Michael Allen's Guide to E-Learning: Building Interactive, Fun, and Effective Learning Programs for Any Company

Considerations

Should you buy this book?

Yes. Neither my publisher nor I are biased on this point. As objective and independent thinkers we’ve come to a unanimous agreement. You should buy it.

Why?

e-Learning represents an opportunity for everyone. Good e-learning is powerful and very much worthwhile, and when design and development expenses are amortized over a number of learners, it can be very inexpensive. If e-learning gets on the right path:

• We’ll have widespread access to learning opportunities that will allow us to pursue activities, interests, careers, and avocations.
• Corporations will have the means to achieve high-quality customer service, increased business flexibility, lower-cost greater-benefit employee support, lower attrition, and improvement everywhere human performance is a key factor.
• World peace? Possibly. It’s tempting to add it to the list, because peace is dependent on understanding, and understanding is a product of learning. There is real potential here, though it’s admittedly a stretch.

You could, of course, claim such objectives for any system of learning you favored, but e-learning has so much potential, practicality, and power, it deserves special attention. Saving training time, cutting instructional costs, ensuring top quality and consistency for all learners in all locations, and offering high-impact instruction in a fun and entertaining manner is the lot of e-learning. This potential isn’t achieved every time, of course—hence this book—but the ...