Chief Learning Officer - June 2008 - (Page 29) IN PRACTICE EUROPE’S E-LEARNING EVOLUTION we need to make learning opportunities available to all in order for them to develop to their fullest capabilities, and this raises accessibility issues where learning is concerned. “Many of these issues can be addressed through the application of emerging learning technologies, especially through location-based mobile solutions, games, simulations and virtual worlds. Innovations in learning such as these should help European organizations to remain competitive in the world economy.” The growth of the Asian economies, together with changes in the structure of Europe’s national economies that see manufacturing and extractive industry declining while the services sector forges ahead, is giving rise to the development of the knowledge workers, who have unique expertise and experience. If their knowledge and skills are harnessed correctly, they will maintain Europe as a key player on the world’s economic stage. If this fails to happen, Europe could find itself left behind in terms of economic development for the first time in centuries. Consequently, developing user-centered learning solutions that can be adapted to individuals’ learning needs is a key objective for the EC and its constituent states. In the past year or so, European learningdelivery technologists have developed mobile learning via wearable computers; enabled the interaction of learners with remote coaches via mobile technology and virtual worlds; and made increasing use of serious games and simulations. At the Online Educa conference in Berlin at the end of 2007, Volkswagen, IKEA, Ericsson and Schlumberger were among the presenters of innovative, as well as more traditional, e-learning solutions to foster EU industries’ greater competitiveness in worldwide markets. Cardinali believes that Europe, with its history and lengthy experience of multiculturalism, is well-placed to cope with variations in languages and cultures and so will be able to rapidly up-skill its workforces to gain a competitive edge in world markets. Moreover, it is well-positioned to use this experience to communicate effectively with other cultures around the world and compete in those markets, too. “One key message that we have learned in Europe is that we must be global, but we must also protect diversity within that global approach,” Cardinali said. “Over the centuries, we have learned the value of multicultural societies. So we need to take account of these multicultural societies and protect our regional differences. “After all, Western Europe has different characteristics from Eastern Europe, and northern Europe is different from the south of the continent. Although English is increasingly accepted as a business ‘lingua franca,’ there are no current moves to adopt a single language throughout Europe.” W ith the arrival of new approaches to e-learning and the development of blended training programs, European fi rms are transforming the workforce development market to respond to the new demands of companies and their employees, not only in Europe but across the globe. In 2007, a study of employees of major corporations in France revealed that although 50 percent of respondents said that they favored the development of e-learning — a 6-point increase compared to the figure from 2006 — there was a sharp decline in the satisfaction rate of users of e-learning solutions. The research was conducted by the France-based training provider Cegos Group. Companies around the world have warmed to e-learning because they see it as an appropriate solution to address the need for rapid, homogeneous training. According to Cegos, international companies are seeking service providers that can offer a full range of training services to support their development worldwide. Whether rolling out new working methods or launching new product offers, companies want to train their employees across the board, wherever they are in the world, as quickly as possible. Yet, that leaves the question of how to provide e-learning programs in multilingual, multicultural Europe. The key here is flexibility: Make sure the solutions are not merely off-the-shelf, but also customizable to meet the needs of a particular audience. Additionally, delivering content in local languages can be very helpful in getting user engagement. Finally, try to incorporate some interactivity, as European learners prefer active development to passive training. CLO – Bob Little At present, each country within Europe maintains its own curricula and defines its own skill sets and competencies. Yet, Cardinali believes that these divisions along national lines need to be aligned with each other, if not combined, to present a consistent message across international borders in today’s global village. “We need to bring curricula and skills in the various countries within Europe into line with each other so that the criteria that define a baker in, say, Italy also define a baker in, say, the Netherlands,” he said. Far from handicapping its competitiveness in world markets, Europe’s ostensible fragmentation — as a collection of nation states, with many languages, cultures and subcultures — has spurred it to harness the latest learning technologies’ capabilities to help its designers produce materials that offer a consistent message to learners, whatever their personal circumstances, culture and learning preferences. CLO Bob Little has been writing and commentating on technology-based training since 1990. His work has been published in the United States, Europe and Australia. He can be reached at editor@clomedia.com. Chief Learning Officer • June 2008 • www.clomedia.com 29 http://www.clomedia.com
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