The
Northwest will be unveiling some of the hottest developments in e-learning at a
dedicated two-day show and conference. Amanda Jackson takes a look at what
visitors can expect to find there
Some
of the very latest advances in innovative e-learning solutions will be
exhibited at the North of England’s first dedicated e-learning exhibition and
conference in Manchester on 24-25 April.
Emulating
the outstandingly successful inaugural e-learning show in London last year,
e-learning Manchester will feature an exciting programme of debates and
seminars by some of the biggest names in the industry, in addition to over 50
exhibitors offering a wide range of electronic training products and services.
Xebec
McGraw-Hill will be demonstrating eight new online courses on teamwork,
highlighting the skills that team members need in order to improve
productivity, develop effective working relationships and resolve conflict.
These
teamwork courses are the first of over 100 hours of new high-quality,
media-rich interactive e-learning courseware that will be added this year
following an £8.2m investment in e-learning product development, from Xebec’s
parent company McGraw-Hill Lifetime Learning.
Electronic
marketing education and training company, Multimedia Marketing.Com will be
unveiling an online version of its introduction to marketing, Marketing
Essentials. It will also launch an online eMarketing training programme called
eMarketing eXcellence – The Heart of eBusiness.
Visitors
to KnowledgePool’s stand will be able to see its Talent Solutions service – a
set of web-enabled diagnostic tools to help organisations direct employee
development, retention and succession planning. “The take up of e-learning will
continue to grow rapidly as more organisations understand the wealth of
benefits it can bring,” says marketing communications manager for KnowlegePool,
Linda Barrett.
“But
e-learning is not necessarily the answer to every training need, so it is
important that organisations seeking to develop their people look at a range of
delivery methods.”
Question
Mark Computing is launching an addition to its Perception software – a
browser-based authoring application. The company’s Perception software enables
users to author and securely deliver questions and assessments and report on
results. Assessments can be delivered online, over Windows’ networks or on
CD-Roms.
Provider
of multimedia and web-based language courses, Vektor is also an exhibitor at
e-learning, Manchester. The company will be exhibiting its catalogue of new and
established CD-Rom products of over 70 language titles and what they claim to
be the most sophisticated online system for language learning in the world.
Wide
Learning will be demonstrating its latest interactive financial training
courses on bonds and equities at the Manchester show.
Additionally,
it will be showcasing its new “build your own course syllabus” which enables
users to select a tailored financial syllabus according to their training
needs.
“Soon
people will start to look at e-learning as an integral part of learning rather
than a high-tech fad,” says Jan Hagen, head of solutions at Wide Learning.
Also
exhibiting will be e-learning Manchester sponsors, ebc, said to be among the
UK’s fastest growing e-learning custom content developers. “Whilst it is not a
training panacea, e-learning is an integral part of blended learning,” says ebc
sales director Graham Mackie.
“At
last training is finally advancing with the rest of the workplace.”
Complementing
the exhibitors at this two-day e-learning event will be the conference
sessions, with almost 40 leading experts providing world-class case histories
and invaluable insights into a wide variety of topics.
Ranging
from assessment of user achievement to the future of e-learning, there are
sessions aimed at established users as well as those still at the
implementation stage.
Broadening
the definition of e-learning will be keynote speaker Gary Gilligan, head of Sun
U EMEA, Sun MicroSystems. “Many people think of e-learning in terms of putting
information that used to be classroom-based over the web or CBT,” says
Gilligan. “I believe this should be extended to the delivery of just-in-time
learning of specific topics, at the time of need.”
In
his presentation, which will contain his trademark mix of humour and content,
he will be talking specifically about measuring returns, and posing a set of
questions that organisations can work through to get the right answers for
them. “I use the Socratic dialogue as favoured by Inspector Morse,” he
explained. “It involves getting to the truth by asking the right questions!”
Alix
Dees of DaimlerChrysler, one of the conference speakers, says, “E-learning has
tremendous strengths and can enhance traditional learning, but it is only part
of the learning package.
“It
is just as important to focus on the environment that the product goes into
(for example, user group profile, hardware/software environment and support),
as much as its production.”
Delegates
can hear how an actual pilot of an online course with collaborative elements
worked at DaimlerChrysler. This case history in particular looks at the pros
and cons of stand alone self-directed learning at one end of the spectrum, and
a rich combination of media and collaboration at the other.
Discussing
how to ensure learner and company buy in to e-learning, and offering effective
techniques in marketing an existing corporate e-learning facility, will be
Marcus Jenkins, training manager of Barclays Funds. Having successfully
introduced some 600 of Barclays Funds employees to online learning materials
via the company’s intranet and also via the Internet, he will be revealing some
of his coaching secrets.
“We
know that e-learning will never replace traditional classroom-based training.
Rather, it is another learning medium in this fast-paced time in which we
live,” says Jenkins.
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“As
with all things these days, the emphasis is on convenience. The ‘anytime,
anywhere’ advantage of e-learning, coupled with ‘just-in-time’ learning, make
it a powerful tool in any person’s developmental toolbox.”
And
to the future? Barry Conway, head of e-learning for Unipart Advanced Learning
Systems, will be offering an upbeat view. “It will be exciting and
exhilarating, but don’t worry about the technology. It’s the application that
counts!” he says.
