Why e-Learning is dying.... (Adrian Snook)

e-Learning now plays a significant part in the learning and development (L&D) strategies of most major organisations in the United Kingdom and this part is growing bigger every year. Learning technologies are certainly seem to be going mainstream.

But paradoxically, as we are approaching full maturity in the use of learning technologies more internal e-Learning Managers seem to lose their jobs every month. Internal e-Learning Development teams are almost literally melting away in front of my eyes, swept away by waves of restructuring.

- We used to have two major specialist e-Learning Conferences and Exhibitions every year in the UK, attended by many thousands of people. Now we have none.

- Even the small scale sector specific commercial conferences on the theme of Implementing e-Learning are almost extinct in the UK.

I hate to say it, but judging from these symptoms e-Learning seems to be dying...

There - I've said it now. And at a major European e-Learning convention as well. Sorry to spoil the party!

Why is this so?

- Because learning technologies are rapidly becoming integrated into the mainstream world of learning and development. Organisations now take it as read that e-Learning works and are not that worried or concerned about the technical nuts and bolts. They are certainly not that interested in obsessing about the technology for its own sake. They want to get on and use it to improve their business performance without fuss or fanfare. And exactly how they use it is no-one else's business!

And of course learning and development generalists are changing too. They are more IT-Literate, more self-confident and prepared to play with technology. They embrace the web and live by Google.

Since the year 2000 thousands of generalist Tutors and Trainers in the UK have have had access to courses that teach them the new skills they need to develop e-Learning content, support learners on-line and use virtual classroom technology effectively. These individuals have 'primed the pump' and showed their more conservative L&D colleagues the way ahead.

So many of the the things that once seemed so new, complex and so challenging are now commonplace, tried and tested, and increasingly user-friendly. Week by week what were once cutting edge learning technologies are quietly being adopted as mature tools and techniques by learning and development generalists.

As fears over technology recede, organisations are more concerned about getting down to the job of producing effective learning outcomes by blending the full range of learning techniques.

And these organisations are now realising that operating an internal e-Learning team and an entirely separate traditional face-to-face training team is not a good recipe for blending learning effectively. What gets taken to the e-Learning team as a challenge simply emerges as e-Learning and what gets taken to the face-to-face training team simply emerges as classroom sesssions! Structural separation between e-Learning specialists and L&D generalists is like plumbing your bathroom with two sinks with a hot and cold tap each when what you really need is a single sink with a thermostatic mixer tap...

So the e-Learning Managers are disappearing and what were formerly e-Learning Teams are either being displaced or falling under the management of L&D generalists, working hand-in-hand with the IT function and an increasing range of outsourced suppliers offering hosted solutions and rapid content development tools. And of course in a small industry, the former e-Learning Managers pop up with regularity working as freelance consultants to their former employers and others.

Today mainstream Learning & Development events in the UK have excellent stranded themes on the application of learning technology, given equal billing with other key L&D issues like coaching skills tips, sales training masterclasses, classroom delivery techniques and so on.

Which is, of course how it should be...

Soon e-Learning will be dead...

- But learning lives on...

Adrian Snook

The Training Foundation

The strategic importance of a Learning Organisation context (Arnaldo Santos)

We live in a different world, a globalised, competitive world, based on sustained business models in which ‘Intellectual Capital’ is recognised as being one of the main competitive advantages that an organisation can have. Driven by the ‘Knowledge Economy’, people are adapting to this new way of living, though mentalities still need to change to allow for full acceptance of the key roles played by the community-oriented processes of accessing and sharing know-how in the ‘Learning Organisation’ context.
People should be aware of this organisational context and, together, should try to discover and take on board concepts, information and knowledge that are based on solid cognitive and affective structures, supported by innovation.
Let me reiterate that we live in a time of changing mindsets with consequent changes in our learning processes. This means that we need new methodologies, more open minds, alternative learning and teaching practices and, even more importantly, we need to learn to live in a community.
This whole process must, obviously, go hand in hand with a significant evolution of current pedagogy, supported by communication technologies adapted to Education and Training.
Everything indicates that we really do have the methodological tools we need, and that these are capable of further development, particularly when applied to in-class, eLearning or bLearning training contexts.
However, and especially for those reluctant to change, we need to educate, experiment, evaluate and promote initiatives that demonstrate the true pedagogical potential of both eLearning and bLearning.
I hope that this Lisbon conference can show the strategic importance and relevance of our work, especially in the way it impacts on Social and Digital Cohesion, Retraining for the Knowledge Society and the Value of eLearning in organisations.

Arnaldo Santos

Marc Rosenberg on expectations on Lisbon Conference 2007

Extract from Interview published on http://www.elearningeuropa.info/

What are your expectations for the EU eLearning Conference 2007?
I always enjoy hearing about what is going on in Europe with regard to e-learning. While I understand that government can’t do everything, I am impressed with the value the EU has placed on technology-based learning. It is a great catalyst. I am also looking forward to the enthusiasm that I always find when I travel to the EU. As this is the first EU eLearning conference that I will be attending, I hope to learn as much as I can during my stay.

Message from the Technical-Scientific Committee President

The forthcoming eLearning 2007 Conference which takes place in Lisbon, 15-16 October 2007, is the 4th major EU Conference of the kind following Helsinki (July 2006) and Brussels (May 2005).

This year’s event develops under the general umbrella ‘Delivering on the Lisbon Agenda’. The Conference is a unique opportunity to address a renewed eLearning role against a backdrop of outstanding challenges facing Europe in the next years. The selected themes will bring together contributions from a remarkable group of speakers to discuss cutting-edge eLearning issues like Inclusion, Knowledge Sharing, Informal Learning, Communities, Skills, Quality and Valuation.

The construct of a common vision on the future of ICT-embedded learning capable of inspiring a new generation of integrated approaches to sustain Learning and Knowledge Societies lies at the heart of this initiative.

At a fundamental crossroad of European construction it is timely to bring back the learning agenda to the very core of the European Union efforts to cooperate, to innovate, and to compete.

Europeans can – should – stand together in the pursuit of standards of excellence in learning designed to better serve peoples, communities, societies, economies and institutions.

After all, Europe is a continent forged of genuine intellectual advancement and underpinned by relentless learning.



Roberto Carneiro
President of the Technical-Scientific Committee

Are we ambitious enough?

In my oppinion the most critical issues that to my opinion should be discussed on the conference are the following:

• are the goals set by organizations in Human Resource Development and learning ambitious enough?
• How to make the results more visible and with a good added demonstration effect?

One of my expectations on the conference is to learn more about the best praxis of SMART organizations.

The "hottest" message of my talk is to encourage us to think about finding new wikipedia-like approaches in e-learning in order to create a potential for the “explosion” of modern knowledge. E-learning should become more user-friendly and attractive – a solution could be a combination of e-learning, t-learning and m-learning.

Dr. Atis Kapenieks

Opening Plenary 1: Delivering on the Lisbon Agenda

For me, "delivering on the Lisbon agenda" at this event implies being able to point to specific ways in which, aided by eLearning, we can each play a part in helping Europe to maintain or improve its global standing, both on direct measures of competitiveness (such as economic performance, innovation, R&D output, competencies of citizens) and on indirect measures (such as equality of opportunity, personal happiness, consideration for less developed countries).

I look forward to exciting discussions of such issues in the Opening Plenary (where I am a speaker) and in the following sessions. eLearning Lisboa is a great opportunity to share ideas and experiences of how each of us can contribute to achievement of the Lisbon goals, as individuals, as employees or employers, as members of communities, as EU citizens and as world citizens.

Welcome to the eLearning Conference 2007 Blog

Dear eLearning Conference delegates, dear audience!

With only a short time to go we wish to provide this Blog as THE interactive conference space for announcements, discussion and sharing opinions and viewpoints - all around the eLearning Conference 2007 in Lisboa.

We invite you to share your thoughts and expectations on the conference.

• As a speaker: What will you talk about?
• As a participant: With which agenda do you arrive - what do you believe should be done in eLearning in Europe?
• As a conference organiser: What would you like to see as an outcome of the conference?
• ...

Share your expectations and your inner convictions! Read your colleagues'!

Throughout the conference this space will be a vibrant space, featuring frequent updates of our conference rapporteurs, showing podcasts from the conference voices.

We look forward to reading you thoughts!

Warm welcome, Ulf Ehlers
(for the eLearning Conference Lisboa 2007)