Reducing employee learning and development costs: the use of massive open online courses (MOOC)

Abstract

Purpose

This paper discusses the role of online learning, in particular the use of massive open online courses (MOOC), in reducing costs related to employee training and development. Businesses these days are facing escalating costs of doing business, and senior management teams are also looking for areas of cost reduction and savings within their organizations. The adoption of MOOC enables cost savings in regard to employee training and developments.

Design/methodology/approach

The contents of this paper are of the authors’ personal experience in using online learning and evidence gathered from available literature.

Findings

Several large organizations are already using MOOC to replace or complement their traditional training program. One major benefit of using MOOC for employee training and development programs is the potential for huge cost savings for employee training.

Practical Implications

Traditional employee training programs need to be reviewed in view of the vast development in internet technologies. The internet and the latest technology devices can be fully utilized to facilitate employee training and developments, thus resulting in overall cost savings.

Originality/value

This paper presents the operationalization of MOOC in organizations for training and development. The benefits and downsides of adopting MOOC in training and development are also discussed in this paper.

Citation

Ong, D. and Jambulingam, M. (2016), "Reducing employee learning and development costs: the use of massive open online courses (MOOC)", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 30 No. 5, pp. 18-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-08-2015-0066