Analysis of Perceptions of Conventional and E-Learning Education in Corporate Training

Abstract

The necessity of today concerning the need to optimize the learning process has led to the development of e-learning. Organizations gradually incorporate e-learning into their educational activities. However, blended learning, which combines online components with the conventional face-to-face components, has emerged as an alternative way of teaching and learning. The paper presents selected research results that compare the perceived attributes of e-learning and conventional business training in an organization operating in the Slovak market. The purpose of the analysis was to determine, which style of learning is preferred, subjectively more beneficial and better evaluated by employees of the company for the purpose of supporting decision-making in company’s business education strategy development. Two thrifty summated scales, both of four original items rating the properties of two types of business training were compiled with acceptable reliability assessed by internal consistency coefficient and validity established by factor analysis. The results showed comparable perceived quality, effectiveness, efficiency, and knowledge applicability of two types of business training in the company, balanced preferences and thus vindication of both styles of training in business education program. Regarding practical implications, this study proposes the concept of thrifty multidimensional learners’ evaluation, which can be used in organizations providing different styles of business training for quantitative evaluating and monitoring the perceived trainings’ quality attributes, their benefit, effectiveness and efficiency for quick inspection of relevant differences between the two styles of training in company. Realizing the existence of deficiencies in the training can support corrective actions starting toward training’s quality and effectiveness and efficiency optimization.