This
month’s letters
Don’t
throw out the baby
With
the e-learning market growing at a phenomenal rate, the future looks
increasingly bright for this latest form of business learning.
E-learning
offers the perfect marriage between business needs and technology. But let’s
not throw the baby out with the bath water in our enthusiastic attempt to
embrace e-learning, but instead consider the potential advantages from teaming
it with classroom-based training to provide a system for total learning.
E-learning
has numerous advantages in terms of flexibility, cost effectiveness, and efficiency.
However, people are still social creatures who enjoy the interactive and soft
aspects of traditional classroom training. The challenge is how best to achieve
blended learning and optimise the enormous benefits of e-learning without
losing the essential components of effective training.
In
order to maximise the potential of e-learning, we need to truly understand the
key contributing factors: office culture, both the possibilities and
limitations of information technology, and, importantly, the needs of the
learner and the approach of the trainer.
But
no matter which form of delivery you choose, users cannot afford to overlook
programme content. Engaging content makes for a memorable interactive learning
process that will not only stimulate usage, but also make it more effective.
Content is still king, and it has to be high quality and entertaining –
remember, if it does not work offline it will not work online.
A
blended approach can provide the perfect environment. E-learning allows the
learner to control the cycle and build on classroom experience so a “best of
both worlds” scenario is achieved. When new formats are blended, the outcome is
a total learning experience that is evolution not revolution.
John
Lowe
Managing director, Video Arts
Meet
peers in automotives
Would
you like to meet training representatives from competitors in non-threatening
environments? Then why not join Elan?
Elan
– European Learning Automotive Network – is an EU-funded project. The latest
phase has been led by Volvo Truck Corporation, with Carl Gregory, training and
development manager at Volvo in the UK, as project manager.
The
main objective was to research “innovative approaches to training and
development in the European Automotive Industry”. Core partners with Volvo are
Ford-Werke, DaimlerChrysler and Volkswagen Coaching in Germany and TRW Lucas
Autobrzdy in the Czech Republic.
Many
“extended partners” from automotive and automotive-related industries have
joined. All added value to the experience by meeting training representatives
from competitors in non-threatening environments, and by being able to keep
abreast of leading-edge strategies through the biggest training and development
networking opportunity in the European Automotive Industry.
If
you are interested in joining the next phase from 2001 to 2004, contact Ted
Old, Training Adviser – Commercial, Volvo Truck and Bus, Wedgnock Lane, Warwick
CV34 5YA, Tel 01926 414501 or e-mail ted.old@volvo.com
Ted
Old
Training adviser, commercial Volvo Truck and Bus
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