E-Learning Survey
Compiled By Ryann Ellis

Want to know how your company’s e-learning efforts stack up against initiatives in other companies? Learning Circuits's annual e-learning survey provides a snapshot of the landscape.

In October 2001, Learning Circuits published its first ever e-learning survey. This year we asked readers the same questions to gage the impact that technological developments, supplier consolidations, and the economy have had on e-learning efforts inside companies.

What did we find? Contrary to analysts' early predictions of quick and costly adoption of e-learning, Learning Circuits finds that initiatives seem to be inching their way into the development strategies of most companies. However, it's clear that use of e-learning, which LC defines as the delivery of content via the Internet, intranet, extranet, audio, video, satellite broadcast, interactive TV, and CD-ROM, is increasing across the board.

In 2002, all respondents said that they are using or are planning to use e-learning. For example, some five percent of respondents to the 2001 survey said that they weren't employing e-learning, but that number dropped to zero in 2002. Twenty-two percent of respondents were beginning to implement e-learning initiatives this year, which is an increase of eight percent. Most important, 34 percent of readers said that they were already using e-learning, compared to only 26 percent in last year's report.

On the downside, however, the amount of training budgets allocated for e-learning is still in the low range. Indeed, the number of companies that spend less than 10 percent of their budgets on e-learning didn't budge from 40 percent. The 10 to 20 percent range had only a 2 percent decrease, moving from 24 percent in 2001 to 26 percent in 2002. Likewise, the 20 to 30 percent range hovered near 15 percent mark for both years.

Most likely, the lack growth in e-learning allocations is a reaction to the economy--as is everything else. In 2001, 54 percent of respondents said that the economy had no effect on their planned e-learning initiatives, and only 13 percent of respondents had decreased spending. Results to the 2002 survey paint a very different picture, though. Only 43 percent could claim that the economy hadn't made an impact on their budgets, and more than double (28 percent) had to decrease spending.

How will the economy affect e-learning spending for next year? Will the number of respondents using and implementing e-learning continue to grow? Suppliers certainly hope so, but we'll just have to stay tuned for next October's report.

Size of training budget for entire company (in dollars).

ASTD defines e-learning as the delivery of content via the Internet, intranet-extranet, audio and videotape, satellite broadcast, interactive TV, and CD-ROM. What’s your organization’s current involvement in workplace e-learning?

In the first half of 2002, what percentage of your training budget was used for e-learning?

In the first half of 2002, what percentage of the training budget was used for instructor-led training (traditional classroom training)?

In the first half of 2002, what percentage of the training budget was used for blended learning (learning events that combine aspects of online and face-to-face instruction)?

In the first half of 2002, what percentage of the training budget was used for off-the-shelf Web courses?

In the first half of 2002, what percentage of the training budget was used for outsourcing training content?

In the first half of 2002, what percentage of the training budget was used for outsourcing technical support for e-learning?

In the first half of 2002, what effect did the economy have on your planned e-learning initiatives?

Published: October 2002