AAA Discovers the Fastest Route to e-Learning Success The Challenge AAA is a national federation of over 44 million motorists and travelers, with more than 1,100 offices and 81clubs in the U.S. and Canada. While the individual clubs operate independently, AAA 's National Office assists them in executing their strategic plans. Offering employee training is a key part of those plans. "We 're always looking for new delivery methods -better ways for remote sites to incorporate training," said Graham Cohen, Manager of Quality and Education, New Product Development for AAA. "While many companies reserve training just for managers, that 's not our philosophy.

"Element K understands that the Web is a completely different learning environment so while its content follows a consistent learning model, it's also specifically tailored for online delivery."    - Kim Ziolkowski, Director of Training Services for AAA Mid-Atlantic/Central-West Jersey

"For example, when the AAA Mid-Atlantic/Central-West Jersey Region launched a"Values Campaign " to discover what employees' priorities were, "gaining new knowledge " was right at the top -second only to "spending time with family and friends." But with more than 500 employees, it was costly and impractical to offer training on an individual basis.

"I believe that employee morale is tied to training -so we wanted to offer it to everyone, regardless of their job title," said Kim Ziolkowski, Director of Training Services for AAA Mid-Atlantic/Central-West Jersey. "We knew e-Learning was the solution."

The Element K® Solution
Today, AAA 's National Office, the Mid-Atlantic club, and 19 additional clubs are using the Element K™ e-Learning solution. "We wanted to work with someone who was in it for the long haul, and since we had used Element K courseware for years, it was a natural fit," said Ziolkowski. "Plus, Element K understands that the Web is a completely different learning environment -so while the content follows a consistent learning model, it 's specifically tailored for online delivery."

"Consistency is important, because we know that all of the clubs are getting the same messages," said Cohen. "The other major benefit is the 'just-in-time ' training -it 's available when and where you need it, and the content stays fresh.

"The AAA Information Technology department fully supported the choice, too. The Element K site is fully hosted, so it doesn't slow down the network, there's no special hardware or software to install, and AAA employees can access it from home or the office.

The Results
The Element K e-Learning solution has been very well-received. Employees are taking full courses as well as accessing topics for "help desk " instruction -refreshing their knowledge, picking up tips, and brushing up on their skills.

"Element K 's e-Learning is making people more self-sufficient and productive - they can get answers quickly and easily on their own, rather than calling another employee or department for help," said Cohen. "And on the training administration side, online delivery is great for measuring performance. For instance, we know that in the first eight weeks, 54 courses were completed at the National Office alone.

"In fact, in less than six months, more than 450 courses were completed and nearly 4,500 topics were covered in the 20 participating clubs. So far, the most popular subjects are Microsoft Office and Java. A recent series of online instructor-led sessions on Customer Service was also a big hit.