ERIC Number: EJ909882
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Nov
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1939-5256
EISSN: N/A
Learner Support Requirements for Online Workplace Training in the South African Furniture Industry
MacDonald, Iain S.; Bullen, Mark; Kozak, Robert A.
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, v14 n3 p49-59 Nov 2010
A qualitative research project was conducted to evaluate the suitability of e-learning as a means of delivering training to workplace learners in the South African furniture manufacturing sector. Twenty learners participated in a three-month pilot e-learning course and were monitored throughout. While the study was designed primarily to investigate the effectiveness of various pedagogical techniques in a South African context, the importance of providing adequate support to learners emerged as a critical theme during the research project, and this is the subject of this article. Issues included: poor awareness among learners' superiors, IT staff, and financial managers about the e-learning activities that their employees were involved in; sensitivity about costs incurred by employees in connecting to the Internet; a "hands-off" attitude to online training by human resources staff; and a failure in many cases to set aside adequate study hours for employees. Recommendations for companies undertaking training via e-learning include: performing a cost-benefit analysis of face-to-face versus online training; facilitating clear and timely communication within the organization regarding e-learning activities; and establishing a study plan for each learner with the active involvement of learners' supervisors, IT support specialists, human resources staff, and financial managers. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Electronic Learning, Distance Education, Manufacturing, Workplace Learning, Furniture, Feasibility Studies, Training Methods, Industrial Training, Case Studies, Interviews, Participant Satisfaction, Independent Study, Foreign Countries, Student Needs
Sloan Consortium. P.O. Box 1238, Newburyport, MA 01950. e-mail: publisher@sloanconsortium.org; Web site: http://www.sloanconsortium.org/publications/jaln_main
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A