Employee learning and development in virtual HRD: focusing on MOOCs in the workplace

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of using massive open online courses (MOOCs) for employee learning and development in organizational settings by reviewing the literature and examining several cases from a virtual human resource development (HRD) perspective. Design/methodology/approach To collect information on MOOCs in the workplace, the authors reviewed peer- and non-peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, books, white papers, corporate websites and blogs, and business magazines published between 2008 and 2018. Findings A total of 18 cases were summarized to present the use of MOOCs in organizational settings for training and development, organizational development, career development, and professional development. For a more in-depth review, three cases were selected and the details were introduced in terms of context, process/progress, and outcomes: McAfee, Rabobank, and Library and Information Science. Practical implications When organizations decide to use MOOCs for their employee development and learning, practitioners could also establish the selection criteria of MOOCs for specific purposes based on their organizational contexts by assessing the effectiveness of existing MOOC programs. Originality/value This study highlights the use of MOOCs in organizations to examine their potential as a support tool for virtual HRD to facilitate employee learning and development in the workplace.

Scaling workforce development: using MOOCs to reduce costs and narrow the skills gap

“…Case findings by Park et al (2018) similarly support these notions; suggesting that, when deployed correctly, MOOCs can effectively enhance professional development and improve high-demand workforce skills and knowledge in a variety of contexts.…”

Virtual Human Resource Development: Definitions, Challenges, and Opportunities

“…Also, the use of massive open online courses (MOOCs) was explored for the purpose of employee learning and development and the researchers located 18 cases reporting that such courses offer promising opportunities for employees to engage in workplace learning (Park et al, 2018). Huang et al (2010) found that intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors should be considered when designing virtual environments and offered the game-based adaptive performance platform for understanding and managing employee performance data vital for innovation.…”

“…For example, Yoon and Lim (2010) stated that new technologies were driving swift changes in learning and performance and advocated VR skill development in HRD due to superior human memory retention when VR is compared with text materials or video training. Park et al (2018) advocated for assessing learners' skills with virtual tools and technologies along with required competencies for trainers. Rosenbusch (2020) recommended that HRD faculty be provided with essential tools and skills for redesigning customary courses and transform them into blended and online learning experiences.…”

Adapting to the agile workplace : a descriptive case study on the role of corporate MOOCs in organizational learning processes

“…In contrast to academic MOOCs, when businesses integrate their MOOCs in curricula directly tied to an employee's ability to stay current in their field, earn a promotion, or do their work more effectively, motivation to use the MOOCs correlates higher for corporations (Egloffstein & Ifenthaler, 2017;Milligan & Littlejohn, 2014;Radford et al, 2014). Also, companies who have implemented MOOCs have seen employee satisfaction increase (Park, Jeong, & Ju, 2018).…”

“…with minimal effort and thus present lower cost and greater efficiency for corporate learning (Egloffstein & Ifenthaler, 2017;Park et al, 2018). Organizations can avoid the substantial cost of developing massive amounts of online content and more affordably utilize MOOC providers to curate and update content and design user-friendly interfaces (Egloffstein & Ifenthaler, 2017;Radford et al, 2014).…”