Challenges of eLearning to SMEs under Financial Crisis

This paper looks at a situational analysis of eLearning in small and medium enterprises. The learning culture of SMEs is explored to understand how eLearning can fit strategically into current learning ethos, especially adding the psychological adaption into the eLearning contents. The advantages offered by eLearning to SMEs are discussed and the reasons for the slow take up of eLearning to date. The main challenge to eLearning is not in the use of the technology but in using the technology to build on what we know about managing learners and how learners manage themselves. We should not only focus on the skills training, but should add the contents on psychological adaption from the survey. Learners prefer the interaction of face-to-face learning over online learning. Approximately 43% of lecturers felt they knew their online students better than in the classroom, 22% said there was no difference. SMEs have difficulty in establishing its requirements and other challenges are discussed in the paper.