Comparing perceived effectiveness of e-learning and traditional training in the business environment

The problem addressed by the study was the need to determine whether participants perceive e-learning training as effective as traditional training in a retail business setting. A mixed-methods study was conducted at a sales and service retail organization to determine whether participants perceive e-learning training as an effective method for training in comparison to traditional training. A survey was used during the qualitative phase with the data analyzed using a paired-observations test. No differences were found in the perception of the training effectiveness based on training method. An ANOVA was used to determine whether there were differences between learner types (sales employees and service employees) and perceived training effectiveness, which yielded sufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis that there were no differences between the groups. During the qualitative phase, interviews were used to identify the attributes that enhanced or detracted from e-learning training. After triangulation of the data, the study results indicated the participants demonstrated a preference for traditional training over e-learning training. The convenience of e-learning training with on-demand availability, user controlled training pace, and chunked segments were identified as elements that enhanced the e-learning training method. Commonly identified barriers were not identified as inhibiting the participants. Managers with the ability to implement e-learning training as a cost savings measure should continue to pursue online training while monitoring the acceptance of the training method change and carefully selecting programs that translate into an e-learning format.