Some experts also warn that the lack of a human instructor can be a drawback. The company expects those numbers to be 42 percent and 55 percent respectively by 2003. Seventy percent of corporations say a lack of skilled workers impedes their growth, according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers survey. Managers feel pressed to deliver the instruction employees need to do their jobs and keep their companies competitive but in a short period of time, he says. Companies can also save money on training costs, two-thirds of which, Urdan says, come from travel expenses.
Firms also save money by reducing the role of, or eliminating, a human instructor.
E-learning courses do, of course, cost money. The cost depends on whether the material is custom or off the shelf and on the number of employees who will use material, he said. But some experts are concerned that the lack of an instructor can drain e-learning's potency. He said instructors provide detailed feedback and motivation inside and outside the classroom that a machine cannot. He added some students feel more comfortable and learn more in a classroom.