Creating virtual support for lifelong learning

Abstract

Individuals worldwide are seeking to remain relevant and effective through learning which, if not actually continuous, is an integral part of their working life. Organizations are increasingly recognizing the need to compete on the basis of collective learning and the ability to apply this learning in practice. Technology is increasingly an enabler in this ongoing learning process. Pioneering institutions are developing architectures that support individual and organizational learning. World‐class development programmes are being delivered using the “virtual university” model. So too is support for lifelong learning. Issues being addressed include: creating, maintaining and distributing courseware; ensuring access to current and archival literature; programme supervision and the development of a community of learning. Claims further benefits for scholars of electronic publishing are being realized, but much potential remains untapped.

E-learning: reflections and evaluation of corporate programmes

“…To overcome some of these problems, 'blended learning solutions', where elearning is closely integrated with more traditional methods to create a coherent training package, have been suggested (Sandelands and Wills 1996). This provides traditional social interaction forums, and uses technology to create links to repositories of information that can be used to share knowledge and to learn.…”

“…Indeed, much of the pedagogical debate on e-learning is centred on the importance of the social aspect of learning (see, for example, Maule 1997; Sandelands and Wills 1996;Haythornthwaite 2000;Salmon 2000;Good 2001). Social interaction, it is argued, can be mimicked through online chat and discussion forums, and a study by Rovai (2002) provides some tentative supportive evidence for this.…”

“…It also enables learning to be offered easily to those beyond the formal boundaries of the organization at relatively low cost; this would include customers, suppliers and contractors (Galagan 2000). Flexibility in the pace of learning is represented largely as an advantage to the learner in that they can learn at a time and pace to suit their own capability and life circumstances, enabling their continued marketability through lifelong learning (Sandelands and Wills 1996;Caudron 1999). However, it is notable that the issues of flexibility and learner centredness fail to address issues of learner styles identified by Honey and Mumford (1992), although it is questionable that any training delivery method could provide the flexibility to address this issue.…”

E‐learning in the corporate university

“…It also enables learning to be offered easily to those beyond the formal boundaries of the organisation at relatively low cost; this would include customers, suppliers and contractors (Galagan, 2000). Flexibility in the pace of learning is represented largely as an advantage to learners in that they can learn at a time and pace to suit their own capability and life circumstances, and enable their continued marketability through lifelong learning (Sandelands and Wills, 1996;Caudron, 1999). However, flexible access to learning is accompanied by a shift of responsibility for learning to the individual and an increased expectancy of learning in non-working time.…”

Symbolic meanings and e-learning in the workplace: The case of an intranet-based training tool

“…Much of the debate on ‘the context’ of e-learning is still limited to addressing the shift from bricks-and-mortar classrooms to virtual learning environments, while true contextualization of learning requires the understanding of historical, social, moral, economic and political dimensions and interests (Reynolds, 1997). A number of studies investigate changing tutor/learner and learner/group interactions and the effectiveness of novel types of resources as applied to distance or blended learning modes of instruction (Good, 2001; Haythornthwaite, 2000; Jung and Rha, 2000; Maule, 1997; Smith and Newman, 1999; Oliver et al, 2007; Rovai, 2002; Rumble, 2001; Salmon, 2000; Sandelands and Wills, 1996). What now requires further consideration is how learning processes are affected by a much more complex ecology of knowledge acquisition and development in the workplace, as illustrated in the following quote: … the future of e-learning is in the integration of information management (including training content material, the learner’s current knowledge, and the learner’s training activities, often now distinctly referred to as content management, knowledge management, and learner management systems), performance support, peer collaboration, and training systems.…”