In This Issue
	Thank You to our Readers 2003 E-Learning Year in Review Research Subscription Service Coming Soon! Rapid E-Learning Certificate Program Best Practices in Software Application Training

2003 E-Learning Year in Review

E-Learning Overview: A Healthy, Mainstream Market Although most training budgets were down, the percentage of training programs delivered through e-learning grew from 14% to 16%. (Training Magazine, Fall 2003). Clearly companies are turning toward e-learning as a strategic way to reduce training costs, increase reach, and leverage internet investments. Most companies are well past their first e-learning project and working on processes to optimize content development and program management. That said, a significant number are still new to e-learning, so the marketplace is still in its early growth phase. LMS Market: Fragmented, Complex, & Still Evolving Our research continues to show a fragmented and complex marketplace for Learning Management Systems. Although many companies have made their LMS decisions, the market is only about half penetrated, and many companies with LMS systems are already thinking about replacing them. Those companies that do have LMS systems tell us that implementation costs are high. Typically implementation costs are 1.5-2X the initial cost of software. Implementation times run from 9 to 18 months and sometimes longer. In 2003 the ERP players (Peoplesoft, SAP, Oracle, and Siebel) did not make any significant impact in the market. Each has a few customers, but products are still immature products and none have "broken through" to become a leader. Rapid E-Learning is Red Hot The content development market has shifted dramatically this year - from outsourced, consultant- driven content toward internally developed programs. One of the most exciting trends we see in content development is the emergence of a category we call "Rapid E-learning." We define this category as the set of training applications that must be developed in weeks and typically solve problems of information distribution and critical information transfer (Types 1 and 2 in our Four Types of e-learning). Most of these programs are authored in PowerPoint and then published in Flash or via synchronous tools such as Centra, Interwise, and Webex. Macromedia's acquisition of Presedia in January and announced acquisition of eHelp in November show that this market has hit the mainstream. Analytics and Measurement The issue of "how to measure ROI" of training programs continuously comes up. Our research shows that most training departments allocate only a few percent of their budget to measurement and analytics, yet most want to allocate more. The biggest challenge cited is "a lack of tools and methodologies to make measurement easy." We see Training Analytics as a major breakthrough coming slowly to the market. Click here for the full 2003 Year in Review article... »

Rapid E-Learning Certificate Program

In our fast-paced business environment, there are an increasing number of critical business situations that require and immediate response. Simple communication methods are not enough! Knowledge and skills need to be transferred to employees, suppliers and even customers within weeks of major company events. Trigger events may include an acquisition of a company, a product launch, a ruling on a major lawsuit, and many more. In many cases, Rapid E-Learning is the right solution in these situations. Rapid E-Learning is an exciting new category of e-learning that enables you to build powerful, effective e-learning programs in weeks, not months. The premise behind rapid e-learning is that "time to build" and "time to learn" are as important as instructional quality. Bersin & Associates is offering a new blended course and certification on Rapid E-Learning. Our blended approach (online and in-classroom), gives you the opportunity to experience the use of some of the latest rapid e-learning tools and techniques. The classroom sessions will be taught at Training and Online Learning 2004, in Atlanta, March 1-4, 2004 by Jennifer De Vries, a seasoned training technologies veteran with over 15 years of development, launch and management experience. Most recently, Jennifer was responsible for IBM Software Group's e-learning strategy for the Lotus, WebSphere, Tivoli, DB2 and Rational brands. As part of your tuition you will receive a complete pass to the 3- day conference and all special events. If you are a training manager or instructional designer, this is the training event of the year! To learn more and register for this course, click here.... »

Research Subscription Service Coming Soon!

We are preparing to launch an exciting new service for e-learning professionals - the Bersin & Associates E-Learning Research Center. This new subscription-based service is a complete web-based research service with access to research documents, studies, webinars, and experts online. The service will be available early in 2004 on an annual subscription basis and will include monthly case studies, tips & techniques, webinars, and quarterly industry studies on the latest e-learning trends and tools -- all available in a searchable database searchable. In addition, subscribers will have access to our Ask the Experts service, where they can get specific advice and answers to their e-learning questions from our community of e-learning professionals. A special version of our newsletter will make it easy for you to identify new research and topics of interest. We are now looking for beta testers for this new site and service. Beta testers will receive a free 3-month subscription membership, providing access to over 40 studies and articles on the site and the ability to obtain information fon their specific questions from our network of e-learning professionals. If you are interested in participating in the beta test, please contact us. »

Best Practices in Software Application Training

An on-line seminar hosted by Chris Howard and sponsored by Knowledge Impact Providing training is one of the most challenging aspects of any enterprise software project. Often, the quality of the training strategy is the most critical success factor in the deployment of a new business application. Organizations have adopted a variety of on- line and blended strategies for software application training. This on-line seminar will focus on best practices and provide guidance on the role of technology including simulations and on-line meetings. You will also receive an overview of results from the recent Bersin & Associates research report, Application Simulation Tools: What WorksTM. This event will also provide a demonstration of Knowledge Impact's application simulation tool, Firefly. Objectives of this session include: Understand the various types of application training problems and which tools are appropriate for each one Learn how blended strategies can be used to not only conduct roll-outs more rapidly but also enhance user acceptance Identify important characteristics of a successful software training program This informative session, sponsored by Knowledge Impact and featuring guest speaker Chris Howard of Bersin & Associates, will be available on the following dates and times: January 20 at 2:00 PM EST February 3 at 2:00 PM EST February 17 at 2:00 PM EST Click here to register for one of these webinars.... »