Selecting the Right LMS

Bruce Duff senior vice president of Pathlore sets out 10 steps to securing a learning management system that fits your organisation’s needs. A learning management system (LMS) is a true “enterprise” application that can benefit employees, customers, suppliers, and learners. Although the selection process can be time-consuming, shortcuts can be fatal. A careful, methodical selection […]
E-Learning Uptake to Double by 2007

E-learning is set to double within three years but more practical work needs to be done on implementation if it is to be successful, according to a new survey carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The survey carried out to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the term e-learning being […]
Parkin Space: Podcasting – the Next Step in Mobile Learning

Podcasting, despite its geeky name, is simple and practical, and has a wide range of potential uses in education and training. Abbreviated from “broadcasting to an iPod”, podcasting is, at its most basic, the distribution of audio content via the internet to mobile audio players. The name is a red herring, because you don’t have […]
Self-Service Learning

Chris Robinson of Knowledgepool looks at how software can reduce the administrative burden associated with training and the success factors that can make an automated system work. I have had the pleasure of meeting dozens of training professionals over the years, but am yet to meet one that enjoys training administration. This is no surprise, […]
Parkin Space: E-Learning Adventures Beyond the LMS

To corporate decision-makers, the treasure map of e-learning has an island in the centre, seductively illuminated by those clever marketing folks of the learning software industry, with a big X over the Learning Management System (LMS) right in the middle. Outside of that island is blank space populated only by “here be dragons” warnings.Given the […]
Free E-learning Workshops for Community Learning Staff

Netskills is offering free e-learning seminars for those working in the adult and community learning sector.The one-day workshop ‘Online Learning for Adult and Community Learning’ includes presentations, discussion and practical use of relevant web tools and resources, and is designed to complement the NIACE e-Guides programme. The workshops, normally £125, are subsidised by the JISC, […]
Case Sudy: The E-Learning Evolution in Higher Education

Since the UK government announced its target of increasing participation in higher education to 50% by 2010, the number of applicants to universities has greatly increased. Vocationally-oriented universities, such as Leeds Metropolitan, who were awarded their university status in 1992, have experienced the most dramatic increase. EvolutionE-learning did not emerge overnight. What started 20 years […]
Case Sudy: Blended Learning at the Home Office

With 15,000 staff across 166 offices, training employees to support an IT upgrade was no straight-forward task for the Home Office. When it decided to upgrade to Windows XP and Office XP from older versions of the software, the Home Office opted for a blended learning solution that would combine face-to-face training with e-learning across […]
Creating the Perfect Blend

Tim Drewitt, Director of Balance Learning looks at the key components that will optimise any blended learning programme. In 2003, nearly 100 training managers provided us with their own definitions of what blended learning means. From these opinions we distilled the following definition:Blended learning programmes utilise various learning assets and methods to create an integrated, […]
E-Learning Attracts ‘Usual Suspects’

Despite efforts to promote ‘lifelong learning’ and a more equitable and inclusive ‘learning society’ there is little special or new about adult learning in the digital age, according to research at Cardiff University.The Adult Learning@Home project found that e-learning tends to be associated with the same factors that determine school-leaving age, such as sex and […]
E-blunders cause embarrassment

Communications dilemmas triggered by e-politics are causing concern for employees; says a new survey carried out for the Department of Trade and Industry.The findings show that nearly a quarter of employees have suffered crossed-wires with colleagues or clients because their use of humour in an email has been misinterpreted. While as many as two in […]
E-Learning at PepsiCo

PepsiCo UK has launched e-learning in desktop IT skills in a bid to increase computer literacy across the company.The courses will be accessible to all employees within PepsiCo UK, which incorporates Walkers Snack Foods, PepsiCo Beverages International, Tropicana and Quaker Foods, via Thomson NETg’s hosted learning service, NETgLearning.com. “We’ve historically used a combination of instructor-led […]
E-Learning in Higher Education – Where Next?

E-learning has opened up new education and revenue opportunities for the UK’s universities and colleges. Tim Collin Director of European Sales for WebCT looks at how institutions can consolidate and develop their success for the future. Since it was introduced in the1990s, e-learning has been growing rapidly at post secondary institutions around the world. At […]
Global View at WOLCE 2004

This year’s World of Learning Conference and Exhibition (WOLCE) is set to have an international flavour.The Birmingham-based event will start its first day with an address from Dr Dean Spritzer, managing consultant of learning and performance at IBM, who will consider how organisations can gain competitive edge through investing in people development.The following day workplace […]
Case Study: Bitesize E-learning at B&Q

DIY chain B&Q employs over 36,000 people in over 320 UK stores. It is also the number one DIY retailer in Europe and the third largest in the world. The company sees learning as a critical factor in adapting itself to meet changing consumer demands but meeting the training needs of such a widespread and […]
E-Learning Demand Rising Among Colleges

Colleges and universities are intensifying their investment in e-learning, according to an independent survey of WebCT customers. Thirty-seven percent of the survey’s 416 respondents say they have implemented e-learning institution-wide, up from 25% in 2002.Student participation in e-learning is growing by 31% each year, according to the survey, and faculty members are catching up to […]
Trends in E-Learning

Dr Amy Finn Chief Learning Officer for Centra Software identifies five key trends in e-learning and what these will mean for your organisation. This article is about trends in e-learning. Yet, just a few years ago, no one had ever heard of the term “e-learning.” Many people have heard of terms such as distance education […]
The Way I see It… Training Departments Need to Start Marketing Themselves

Internal marketing results in more successful e-learning, says Steve Dineen, chief executive of fuel. Too many companies invest significantly in e-learning programmes but fail to give enough thought to how to really make them work and are subsequently disappointed with the results.Traditionally, e-learning implementation plans have focussed on technical issues, however, it is the human […]
Pay-Per-Use E-Learning Launch

Parity is set to launch its own pay-per-use e-learning service.Based on Kognita’s Site4Learning technology individuals and companies will be able to select from over 1,000 online courses paying for access by conventional means or online, using a credit card. From July 26 courses will be available in technical IT, desktop IT, business, management and leadership, […]
Making the Business Case for E-Learning

Robin Hoyle Chief Learning Architect at EBC explains why identifying the problem is as important as designing the solution when persuading senior managers to fund training. Having recently worked with a range of learning champions I was struck once again by how difficult trainers and learning and development professionals find making a business case for […]