ABSTRACT
E-learning – or rather the cumulative experience of applying information and communications technology to training and education – has taught some valuable lessons. The most successful implementations of e-learning, where there have been measurable improvements in learning effectiveness and savings in training costs, have been concentrated in four industries: information technology (IT) itself, telecommunications, financial services and large consulting groups. The single most important factor in the success of any learning activity is the motivation of the learner. Learning programmes that depend entirely on the motivation and self-discipline of the individual only really work for highly motivated, disciplined people. The commonest fallacy about learning is that it is essentially about the transfer of knowledge from teacher to learner. Cutting costs is a perfectly legitimate reason for trying new approaches to learning and the single most important driver in the adoption of e-learning in corporate markets.
