I know this post is from a while ago, but I just watched the webinar on corporate e-learning from Expertus and Bersin & Associates linked below, and two facts stood out, that even in 2010, only 1 in 5 companies feel expert in e-learning and collaboration, and that almost 80% of e-learning professionals believe that younger employees have significantly different learning needs than traditional programs.

As a college student, I have always been surprised at how infrequently e-learning is used in a university environment, but I guess it is no surprise considering the difficulty encountered by those in the corporate world.

http://my.brainshark.com/Secrets-of-Successful-Learning-455050020?tx=amb_bb

Sorry, I’m being a little frivolous.

Is getting 300 people to attend an event in one of the world’s leading academic institutions a good place to engage a community of practice, or is it elitism?

Interestingly, the debate is being sponsored by Epic, a British e-learning vendor. Is their involvement altruism, or an attempt to raise their profile? This same company is hosting the online side of the debate on their website http://www.epic.co.uk/elearningdebate/.

If I’m really cynical, I could suggest that this will enable them to track every contributor – have a look at the granularity of the info you are required to submit to register – all prospects for the sales team potentially.

Equally, I would suggest that harvesting the ideas and suggestions of those motivated to contribute (who are probably the best, brightest, and most insightful thinkers on the subject) would give a company a pretty substantial strategic advantage when it comes to positioning themselves in the technology-in-education market in the medium and long term.

Cynicism aside, I *do* think that this is a debate that needs to happen in the wider professional learning and allied trades community; the ways we teach and learn are changing before our eyes. We need to figure out how to use the technologies and methodologies at our disposal to educate effectively and to provide opportunities for learners.

Hmmm… I think that there’s a blog post in this!

Best,
Michael
–