Managing Human Resources
The use of E-Learning to develop and train people
The following briefing notes will be focused on e-Learning within businesses. It will
concentrate on how it is used to teach and train people, what are the potential usefulness
and also the drawbacks of using online teaching. It will look at some of the internal and
external factors of online learning and what are the costs involved.
E-learning is defined as learning through the use of technology, it involves the process of
providing online courses, videos, webinars, online tests/ exercises etc.
(Dictionary.cambridge.org, 2020)
As described in SoundIdea Temporary Uploads (2016), synchronous is learning together
through the use live chats, live video, webinars etc. It uses previously scheduled session
times, so that everyone can join and participate at the same time. This allows
communication and feedback during the session, leading to discussions and questions
allowing interactive session.
Asynchronous involves already created videos, audios, texts, interactive activities or other
materials, which the participants can access whenever they want, from different places and
different time, so it is self-study style of learning. (SoundIdea Temporary Uploads, 2016)
Blended learning will include both methods, for example theory will be learned at the own
time asynchronously before a certain day, then they can participate in live discussions where
they can discuss with colleagues and trainers. (SoundIdea Temporary Uploads, 2016)
The first advantage of e-learning is the fact that it is time efficient as the delivery of
information, course or training are provided to a large group of people at the same time and
can be accessed from everywhere, making it easily accessible and time efficient for the
trainer and the trainees.(CIPD 2017) It is flexible way to train or teach as you can access it
during your free time and also have a time to study independently. The online learning
process is cheaper way to train and improve the skills of the employees or students, as they
can use different interactive activities and simulative games. (Clover, 2017)
As noted by Banfield, Kay and Royles (2019) the technologies and online courses/activities
will help businesses to respond faster to the changing business conditions and provide
training and teaching in more flexible and efficient way.
On the other hand, there are some disadvantages of E-learning. For example, the
socialisation with others is limited and there is limited interaction with people, which many
slow down the learning process as some people may have questions which cannot be
answered when the learning is asynchronous. The lack of opportunity to ask questions and
receive instant response is a drawback. Also, if there is a problem with the technologies or
the software, people will be unable to complete the course, task or assessment which can
lead delays in the learning process. (Clover, 2017)
Also as mentioned on CIPD (2018) the act of providing digital tools of learning doesn’t
essentially lead to learning and people may not always feel motivated to use these tools and
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The use of E-Learning to develop and train people
The following briefing notes will be focused on e-Learning within businesses. It will
concentrate on how it is used to teach and train people, what are the potential usefulness
and also the drawbacks of using online teaching. It will look at some of the internal and
external factors of online learning and what are the costs involved.
E-learning is defined as learning through the use of technology, it involves the process of
providing online courses, videos, webinars, online tests/ exercises etc.
(Dictionary.cambridge.org, 2020)
As described in SoundIdea Temporary Uploads (2016), synchronous is learning together
through the use live chats, live video, webinars etc. It uses previously scheduled session
times, so that everyone can join and participate at the same time. This allows
communication and feedback during the session, leading to discussions and questions
allowing interactive session.
Asynchronous involves already created videos, audios, texts, interactive activities or other
materials, which the participants can access whenever they want, from different places and
different time, so it is self-study style of learning. (SoundIdea Temporary Uploads, 2016)
Blended learning will include both methods, for example theory will be learned at the own
time asynchronously before a certain day, then they can participate in live discussions where
they can discuss with colleagues and trainers. (SoundIdea Temporary Uploads, 2016)
The first advantage of e-learning is the fact that it is time efficient as the delivery of
information, course or training are provided to a large group of people at the same time and
can be accessed from everywhere, making it easily accessible and time efficient for the
trainer and the trainees.(CIPD 2017) It is flexible way to train or teach as you can access it
during your free time and also have a time to study independently. The online learning
process is cheaper way to train and improve the skills of the employees or students, as they
can use different interactive activities and simulative games. (Clover, 2017)
As noted by Banfield, Kay and Royles (2019) the technologies and online courses/activities
will help businesses to respond faster to the changing business conditions and provide
training and teaching in more flexible and efficient way.
On the other hand, there are some disadvantages of E-learning. For example, the
socialisation with others is limited and there is limited interaction with people, which many
slow down the learning process as some people may have questions which cannot be
answered when the learning is asynchronous. The lack of opportunity to ask questions and
receive instant response is a drawback. Also, if there is a problem with the technologies or
the software, people will be unable to complete the course, task or assessment which can
lead delays in the learning process. (Clover, 2017)
Also as mentioned on CIPD (2018) the act of providing digital tools of learning doesn’t
essentially lead to learning and people may not always feel motivated to use these tools and
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