Title: E-learning
Author: Marc J Rosenberg
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education, 2000
ISBN: 0071362681
Price: £21.99

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It seemed ironic to be reviewing a book about e-learning. Surely e-learning was set to replace books and make all sorts of material and knowledge available on the Web! Also I remembered that there were 8 internet years to every normal year so wasn’t this book going to be nearly eight years out of date?

In a way Marc Rosenberg’s statement explains why I was pleased to be proved wrong: "The real challenge for learning, especially for e-learning, is the ability to distinguish the need for information (knowledge management) vs. the need for instruction (online training) and to understand how they work in tandem."

This book is a repository of knowledge on the subject. There is no instruction, this is not a "how to do it" manual and there are no attempts at "this is how you make e-learning look clever". In Rosenberg’s terms, this is a knowledge management project rather than a training project. Deep sigh of relief and renewed intention to concentrate on my part, rather than sighs of exasperation at another book that says "it’s all changed, you’ve got to be ‘E’ now" followed by mindless menus for making it fun.

Rosenberg’s book seeks to explore the business context, learning philosophy and development paths against which the world of web-enabled learning has evolved and is developing and changing as we speak (or write in this case). The result is a solid foundation of knowledge and analysis with no product hype, no sales agenda and no particular position on web vs. classroom except from the point of view of its fit to the learning requirement. The book goes wider than the e-learning subject and explores the distinction between training and learning, as well as considering the corporate culture and strategies that need to underpin and support any learning initiatives in the organisation.

It’s sometimes difficult to consider what the book doesn’t cover and that may be the major criticism. It’s densely packed with all sorts of useful information and falls somewhere between a reader and a reference book. Actually I think it’s more of the latter and the layout and index could be improved to help the search for knowledge.

Rosenberg distinguishes the characteristics of Information rather than Instruction as being:-

- Focused on a specific organisation of content
- Purpose defined primarily by users
- Based on the characteristics of the particular knowledge discipline and targeted users
- Sequenced for optimum reference
- Primarily centred on effective presentation

There’s so much here and I would have liked the case-studies to be separated out as appendices, the checklists and inventories to be better laid out, and even (here comes the E) made available on the Web to use in thinking about the design of a specific learning initiative or to conduct an audit of the organisational context. The index focuses a great deal on names of people and organisations but there needs to be better attention to the subjects themselves. The thing we don’t have in any printed medium is a search engine and the index needs to perform more of this function. I’m more interested in "Blended Learning" than "Blanchard, Ken".

I think the book is ideal for anyone needing to gain a real in-depth understanding of the topic and would recommend it to any serious researcher or student wanting to explore the development, the successes and the failures of the e-learning revolution or evolution. If I were selecting a book for CIPD students this would be high on the list. One of the most sensible, objective and learning-based texts I have read on the subject. There’s something for everyone that wants to know more and consider the realities of developing and implementing effective learning - “E” or not.

"... the main premise of this book is that an effective and durable e-learning strategy is not just about technology or instruction/information design. It must also be about the culture, the leadership and the business justification that just doesn’t surround the strategy – but is part of it”

A great reference text, resource pool and research guide - and not a bad read either!

Clive Hook