INTRODUCING E-LEARNING 2.0 IN SME
A Practical Guide
Ileana Hamburg
Institut Arbeit und Technik, FH Gelsenkirchen, Munscheidst, 14, 45886 Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Keywords: e-Learning 2.0, SME, Strategies, Guide.
Abstract: e-Learning 2.0 can support corporate training to assure a fast transfer of knowledge by meeting small and
medium sized-companies (SME) needs of flexibility, to be oriented to their business and be easier integrated
into their workflow with a suitable personalized content at a lower cost to the organization. In this paper
after the presentation of some reasons of the low use of e-Learning in European SMEs examples of training
strategies including e-Learning 2.0 for improving this situation and guidelines to use them are given.
1 INTRODUCTION
e-Learning through its flexibility and facility of
access is seen as an enabler of lifelong learning
having the potential to transform how and when
employees learn to satisfy their work and life needs,
as a catalyst of change and integration. It is to be
seen as a chance for small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) to improve their business and to
integrate into the European market, too.
Research carried out in different European and
national studies and projects (Atwell et al., 2003)
shows that there is not much e-Learning going on
SMEs and most of the few activities are of rather
poor quality referring knowledge management. Most
of the aspects presented in this paper are results of
the research work and discussions with experts
carried out in the context of the European project
ARIEL – Analysing and Reporting the
Implementation of e-Learning in Europe
(www.ariel-eu.net), a project within the eLearning
initiative (Beer et al., 2006; Hamburg and Lindecke,
2004, 2005). Within ARIEL 842 e-Learning projects
have been analyzed and results have been structured.
These studies and projects show that the low use
of e-Learning in European SMEs is due also to a
lack of “long-term” vocational strategies including
e-Learning based on qualification needs and on new
technological developments.
In this paper after a presentation of some causes
for low use of e-Learning within European SMEs
and of e-Learning strategies, a practical guide for in-
troducing it in SMEs is given. Particularly the com-
bination of e-Learning with Web 2.0 (e-Learning
2.0) for achieving nowadays expectations of corpo-
rate learning to deliver enterprise services through
the Web and for improving collaboration and
effectiveness of work is recommended. “The
challenge will not be in how to learn, but in how to
use learning to create something more, to communi-
cate.”(Downes, 2005). This guide is in development
in a community of practice within the ongoing e-
Learning project SIMPEL–Improving e-Learning in
SMEs (www.simpel-eu.net). Adapted versions of the
guide for each project partner country will be tested
this year within SMEs from these countries. The
guide can be used by SME managers, responsible
with continuous education, consultants, etc.
(Hamburg and Engert, 2007).
2 EUROPEAN SMES,
E-LEARNING AND THE
USE OF THE WEB 2.0
Small and medium-sized enterprises are socially and
economically important, since they represent 99% of
all enterprises in the EU, provide around 65 million
jobs and contribute to entrepreneurship and innova-
tion.
Significant international social and economic
changes like globalisation, market competition, tech-
nological innovation and, particularly the European
enlargement affect the situation of SMEs.
Many European SMEs have:
448
Hamburg I. (2008).
INTRODUCING E-LEARNING 2.0 IN SME - A Practical Guide.
In Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies, pages 448-451
DOI: 10.5220/0001514204480451
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• difficulties with management missing elements
of knowledge management,
• low transfer of knowledge to improve the
effectiveness of their work tasks,
• not enough knowledge of policies of
communication and cooperation in research and
production.
Also the use of new information and communication
technologies (ICT) for sharing and creating
knowledge and for development (updating) of inno-
vative skills is unsatisfactory.
All these aspects require an improving of corpo-
rate learning to assure a fast transfer of knowledge,
to allow SMEs to meet their needs of flexibility, to
be oriented to their business and be easier integrated
into their workflow with a suitable personalized
content at a lower cost to the organization.
e-Learning 2.0 tools give a natural support for
personal and group informal learning by simplifying
also tasks like research, working and learning in
groups. For example writing in public blogs forces
to think about the corresponding issues. By putting
this out to a community, input from peers and help
from a network of individuals to learn and solve
problems in the future will be received.
e-Learning 2.0 makes an impact also in formal
learning settings and these are particularly useful for
collaborative formal learning. e-Learning 2.0 is ba-
sed on tools that combine creation of content easily
with Web delivery and collaboration. Karrer’s con-
cept of e-Learning 2.0 (http://www.learningcircuits.
org/2007/0707karrer.html) is based on delivery of
content in small pieces over time as part of a large
process which correspond to the needs of SME staff
for a faster learning in the context of their work.
Results of studies and projects show some causes
of the low use of e-Learning (also earlier Versions
e-Learning 1.3 see Table 1) in SMEs:
• Training culture within the SMEs is often
dependent on trainer and conventional training
methods; skills needed for a more independent
approach and the use of new media for learning
are missing. SMEs managers have not enough
knowledge or are not convinced of the
effectiveness of e-Learning.
• The staff has a lack of time and motivation to test
new learning methods.
• There is a lack of “long-term” vocational
strategies for the staff based on deep analysis of
their qualification needs. The most used learning
strategies in SMEs are “learning by doing” and
quickly informal methods.
• Appropriate software and contents for SMEs are
missing. The major part of commercial e-
Learning software is modelled on the require-
ments of big enterprises or higher education and
SMEs can not afford to pay tailor-made
solutions. The existing training offers in support-
ing specific business needs of SMEs are often
inadequate and unattractive. No personalized
training facilities are integrated.
• A continuous cooperation between e-Learning-
developers, -providers (e-Learning market) and
SMEs which could improve this situation is
missing.
Table 1: Generations of e-Learning.
1.0 1.3 2.0
Main
Components
• Coursewa
re
• LMSs
• Authoring
tools
• Reference
hybrids
• LCMSs
• Rapid
authoring
tools
• Wikis
• Social
networking
and
bookmarking
tools
• Blogs
• Add-ins
• Mash-ups
Ownership Top-down,
one-way
Top-down,
collaborativ
e
Bottom-up,
learner-
driven,
peer learning
Developmen
t
time
Long Rapid None
Content
Size
60 minutes 15 minutes 1 minute
Access
Time
Prior
to work
In between
work
During work
Virtual
Meetings
Class Intro,
office hours
Peers, Experts
Delivery At one
time
In many
pieces
When you
need it
Content
access
LMS Email,
Intranet
Search,
RSS feed
Driver ID Learner Worker
Content
creator
ID SME User
One possible solution presented in this paper and
applied in our projects is to involve SMEs and
e-Learning experts in sharing knowledge and in
collaboration within a community of practice
(Wenger et al., 2002; Busse et al., 2007) and to
develop participative training strategies based on
e-Learning 2.0. This form of learning is relatively
new and requires more time to begin it and to take
shape in most SMEs. It is expected that the e-
Learning solutions for SMEs will contain and
combine aspects of each generation.
INTRODUCING E-LEARNING 2.0 IN SME - A Practical Guide
449

3 TRAINING STRATEGIES FOR
SMES BASED ON E-LEARNING
2.0 AND CORRESPONDING
GUIDE
Based on the results of ARIEL and other projects,
the European project SIMPEL started this year
within eLearning initiative (http://www.simpel-
net.eu). It is aimed at improving the e-Learning use
in SMEs by participative development of sustainable
e-Learning based training strategies and models.
These strategies and models will be developed and
disseminated including also good practices in
e-Learning for SMEs. One of the activities within
the project is the organization of workshops and
seminars in all partner countries with representatives
of SMEs, e-Learning developers and providers,
trainers, e-Learning experts, regional authorities and
researchers. The first meetings were used to discuss
different e-Learning based training strategies and for
searching ways to convince SMEs about the
advantages of e-Learning.
Two general strategies for introducing e-Learning to
be followed by the companies discussed on the
German workshop within SIMPEL are the following
(Kerres, 2001; Hamburg, 2007):
a) The strategy of minimal change e.g. introducing
of new media and training concepts should
involve only minimal changes in the structures
and processes of the company. Through a latent
implementation the acceptance of the new media
by trainers will be assured and the staff is
automatically introduced to the new tools and
learning methods.
b) In contrast to the minimal change strategy active
change includes a review of the organisation, its
infrastructure, learning culture and business
strategy as appropriate to the new learning
objectives, concepts and methods.
For more efficiency, strategy b) should be followed.
For reasons of acceptance often the starting point is,
however, strategy a). Actors concerned with the
introduction of e-Learning ought to be conscious of
the fact that the minimal change approach may be
suitable as long as e-Learning is seen as a first
experiment. As soon as a serious commitment is
made to e-Learning any conception has to rest on
active change.
The following aspects are necessary in develop-
ing a strategy for implementing e-Learning, if it is
going to be sustainable:
1. Identification of needs and Objectives of
Training: While this is a truism for most training
practitioners, SMEs very often hit their first
serious barrier already here: Many SMEs do not
have a Human Resource Department or a training
expert to identify exactly the skills of the
employees corresponding to the business
objectives of the company. A need for training is
often recognised only when a particular problem
arises. So the owner of the SMEs should be
helped to do this analysis in the wider context of
business aims and longer term business planning,
before the training process begins.
2. Engaging Employees: The literature suggests
there are many barriers to employees undertaking
e-Learning. Where e-Learning is linked very
closely to day-to-day tasks, this is more success-
ful.
3. Time Factors and Form of Training used: SMEs
staffs are often guided by the daily business pres-
sure and devote little time to learning activities.
So they prefer informal forms of the learning tak-
ing place often on the job through sharing ex-
perience with colleagues about the job tasks.
4. Courses/Learning Content: The most important
subject for training courses in SMEs should be the
“core business” of the company and should refer
to the competencies the staff need for their work
tasks. Other subjects should be norms and pro-
cedures helping SMEs to survive/integrate into
the market. But also management skills, account-
ing and language skills are important to be
learned.
5. Tutor Support for e-Learning and integration of it
with more Traditional Forms of Learning: The
evidence suggests that the learning experience is
better and completion rates are greater where
there is tutor support either face to face, on-line or
over the telephone.
6. Learning Infrastructures: space, time, clime, etc
to support e-Learning.
7. Organisational Perspective, Transfer of Know-
ledge: community of practice, learning groups,
partnerships supported by learning platforms and
special connections have to be developed in order
to strengthen dialogical transfer.
8. Economical Aspects: a business part of the model
should represent economical aspects of the
e-Learning strategy.
9. Quality and (self) Evaluation Criteria:
Quality
criteria have to be established. Evaluation tools
for efficiency and results of the training efforts
WEBIST 2008 - International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies
450

should be developed that can be easily handled
because SMEs lack staff and know-how and do
seldom some evaluation.
The following figure shows the steps for planning,
developing and implementing e-Learning in SMEs.
Concept
Planning
Im plem entation
Evaluation
Starting com pany situation
and need analysis
Figure 1: Steps for introducing e-Learning in SMEs.
Another method we experienced within the project
ARIEL is the scenario building (Schoemaker 1991).
Within SIMPEL we use scenarios in workshops with
SMEs managers, staff and consultants to adopt Web
2.0 and how to combine elements of each e-Learning
generation as part of their daily work. Web 2.0 can
be effectively used in SMEs for management
(planning and formulating for strategies by using
actual information, examples from competitors
through professional bloggs with RSS Feeds, etc.),
marketing (i.e. by using social networks like XING
new clients can be found), production (i.e. to
describe new products/services and to discuss their
content by using Wiki or blogs) and purchase.
4 CONCLUSIONS
In order to work efficiently in new upcoming
contexts, SMEs are required to improve their
learning strategies. e-Learning particularly by using
Web 2.0 can contribute to the achievement of
needed competences for efficient work, can meet the
pronounced needs for flexibility in SMEs, supports
collaboration and personalized learning. It is
important, however, to help SMEs to develop and to
implement such training strategies based particularly
on e-Learning 2.0 because many of them have not
always the resources and knowledge to do this alone.
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