Originally published as the Journal of Workplace Learning Volume 17 Number 5/6, 2005
ISBN: 1 84544 343 8
Guest edited by: Christopher Seow, University of East London, UK and Jason Hughes, University of Leicester, UK.
With the advent of the Internet, electronically mediated corporate training and learning support efforts have exploded with growth and complexity.
E-Learning, a recent development which has already had a great deal of impact upon the corporate training world, is beginning to penetrate a growing range of areas within the contemporary workplace, and is widely being promoted as a panacea to present-day skill-supply and just-in-time-just-enough training needs.
This Special Issue gives an idea of how some organisations are addressing the issue of e-learning @ the workplace. It is the outcome of a call for papers that asked authors to explore the capacity of e-learning for strengthening corporate performance and building competitive advantage in the present-day workplace and to consider the extent to which the utilisation of technology can enhance the learning process and provide practitioners with the leverage to manage knowledge for organisational gain.
Contents:
E-learning: organizational requirements for successful feedback learning
Feedback learning transforms social knowledge into individual knowledge. In this process, tension arises because the current knowledge impedes the assimilation of new learning. Therefore, the feedback requires what Schumpeter refers to as “creative destruction”: discarding, or at least setting aside, the institutional order to enact variations that allow intuitive insights and actions to surface and be pursued.
Classifying e-trainer standards
This paper gives the results of a survey that was conducted in four European countries, England, France, Italy and Portugal, and gives an insight into the different professional profiles associated with this new type of learning.
Strategizing for workplace e-learning: some critical considerations
The purpose of this work is twofold. First, the vagueness of e-learning terminology is explored as a premise that the uncritical use of language reflects uncritical approaches to e-learning. North American practitioner literature is then reviewed to examine the way(s) in which e-learning vocabulary and metaphors reveal the attitudes and values that executive decision-makers and analysts bring to bear on organizational e-learning strategies.
E-learning at work: theoretical underpinnings and pedagogical challenges
This paper reviews theories of adult learning, workplace learning and organisational learning and brings out main pedagogical implications of these theories from an e-learning point of view. Some empirical studies in which electronic networks and communication tools have been utilised in workplace learning are also described.
Valuing the adult learner in e-learning: part one – a conceptual model for corporate settings
This article illustrates how the interdependence among four championing factors, five antecedents, and four moderators affect companies' efforts in valuing the adult learner in e-learning.
Multi-level alignment model: transforming face-to-face into e-instructional programs
Using the literature for substantiation, this article discusses the current rapid change within organizations, the role of technology in that change, and the consequent necessity of transforming existing face-to-face training into or creating new online courses.
Virtual learning environments for time-stressed and peripatetic managers
This paper argues that virtual situated learning environments (VSLE), designed as authentic learning experiences, can provide managers with broader learning opportunities while also cater for the learning needs of the increasing number of peripatetic managers.
Developing design principles for an e-learning programme for SME managers to support accelerated learning at the workplace
This paper reports on the development of a workplace-based e-learning programme for small and medium enterprise (SME) managers in five European countries. The course is designed to address the specific needs of SME managers who, it has been noted, represent a significant proportion of the EU workforce but often experience difficulty in finding time or resources to undertake relevant training.
Effective implementation of e-learning: a case study of the Australian Army
This paper analyses the first independent external research into e-learning in the Australian Army. Although this is a specialised context for e-learning, the issues raised in this case study will inform research into other workplace e-learning projects.
Valuing the adult learner in e-learning: part two – insights from four companies
Four case studies emerged from data collection and revealed that adult learners are being valued and supported in corporate e-learning settings. A comparative analysis of the case studies with the Waight and Stewart conceptual model showed that the e-learning teams are complying with all factors for the exception of transfer and return on investment.
About the Journal of Workplace Learning
The Journal of Workplace Learning has built a loyal following among notable academics within the field. It focuses on the growth of the individual within the enterprise and the interventions which can assist in the process. Analysis of the key issues in this area are set in the context of assisting the individual to maximise opportunities and performance within the working environment. Insights into workplace learning and development on an individual level are provided, as well as knowledge of how to find out how both employees and organizations can benefit from a considered approach to learning and individual development.
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