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Better Retention
According to the Gartner Group, the retention of
e-learning is twice as high as that of traditional classroom instruction,
at half the cost.10
W.R. Hambrecht & Company reports: "Whereas the average
content retention rate for an instructor-led class is only 58%,
the more intensive e-Learning experience enhances the retention
rate by 25% to 60%." IBM, after rolling out an e-learning program
for managers, found that "participants learned nearly five
times more material without increasing time spent training."11
Several factors account for these surprising results:
- Learning at the learner's pace
In most learning environments, the speed with
which individuals can progress through instruction varies by
factors of three to seven.12
Since e-learners are able to proceed through courses at their
own pace, they are apt to learn the material more thoroughly,
or less likely to become bored.
- More interactivity with the learner
The interactivity typical of e-learning tends
to captivate the learner. It is significantly higher than in
the traditional classroom environment, where a student asks
about .1 questions per hour.13
Studies show that students in e-learning environments can interact
with courseware via question and answer up to 120 times per
hour.
- Comprehension enhanced by graphic representation
According to the American Society for Trainers
and Development (ASTD), "numerous studies have shown that
workers learn faster with multimedia training; they more accurately
recall what they learned over a longer period of time; and they
are better able to transfer what they learned to actual performance."14
- Greater relevance
The high retention of small modules of
e-learning information provided "just in time" in
support of on-the-job activity is attributed its perceived higher
relevance and "digestibility", as compared to lengthier,
traditional, "just-in-case" training. The Research
Institute of America found that, over time, the retention of
knowledge from classroom lectures dissipates, with only 15%
of such knowledge being retained three weeks after the course.15
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