To e or not to eSuccess Factors for

e-Learning in IT training

Dr. Peter Dern - SVP Corporate University - Software AG

E-Learning and IT: A good couple?

• In IT companies one would expect e-learning to be the natural way of learning.

• I will challenge this statement and illustrate that this is a somewhat simple thinking.

• I will discuss how barrierscan be overcome and giveexamples that worked.

But before we start…

Software AG Foundation

5,400+ Employees Worldwide• 2,900 Consultants• 850 R&D Staff

10,000 Enterprise & Public Sector Customers

Global Leader forProcess & Integration Solutions

Revenue over €1 bn.

Where do I come from?

Software AG at a glance

Corporate University @ Software AG: Main Aspects

Corporate University

Education Strategy

Education Consulting

Content Developmen

t

Brand and Image

University Relations

Education strategy is embedded in corporate strategy and aligned with HR people agenda

CU offers education consulting services to help all LoB’s with their knowledge transfer requirements

University Relations ensure collaboration with universities to build strategic partnerships

CU’s brand and image support the company culture and employee commitment

Education Delivery

CU’s content development services produce target group specific content in time, budget and quality

CU’s education delivery services ensure up-to-date, high quality knowledge transfer to all target groups

Interface to the learner

R&D

Sales Engineers

Product Mgmt.

Cons. Services

Sales

Marketing

Product Mrkt.

Management

Global Support

Content contributors

Employee searching for training

CU@SAG

Some Statistics of CU@SAG

0

10%

20%

30%40% 50% 60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Course Evaluation Feedback Q4 2011

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Num

ber o

f Eve

nts/

Title

s

Offerings per Topic

36128%

81564%

313%

675%

Offerings: Delivery Channel Mix(without SkillSoft)

Classroom

e-Learning

e-Remote

Virtual Classroom

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

Satis

facti

on

Satisfaction per Area

E-Learning and IT: A good couple?

• In IT companies one would expect e-learning to be the natural way of learning.

• There are many obvious reasons…

Why is that?

The obvious reasons…

IT people are affine to e-learning by nature (used to communities, networks, etc.)

IT people are lone fighters(learn best isolated at their preferred pace)

Technical content fits much better to e-learning formats than e.g. soft skills

IT-training is very information-like, not so much skills based

Are just…

Misperceptions!

Content of IT-Training @SAG

SAG develops and delivers IT solutions (software and services) to improve business processes. These require in-depth training.The training content is:

• Unique: Knowledge about new products is only @SAG.

• Complex: SAG provides leading edge technology, which is sophisticated from a learning perspective.

• Short-lived: Technology changes fast, content is outdated very quickly.

Target Groups of IT-Training @SAG

Dev

elop

er

Adm

in

Sal

es

Con

s.

Pre

-Sal

es

Use

r

…

.

• Sales: Have to understand the business value of SAG pro-ducts and solutions

• Pre-Sales, Consulting: Have to know technical details (imple-mentation, configuration)

• Developers, Admins: Have to administer the SAG tools shipped with SAG products

• Users: Need to know how to work with the products

Our various target groups have different requirements:

The Learners Perspective

Consumers of SAG IT training have specific requirements:• They want to learn from real experts: Ask questions – real

time, get answers – also real time• They need to practice: training systems and case studies• They want to benefit from

other participants’ questions• They have no time for home-

work after an event• They need quick & easy

access to information• Actuality of content beats

prettiness of e-learning

Do not Confuse Information and Education

Information

Knowledge

Competence

Unknown

Conscious

Unconscious

• A common mistake is that people confuse information and education.

• Information is on demand, used once and (often) forgotten again

• Knowledge and competencies are at hand without “external storage devices”

• Education should focus on building knowledge and competencies!

• Information should be made accessible as easy as possible (google-like)

Factors Influencing the Learning Method

Risks and Compliance

Aspects

Location- and Time Restrictions

Educational Level of Learners

Amount and Type of Content

Budget

Age of Learners

Cultural Background

Technical CapabilitiesLearning Method

IT Competencies: Ways to Success

e

ILTVCself-paced

e

tutored

sales- web

techTV

C

O

M P E

T E NCY

• Speed: Do not waste time pimping content with costly e-learning production for fast evolving topics.

• Practice: Give IT experts the chance to practice on real systems.• Experts: Provide (real time) experts

support for answers to questions, tips & tricks, and best practice sharing.

• Content: Do not confuse information and education.

• Focus: Create relevant, digestible bits of knowledge. Train skills and competencies.

• Method: Use ILT if systems are complex or shaky and if

attendees are experts.

Best Practice: Tutored e-Learning

TutorSupport

In LMS@SAG Training Systems

E-Content

The question: How to get best of both worlds (e and ILT)?The answer: Tutored e-learning with training systems!

• Provide self-study material in e-format (e.g. voice over ppt)• Make material accessible via LMS• Provide training system access with detailed exercise

descriptions (virtual machines, on demand and on premise)• Use wiki/forums for questions

and answers (alternative:e-mail/phone communicationwith instructors)

Conclusions

• Other than may be expected, in IT companies e-learning is not by definition the natural way of learning.

• Whether or not e-learning is the right approach for a topic depends on “half-life period” of content, complexity of subject, number, age, qualification and geographical distribution of learners, etc.

• Avoid costly conversions to e-learning wherever possible; “good enough” self-study material is often more efficient.

• IF ILT would be the optimal method but is not possible, tutored “e-learning” with training system access is a good option.

AnyQuestions?