SWOT analysis for e-learning in professional development
22 May 2010
Is it worth developing a coordinated approach to e-learning in the organisation?
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Historically, each individual agency shares an operating environment and shared software across sites. | In merged agencies – no standard operating environment across the new partners; different email and groupware clients, intranets that don’t interconnect |
| Variation in job roles – multiple possibilities that could be suitable for training via e-learning | Many variations in job roles – some roles or tasks cannot be addressed |
| For Agriculture department, tradition of professionalism; science-based; speaking the truth to power; primary producers are both our clients and our stakeholders | Other agencies in merger: non-professional; focus on regulatory activities; small; unfocussed; concerned to serve the minister, not the public – ‘the Minister is our most signficant stakeholder’ |
| We do have staff designated for communications, design, web, intranet, IT, training staff | but no designated e-learning positions outside colleges |
| Designated staff training and development unit, but | staff training focusses on computer training and training for compliance |
| We are a registered training organisation | Registered training organisation’s role is to look outward to our client public; it does not feed back into corporate training needs |
| Opportunities | Threats |
| Diverse industries available for partnerships | Accepting faulty contracts from outside providers – the perception that our IP can be hijacked by the contractor we pay to make the e-learning |
| Whole of government state and federal elearning programs which are reusable in our context | Ignorance of what e-learning is (actual executive’s quote: “as yes, it’s where there are buttons for me to click on”) |
| Opportunity to develop skills that can be used for both internal (staff) audience and external clients (extension) | Providing e-learning to a fragmented organisation risks missing opportunities to make connections through physical meetings |
Limited resources require alternative solutions:
|
Competing models – in-house and contract authoring and packaging; competing LMS (Moodle vs ElementK); |
Guidance for further SWOT analysis:
- List macro and micro factors, as well as internal and external factors that influence the mission of the organization (or focus on a specific program.)
- List all items, whether they are in your control or not (e.g your marketing vs. your competitors marketing.)
- For external analysis think PEST (as a starting point), which stands for political (and legal), economic, social, and technological analysis.
No comments yet
