The e-Learning impact

www.syzygal.com

Innovative solutions for modern businesses

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It’s reasonable to say that the performance of an

organisation is largely dependent on its intellectual

capital. That is, the skills, knowledge and experience of its

workforce. Maintaining and improving this performance

creates a major challenge for organisations as the value of

intellectual capital declines over time. This obsolescence is

caused by:

• Changing industry practices, norms and standards

• Legislative, regulatory and social change

• Rapid technological development, change and use

• Increasingly complex and diverse business

environments

• Vast amounts of new data and information from

alternative and emerging sources

• Staff engagement and employee churn and turnover

It’s essential that organisations develop learning strategies

to ensure staff skills, knowledge and experience remain

relevant and valuable. E-learning can play a significant

role in organisational learning strategies and have a major

impact on organisational performance. In 2009 a meta-

analysis study conducted on behalf of the US Department

of Education suggested that e-learning may provide an

enhanced benefit over traditional models. In other words

they found that people learn more through e-learning, and

faster.

Used in a strategic plan and deployed creatively,

e-learning supports collaborative learning by connecting

people together and building learning networks. These

communities of practice promote knowledge sharing as an

integral part of business activity and an important means of

creating a competitive advantage.

It has often been difficult to quantify the positive benefits

of e-learning to the organisation. Cost savings have been

easier to prove, and so many organisations have tended to

build the business case for e-learning around how much the

organisation would save by using web-based delivery.

This focus is perhaps the result of training’s traditional place

within the business landscape. Historically, it has been

viewed as a less than vital expense which in hard times

would be the first budget to be shaved. This view seems

to be shifting as organisations realise the importance of

keeping their workforce up to date in such a fast-changing

business environment. Researchers at Cardiff University

have found out that in the recent recession training budgets

in the UK have not been slashed; instead, more value is being

squeezed out with organisations turning to ‘smarter training’

options, including e-learning (BBC News, 9 February 2011).

Employees now are used to instant access to information via

sources such as internet search engines, on-line information

stores and social media. The idea of waiting weeks or months

for their slot to learn about a new development or process

does not meet their expectations – they need something to

help them do their jobs now.

Of course, taking cost out of training delivery is in itself

a powerful thing. It allows the rollout of programmes

previously too expensive to contemplate, particularly on a

global scale. But cost-cutting is far from being the whole

story. Instead, it represents an immediate operational

benefit, just one element which sits within a process of an

ever more integrated and strategic appreciation of the role

of e-learning.

Growing intellectual capital

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The Syzygal e-Learning portal The personal and organisational

benefits of e-Learning have widely

been accepted as strategically

advantageous and unique style of

learning. Commonly understood

benefits include: lower cost for

the learning experience, including

reduced indirect costs – no travel,

hotel, time out of the office; speedy delivery as the course starts when

required and can pause, re-start

and take a break to suit the learners

schedule; arguably more effective than traditional learning as the

learner can review and revise as many

times as they wish to be sure they’ve

understood the content; it supports the learning process by keeping a track

of what modules have completed,

constantly confirms knowledge

retention by interactive quizzing

and even provides a virtual tutor to

answer those tricky questions. If all

those benefits aren’t enough it even

helps contribute to the corporate

responsibility policy by significantly

lowering the environmental impact

of training events and knowledge

campaigns.

Syzygal’s eLearning courses are

designed to deliver accelerated

learning for those who may not have

the ability to attend a traditional,

classroom-style training course. All

Syzygal’s eLearning courses are

developed with the learner at the

centre. The courses deliver a solid focus

on the subject matter, use absorption

techniques to drive home key

learning points, consolidate gained

knowledge by interactive design and

gamification, and finally tests the

learners’ knowledge throughout. The

system includes a communications

portal that helps to build learning

communities and provides easy

access to subject matter experts who

can answer any question, give further

support or provide reference points

for additional learning. As a complete

system the Syzygal eLearning portal

delivers a comprehensive learning

experience, prepares learners for

formal certification and can deliver a

significant impact on organisational

training strategy.

Syzygal’s global accreditations

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Compressed learning

Business benefits of e-learning

There are many documented case studies which show peo-

ple generally learn faster through interactive learning. These

suggest that learning compression is achieved because:

• Learners can go at their own pace, not at the pace of

the slowest in the group

• Often, time is spent on questions or topics introduced

by other delegates, unrelated to the learners needs

• It takes less time to start and wind up a learning session

• Less travel time to and from the event

• Learners can skip elements of a programme that are

not relevant to their needs

• Some concepts are explained more easily and quickly

using computer based instruction than would tradi-

tionally be done in a classroom. For example, an ani-

mation or video of a process taking place allows an in-

dividual learner to pause or replay the action as many

times as they wish

• The presentation of content in online material tends to

be more concise than classroom delivery. Content is

edited and honed down to the minimum necessary,

whereas face to face delivery is inevitably more verbose

Most reports show these factors can add up to an average

saving of 35-45% on learners time when a course is deliv-

ered as e-learning. Of course there are some training cours-

es that provide better learning results through traditional,

classroom methods, but for commodity subjects at founda-

tion and intermediate levels it would seem that e-learning

conclusively delivers a higher compression rate of learning.

The performance of an organisation is dependent on its intellectual capital; the skills, knowledge and experience of its workforce. Maintaining and improving this performance creates a major challenge...

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Syzygal professional training helps career focused individuals differentiate them-selves and build suc-cessful careers.

Is e-learning faster?At a time when change is faster than ever a key advantage

of e-learning is that it has faster delivery cycle times than

traditional classroom-based instruction. There is a practical

limitation on how fast learning can be rolled out with class-

room-based instruction, as the capacity to deliver learning is

limited by the number of available classrooms and trainers.

• British Telecom delivered e-business training to 23,000

employees in three months, at a cost of £5.9 million,

compared to £17.8 million and a five-year time span for

classroom training (Taylor, 2002).

• A nine-year survey of the research literature in training

published by Fletcher and Tobias in ‘Training and Re-

training’, commissioned by the American Psychological

Society, and published in 2000, concluded that: ‘Learn-

ers learn more using computer-based instruction than

they do with conventional ways of teaching, as meas-

ured by higher post-treatment test scores.’

• Specific studies from Fletcher (1999), Kulik (1994),

Willett, Yamashita & Anderson (1983) all confirm that

learners learn more using computer-based instruction

than they do through traditional classroom methods.

• Brandon Hall (2001) notes that the learning most suited

to e-learning conversion includes information, knowl-

edge, processes and procedures. This report noted

that learning gains have been found in: learners’ atti-

tudes toward the e-learning format; learners’ scores on

tests, certifications or other evaluations; the number

of learners who pass exams; learners’ ability to apply

new knowledge on the job; and, long-term retention

of information.

The emergence of mobile devices and the social web has

added a new dimension to the e-learning experience. Em-

ployees are used to instant access; the idea of waiting weeks

or months no longer meets their expectations.

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THEORY

ABSORB CONSOLIDATE

TEST

TACT

TheoryDelivering focusedknowledge with innovative methods

TestingMeasurement and

learning through testingconfirmation of

ConsolidateFun and interesting

learning utilising interactive methods

AbsorbPlacing students inreal-world scenarioswith hands on scope

TACT is Syzygal’s pro-prietary methodology for developing courses and courseware

As part of doctoral research,

Syzygal has developed a unique

approach to developing and de-

signing professional education

courses and courseware. Rather

than utilising tired and over-used

methods such as working straight

from a syllabus, Syzygal decided to

research the key elements of effec-

tive learning. What we found was

that although dynamic and flexible

delivery methods were essential to

the overall experience for students,

it was the approach to content for-

mulation and positioning that was

critical to maximising learning up-

take and knowledge retention.

The THEORY of a subject is obvi-

ously critical to success, but ensur-

ing it is positioned in contextual

alignment is the pay-off. We then

ensure students ABSORB the the-

ory by placing them in real-world

scenarios and role-plays, ensuring

the theory connects to practical

application. To support this we

CONSOLIDATE the learning by

using innovative games and ex-

ercises to further develop under-

standing and retention. Finally

we ensure TESTING takes place

throughout training events which

prepares the student to take their

formal certification.

The TACT approach

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Value is at the heart of our business; the Syzygal Business Values Model

encapsulates everything we believe value should deliver

Your improvement partnerSyzygal is a training and consulting organisation based out

of the United Kingdom with a global reach. Specialising in

IT Service Management, Enterprise Governance, IT Security

Management and Project Management, we currently have

a presence on four continents and collectively through our

team of specialist consultants have more than 180 years

practical knowledge and experience in our fields of exper-

tise. We currently have offices in London and the United

Arab Emirates; with associate offices in Jordan, Saudi Arabia,

Kenya, the United States and Canada.

Our focus is on supporting and promoting world-renowned,

industry recognised frameworks and standards. With a

global reach we can provide your organisation with innova-

tive solutions to help you navigate your business to tangible

and measurable improvements through direct consultancy

engagements or training and education services.

Syzygal’s founding partners wanted to build a business that

supported real change for our clients. Having seen the pow-

er that properly implanted best practices could have on a

business they were passionate to share that knowledge and

help businesses adopt successful practices that ultimately

empowered IT organisations to deliver better results and

support corporate goals and objectives. With some corpo-

rate giants on our client list we have already established a

reputation for quality, high standards and excellence in de-

livery; below are just a few of our clients:

Your improvement partnerenabling knowledge alignment

Syzygal EuropeKemp HouseLondon

Syzygal ArabiaSilicon OasisDubai

www.syzygal.cominfo@syzygal.com