Proponents of e-learning are continuing their love affair with simulation technologies, but signs of disenchantment have been spotted, according to a recent survey. The findings are reported by the American Society for Training and Development’s Learning Circuits Web magazine and E-Learning News, which surveyed over 230 readers.
They found that the percentage of respondents whose organisations are using simulations fell to 43.5 percent during 2006, down from 54.9 percent the previous year. Of the companies currently using simulation for learning, 57.6 percent are using in-house products, down from 60 percent in 2005, said the survey. Meanwhile, the use of off-the-shelf products rose from 13 percent to 17.6 percent over the year.
The instruction simulation market promises to be brisk in 2007. More than 66 percent of the self-selected training pool plan to increase the use of simulation tools for instruction this year, down slightly from the 2005 survey. That includes a predicted jump in soft skills training such as leadership, but a decline in overall software simulation.