The site allows users to take language quizzes or learn English through pop songs, and it offers links to other English-learning resources. The organization says it plans to add more courses that allow students to mix online and offline studies. The site offers online lessons modeled after the company's offline teaching materials, including tests and games. One ready market is in the Asian corporate world, which tends to have better computers and Internet connections in place and is tapping e-learning programs to teach employees English, says Mr. Grainger of GlobalEnglish. With online programs, managers can monitor an employee's progress, notes Philip Lai, a talent development manager in Hong Kong with GE Medical Systems Hong Kong Ltd., a division of General Electric Co., Fairfield, Connecticut Managers can log on to the online program at any time and find out how the employee is doing in class, and how much time the employee has spent learning online.
Bosses can assess language performance when considering workers for promotions or raises.
GE Medical currently is running an English e-learning pilot program in a few Asian cities, and is expected to distribute it throughout Asia later this year. It's an immediate return on your investment. Asian students, in general, are shy about speaking in class, and as a result, many Asians can read and write English, but not speak it. While learning in front of a computer screen may seem impersonal, the privacy it provides can make people feel more at ease about speaking the language, he says. Inc. All Rights Reserved.