Knowledge Management

Training cannot be reduced to a written document or automated exam. While online courseware is frequently a major part of e-learning, it is seldom the sole component of successful training initiatives.

The purpose of training is to increase the skills and knowledge of the people being trained. The training may be required for corporate or legal reasons, may be provided as an optional path for employees to extend their skills, or may be used as an ongoing, always-available resource for staff members to use in solving common issues or problems. Fundamentally, however, the end goal is always the same: to impart knowledge to an individual, and to do so as effectively and efficiently as possible.

But what is knowledge, in a corporate environment or any other? Can all information needed to completely understand a corporate task, philosophy, or practice be reduced to a simple course, one that will meet the needs of every learner, fully explain all potential points raised, and answer every potential question a learner has?

The answer, in almost every situation, is no. No course, manual, or textbook can comprehensively address any but the most simplistic topics; there is a great deal of staff knowledge that can only be imparted on on individualized basis, in response to specific questions a specific user has in relation to their own unique circumstances. Human interaction is therefore a necessity of successful online training. Access to an instructor that can guide the training process is essential, as is a methodology for continuing the learner's education, i.e. providing them the resources to maintain their knowledge after the initial training session.

Among the approaches that will be used by successful e-learning initiatives:

• Interaction with "expert" instructors that can lead discussions, answer questions, and elaborate on issues raised, both during and after the initial training session. more...


• Inclusion of any and all related documents or other materials that related to the subject matter being taught, so that they are available to any learner at any time. more...


• Dynamic, customizable coursework, so that learners may be focused upon only the issues most relevant to their particular needs, or follow the customized training "path" that they personally find the most effective. more...


• Complete, inclusive analysis of aggregated learner performance within the e-learning environment, so that consistently unsuccessful portions of a course can be easily identified and reworked as necessary. more...


• Complete, inclusive analysis of a single learner's performance within the e-learning environment, so that problem areas for a given learner can be identified and acted upon in the next phases of that learner's training. more...


• "Follow-up" access to the resources of the training environment, so that they may be reviewed at any time after the initial training session. more...