Abstract:
Technological advancements such as the growth of the Internet provide opportunities for learning that are hard to resist. As technology continues to change at a rapid pace, e-learning has become an important priority of corporate education. E-learning is evolving as a way to train and enhance employee value by combining different learning styles and varying delivery systems to create the best learning experience possible. One specific discipline of interest to this study is the growth of e-learning in healthcare education. Much like other sectors of the economy, the amount of online instruction for healthcare professionals has increased dramatically, but research examining the effectiveness has lagged behind. This study was conducted in response to the need for research in the effectiveness of e-learning in healthcare training and the transfer of knowledge to the workplace. This case study examined how e-learning was developed, implemented, and evaluated in three different healthcare-related companies. The final goal was to identify how corporations determine the effectiveness of their programs and the transfer of knowledge to the job. This study followed a qualitative research design and more specifically, it was designed as a collective case study (Stake, 1995). The results of the study indicate that in order to improve individual and organizational performance, evaluation and measurement must be essential components of the training process. There is a need for the development of uniform measurements to track the connections between learning, employee performance, and profitability. The data from this study can be used to help guide companies and organizations in the development of future e-learning initiatives and standards. The study also illuminates the need for a comprehensive e-learning evaluation model.
