E-learning: A no-brainer?

Writing about yet another Australian organisation adopting e-learning, I have to ask the question: Have the benefits of e-learning made it a no-brainer for most organisations?

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources (DITR) seems to think so. They've become the latest to follow major e-learning deployments by Tabcorp and Bond University.

DITR is not taking a half-hearted approach, either. The new system will serve 300 users and offer a range of course materials.

Many companies at this time of year will be considering staff training programs for 2007. Consider what e-learning offers.

For starters, staff don't need to go offsite to participate in their training day. They can even stay at home. Over time, when your company is sending different people to different courses at different places, this could really pay off in reduced time and hassle.

Secondly, HR can monitor staff attendance, or interaction, with the presentation. They can also generate reports on system activity, and there's the added assurance that an employee is not going to be confused by a motor-mouth lecturer and be left sitting bemused for the rest of the day.

For a one-off investment in the software infrastructure, e-learning seems to make plenty of sense. It's also a great HR publicity tool.

The only questions I'm left with are how much quality course material is out there, and what are the costs? In addition, is anything quantifiable lost due to the lack of human interaction involved?

What's your opinion? Is e-learning a no-brainer for your organisation?