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E-learning Readiness: Potential Barriers

Because of the touted cost savings of e-learning programs, it is tempting for organizations to jump right in and implement e learning in their training program. However, one aspect organizations must evaluate so it is not a barrier is the culture for e learning (Aydin & Tasci, 2005;Borotis & Poulymenakou, 2004); that is, the organization's e-learning readiness.

The factors that make up e-learning readiness are varied and numerous, ranging from evaluating the practical (for example, the IT equipment and financial wherewithal) to the intangible (for example, the interpersonal and sociological readiness of the workforce). To assess an organization’s e-learning readiness, Chapnick (2001) developed the e-learning readiness scale as a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from “strongly disagree" to "strongly agree") on the following factors:

· Psychological readiness—the individual's state of mind as it affects the outcome of the e-learning initiative

· Sociological readiness—the interpersonal aspects of the environment in which the program will be implemented

· Environmental readiness—the large-scale forces operating on the stakeholders, both inside and outside the organization

· Human resource readiness—the availability and design of the human support system

· Financial readiness—the budget size and allocation process

· Technological skill (aptitude) readiness—observable and measurable technical competencies

· Equipment readiness—the question of the proper equipment possession

· Content readiness—the subject matter and goals of the instruction

The use of e-learning for training should not be done casually or indifferently (Liu, Gibby, Quiros, & Demps, 2002; Meier & Stormer, 2009;Onguko, Jepchumba, & Gaceri, 2013); in fact, the skills of trainers who use e-learning are so important that recently, the ATD developed a certification specifically for e-learning in instructional design.