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Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to consider whether the future for e-learning is as bright as it has previously been heralded, or whether it is likely to fade into the background over time. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based on 29 research case studies. Findings - The importance of time and commitment are drawn out, suggesting that a slower pace of development may not necessarily be a bad thing. Organisations need to focus on what really matters - creating an environment that truly values learning, which for many may involve a substantial culture change. The importance of communication, promotion and marketing are presented, with the commitment from the top giving e-learning the necessary status it needs in order for it to be taken seriously throughout the company. Selection of technology is also important as this can be a limiting factor to further e-learning development. Practical implications - Broader considerations for discussion as to whether an organisation is truly committed to an e-learning future or not. Originality/value - This article concludes the series by focussing on what the research tells us for the future development of e-learning.

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The Dearing Commission of 1997 investigated higher education (HE) in the United Kingdom (UK) in response to the changing environment in which HE had to operate. The Commission developed four main purposes for HE within which the issue of skill was raised. Key skills were identified as communication, numeracy and information technology skills. In addition, the Commission recognised that flexibility, adaptability, the ability to work in teams and self-manage personal and career development were skills increasingly required by the individual at work. This article examines the appropriateness of the concept of key skills, as defined by the Dearing Commission, in HE in the UK. The author begins by describing the elements of the changing environment in which HE operates in the UK and then discusses the changing ways of working in HE which may result from this environment. The Commission proposes the management of learning, not teaching and HE institutions not based on research. It is suggested that institutions must increase effectiveness and introduce work practices that meet the needs of individual students. The concept of ‘skills’ in itself is examined and key skills in particular as a specific change in HE. The Commission proposes that key skills, cognitive skills and subject specific skills be developed in every program offered by an institution. In conclusion, the appropriateness of this change to the system is explored.

This article is part of a special issue of the journal entitled ‘VET in transition: renewal, reform or reconstruction?’ The articles are indexed from TD/INT 60.109 to TD/INT 60.115. Show less

Purpose - To draw attention to what experience has shown are the 'must consider' areas to be taken into account when considering an e-learning intervention. Design/methodology/approach - Based on 29 research case studies. Findings - This article draws on the experiences of a number of companies which experienced difficulties in taking the e-learning route. E-learning should not necessarily be used to replace classroom training as it is not suitable for everything. You need to make sure that the learning or training needs drive the technology rather than the other way round, and the technology itself can pose a multitude of problems. The time involved is also commonly underestimated, as is the diverse range of people who should be involved in the start-up team. Practical implications - Attention is drawn to key areas for consideration when venturing into an e-learning development. Originality/value - Reflections of early adopters of e-learning highlight areas of success and difficulty, to help other organisations avoid the same pitfalls.

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In recent years, advances in technology and changes in the market place for education and learning have resulted in a rapid growth of interest in e-learning. Early experiments in the area have indicated that e-learning may not be the apparent panacea to issues of cost effectiveness and widening participation that was initially mooted. Undoubtedly, e-learning provides the opportunity for wider access to learning at all levels, however, such promise is not always fulfilled. E-learning is often construed as simply putting existing teaching materials ‘on the Web’. A shift towards learner-oriented developments requires a major paradigm shift for learning providers, both at the institutional and individual level. Institutions need to be aware of the commitment required to make e-learning effective, while individuals need to accommodate a shift towards greater learner control and responsiveness to the flexibility requirements. Many of the issues surrounding the effectiveness of e-learning initiatives stem from inadequate consideration of whether e-learning is an appropriate solution to a learning need and insufficient consideration of the design and implementation of the resulting product. This paper proposes a set of criteria for those new to e-learning design to consider when exploring whether and how to implement e-learning. These criteria relate to the appropriateness of an e-learning strategy, the interaction between the proposed market and the design of an e-learning product, the nature of student-faculty interaction within the e-learning environment and issues of evaluation. The relationships between these criteria at a generic level are outlined and guiding principles for the development of e-learning proposed.

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Purpose - The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of marketing an e-learning provision in-house in order that it should succeed. Design/methodology/approach - The study was based on 29 research case studies. Findings - E-learning itself has a somewhat negative image with a lot of people, and hence some companies have rebranded and renamed their e-learning provision to 'disguise' it as something else for uptake to increase. Money invested in the technology and design will not correlate with success unless implementation includes substantial effort in marketing. Even then it is unlikely to be successful without top level support on an ongoing basis. Practical implications - It is important to promote the value of e-learning at the early stages and on a regular basis thereafter. Originality/value - Reflections of early adopters of e-learning highlight areas of success and difficulty in order to help other organizations to avoid the same pitfalls.

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Australia has seen the 'massification' of the research degree sector, with higher degree research (HDR) students increasing from 15,000 to 40,000 between 1987 and 2000. Newer disciplines based on practising professions such as business, performance and creative arts, nursing, allied health and education are rapidly seeking to transform themselves into research-based domains of knowledge. This necessitates the transformation of academic communities from practitioners to a more traditional focus on research. Training of research students acquires a complex dimension in this context as supervisors struggle to develop their own research identities. This project set out to develop a toolkit of on-line resources that sits within a developmental framework. The toolkit can be used nationally to help develop academic staff who are new to postgraduate supervision, particularly in emerging research areas.

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Purpose - To share the experiences of e-learning pioneers with regard to the cultural change necessary for e-learning to be successfully adopted in an organisation. Design/methodology/approach - Based on 29 research case studies. Findings - A cultural change needs to take place in organisations for e-learners to engage in the process. Blending e-learning with other forms of learning can be a useful introduction to the discipline, but enthusiasm soon wears off. Common resistances to the concept are explored including lack of time and the loneliness of e-learning, and how the 'any where, any time' element of the provision can be as much of a hindrance as of a help. Practical implications - Suggestions given for ways of overcoming the difficulties encountered by the case study organisations. Originality/value - Reflections of early adopters of e-learning highlights areas of success and difficulty to help other organisations to avoid the same pitfalls.

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