e-Learning Blog

Based on my experience of seeing the e-learning content and implementation status of many clients, I would like to introduce three examples of failures. These are all common types of failures.
*However, please note that there are some changes made intentionally to avoid identifying specific clients.

Case Study of Company A: Well-Crafted Educational Materials by Technical Experts!

The accuracy of information and information optimized for e-learning are different.
In this case, the author was familiar with the content of the teaching materials and also provided instruction, but wanted many people to see it, so the amount of information in the teaching materials became enormous. Due to the large number of various annotations and in-depth points, even when viewed as a whole or just one slide, there was too much information and it was difficult to grasp the main points. In addition, the time required for each lesson was well over an hour, making it difficult for people to casually learn. Furthermore, due to the high level of expertise and complexity of the content, without confirmation from the author, it was difficult to even update the content.

Case Study of Company B: Red Light, Not Scary If We All Cross Together

I have repeatedly mentioned in past blogs that a "learning culture" is important, but there are cases where a "non-learning culture" has taken root.
In this case, the participants prioritized their work, and furthermore, since studying during work hours is not permitted by local law, the situation became one of "I just have to finish this quickly." Specifically, they would skip through slides by repeatedly clicking the "Next" button or share answers for the tests among themselves.
The cause lies not with the individuals, but with the organizational culture surrounding them. The proposed measures included setting the "Next button to be unclickable immediately" and implementing "randomized questions". If operations are tightened under these conditions, the image of e-learning will worsen, and both content understanding and learning effectiveness will not improve. A vicious cycle occurs, leading to a situation where there is a tendency to "tighten the rules further" and "invite backlash"... creating a spiral of problems.

C Company Case Study: The Purpose is to Create

When belonging to an organization, following decisions and orders from superiors tends to become the top priority. While this is certainly important, it can lead to forgetting the need to review plans and the original objectives.
In this case, adhering to the schedule and the secured budget took precedence, and the original goals such as "sales representatives understanding the differences between products A, B, and C and being able to propose the appropriate products to customers" were neglected. Additionally, implementation purposes and goals (business impact) such as "increasing the success rate of negotiations by X%" and "increasing operating profit by X%" were not set.
By proceeding with production as is, who, when, and where the learning materials are for was not sufficiently considered, and the reason why the materials are necessary was not shared with stakeholders. Despite the emergence of technical and quality issues during development, as well as the timing for reconsidering deadlines, only superficial improvements were made, and no fundamental review of the plan was conducted. As mentioned earlier, these goals were not properly communicated to the learners, leading to confusion among participants and insufficient results.

Company A has issues with content creators, Company B has issues with learning environment, and Company C has issues with objectives and goals. The degree and scope may vary, but this is a situation that is happening in many e-learning companies. Even if the quality of the content is good, it will not lead to success. It can be said that it is important to consider the awareness and recognition of the creators, as well as the design and environment for the learners.

After reading the above three examples, some of you may have an idea of what it takes to succeed. However, the success of e-learning depends on small differences such as existing organizational culture, environment, and individual attributes, so there is no definitive answer.