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Corporate Reliance on e-learning Services Spells Growth for RWD Technologies Inc.

By Kathy Hagood
Brevard Technical Journal

David Metcalf headed a multimedia lab at Kennedy Space Center and helped develop Web-based training technology to educate space program employees in the early- to mid-1990s.

Metcalf then joined the e-learning company Merrimac Interactive Media Corp., which licensed the Web-based training technology from NASA in 1997. Soon the company had clients like Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard and Autodesk. By 1999, Merrimac was purchased by RWD Technologies Inc. of Baltimore, Md., and Metcalf became chief learning officer of the Applied Technology Solutions division on Merritt Island.

The division provides e-learning services to eight of the Fortune 10 companies and 26 of the Fortune 26. Clients with a local presence include Tyco International, Nokia and GlaxoSmithKline.

Metcalf and RWD Technologies' rise in the e-learning industry has paralleled the increasing popularity of Web-based training as an enhancement to traditional employee-training techniques. While e-learning proponents like Metcalf doubt that it will ever fully replace classroom and other traditional instruction methods, they believe e-learning's use will continue to grow.

"Companies have seen how cost-effective e-learning is, especially when they need to train large numbers of employees relatively quickly," Metcalf said.

While large companies continue to increase the amount of Web-based technology they invest in, smaller companies are beginning to join the trend. Educational institutions, including Brevard Community College and Florida Space Research Institute, also are taking advantage of e-learning technologies. That's because awareness of the training alternative's advantages is growing and the costs associated with it are decreasing, said industry guru Elliot Masie. Masie heads The Masie Center, a respected e-learning think tank based in Saratoga Springs, New York.

"Now 95 percent of e-learning is used by companies with more than 1,000 employees, but in 24 months, you'll get a different answer," he said.

Advantages of e-learning include:

• The ability to train large numbers of employees in a short time span
• No need for employee travel
• More flexibility for fitting training into employees' work schedules
• The option of blending e-learning and classroom instruction
• The ability to track the progress of employee training

E-learning is becoming ever more sophisticated, often employing streaming video and flash animations as well as interactive conference discussion boards and chats. E-learning programs now often includes a software infrastructure that tracks employees' progress in training programs.

Harris Corp. of Melbourne has increased its reliance on e-learning for training employees during the past five years, using it to teach everything from company ethics to highly technical procedures.

"There will always be a place for classroom instruction, but e-learning is an important tool for getting the right information to the right people when they need it," said Steve Gilmore, director of organization and management development for Harris Corp.

Harris recently outsourced its Web-based training program to provide its 10,000 employees worldwide with a more comprehensive e-learning system, a virtual learning portal called the Harris Learning Center.

For the same number of training dollars, the new system allows more employees to access more Web-based training courses. It also provides a seek-and-search function that can be used to pull up needed information at any time.

"By outsourcing e-learning we're getting a much better return on our investment," Gilmore said.

Smaller organizations and individuals have benefited from the Web-based Advanced Learning Environment (ALE). ALE is a learning portal created by the Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI), a state agency based at Kennedy Space Center. RWD Technologies developed the infrastructure for the system.

ALE was designed to help educate space program technicians seeking to learn more about space program technology and history. Use of ALE has expanded to include civil air patrol volunteers, teachers, college aerospace students and home-schooled students. The portal's courseware and conference board discussions can be accessed by both individuals and groups for a minimal charge.

"Being able to provide aerospace education to so many different groups was an unintended consequence of developing ALE. We've been pleased to be able to offer ALE to anyone with an interest in learning more about the space program," said Tom Cavanagh, FSRI program manager.

ALE courses include Space Science 1: History and Fundamentals, Space Science 2: Current and Future Applications, Space Science 3: Propulsion Theory and Application, Digital Electronics, Fundamentals of Instrumentation 1, Fundamentals of Instrumentation 2, Introduction to Cryogenics Prototype, Hydrogen Familiarization, Digital Mentoring Program and General Teaching Skills.

Brevard Community College (BCC) offers a wide range of Web-based program through its Virtual Campus. Courses in computer information technology, computer programming, legal assisting and criminal justice are available online.

Instructors enhance the on-line material through conference board discussions and chats.

"Our faculty members work harder when they teach online courses because the students are more demanding. They are just a click away," said Katherine Cobb, president of the Virtual Campus at BCC.

The e-learning courses are attractive to busy students who are juggling work with school and perhaps family responsibilities. BCC's Virtual Campus served about 5,200 students in 2003.

"But the Virtual Campus is not for everyone," Cobb said. "Students have to be self-motivated and self-disciplined to succeed. The on-line courses are just as challenging as those taught in a classroom."

For more information on FSRI's Advanced Learning Environment, visit http://www.space- education.org; on BCC's Virtual Campus, visit http://www.brevard.cc.fl.us/campuses/virtual/; on e-learning in general, visit the American Society for Training & Development Web site at www.astd.org.