburn.
"However, within this context there are warning bells for training professionals and external providers:
Whilst self authoring can be a powerful solution to some organisational challenges, it is not the only answer. Organisations that use subject matter experts to author their entire eLearning portfolios must ensure they're offering their internal customers 'best value' in terms of creativity, instructional design and learning approaches - it's easy to be left behind in such a dynamic field.
eLearning providers, on the other hand, have had a wake up call - no longer do they have things all their own way; for the first time, customers now have a viable alternative. Suppliers who offer a distinct service proposition and understand the role they play in today's market can thrive. Those who don't will end up becoming a commodity and find they are unable to compete."
The survey illustrates that interesting times lie ahead, with new technologies being embraced on a broad scale. The reasons for consolidation in the supply market are clear, but organisations should be wary of thinking the DIY option is the only way forward. However, the most exciting factor for training professionals is the very real opportunities to improve the effectiveness of the learning that can be offered - and that, after all, is what it's all about.
