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e-Learning for Adults
    Education and informtaion technology
 

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Article #2: e-Learning for Adults

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At a recent gathering of 150 deans of MBA to reach short-term revenue objectives,
schools and directors of MBA programs, I as represented by Cisco System's
was on a panel discussing how MBA e-learning courseware demos.
programs can better serve working adult Newly emerging for-profit online
students by moving their programs online. universities, such as Walden University.
One of the panelists, the president of a As mentioned earlier, the difference
for-profit online university, referred to between training and education has been
faculty members as "content providers." A blurred by the convergence of corporate
professor on the panel angrily responded, and university interests in using the
"I am not a content provider. I am an Internet to facilitate learning.
educator! I have been in education for 20 Businesses have always been interested in
years. And proprietary for-profit online application, seeing education as a means
universities pretend to be education to deliver their service or product, not
institutions, but whether you actually as an end in itself. Yet with the advent
provide real learning is very much in of new technologies and the so-called
question." knowledge economy, knowledge itself is
The online university president becoming a differential advantage for
responded, "You are defining 'real business. While continuing their emphasis
learning' as something that can only on skills, businesses also want employees
happen in the traditional classroom. to build shared knowledge about their
Employees now demand just-in-time work that can be transferred elsewhere in
learning that speaks to their context on the company as best practices. Meanwhile,
the job, which traditional universities colleges and universities are losing
are not providing." income to online education delivery
This exchange sums up the gulf between firms, which bring skills and knowledge
traditional universities and newer online to the workplace—and to the working
education providers. This gulf is marked adult—in a way that lets employees gain
by fundamental differences in philosophy education without leaving the job or
over the value and purpose of education disrupting their lives. Conditions change
and the way education should be so quickly that colleges and universities
conducted. But this squabbling leaves are hard pressed to keep up with the
corporations cold. A corporate recruiter, changing knowledge. However, leading-edge
also on the panel, added that universities such as Duke are responding
corporations have a neutral attitude by reshaping their executive education
towards traditional university programs departments to better focus on the
and the new online programs. What evolving needs of corporations. Although
corporations care about is high-quality Duke is radical in creating a for-profit
education, scaleable globally (i.e., can subsidiary (Duke Corporate Education), it
be duplicated and extended easily through points the way to how a university can
the Internet), that leads to practical address corporate educational needs.
on-the-job application. To him, According to recent Corporate University
universities are too curriculum-bound and Xchange research, corporate universities
not customized, but online programs are have on average a $15 million budget, 90
too superficial in their content and full-time employees, and 4,000 students
process. He asked, "Can't universities (Corporate University Xchange, 2000).
and online providers work together?" They also train thousands of adults
As the research director of Corporate across the globe to meet immediate
University Xchange, I find myself short-term business objectives.
agreeing with the corporate recruiter. Corporations are therefore driving the
For-profit online education firms and growth of e-learning delivery. They plan
traditional universities engage in turf to double their rate of spending on
wars that do little to help today's e-learning providers in the next two
students—and tomorrow's employees. years while holding traditional
Cooperation, not competition, between the university spending constant. Providing
two would satisfy the needs of both. the money and the need is what funds the
Defining the New Space of Learning development of adult e-learning, but
The advent of the Internet as a means of short-term profit emphasis can lead to
delivering and facilitating learning is narrow learning solutions that are not
blurring the line between traditional broadly applicable, do not yield portable
academic education, held away from the skills, and do not develop knowledge that
job and focused more on ideas than on the benefits the employer and the overall
application of ideas, and traditional job economy in the long run.
training, held at work and focused more e-Learning technology suppliers have
on applied skills than on the mastery of cost-effective, learner-friendly,
a body of knowledge. This change in the customized asynchronous solutions that
very definition of education is reflected are globally scaleable. However, many
in current terminology: the term also lack understanding of adult learning
"learning" has come to mean improving methodology and produce courses that dull
one's skills through training as well as the user's experience instead of
deepening one's understanding in a expanding it. The technology is there,
particular field of knowledge, an but it is often put to poor use, such
evolution of phraseology to which I that the experience does not interest the
adhere in this article. Similarly, the learner or solve the business problem
term "learners" has begun to replace being addressed. e-Learning instructional
"students" and "trainees," now design is still in its rudimentary
encompassing the meanings of both the stages.
latter terms. Learners can be working Traditional universities have a
adults, not only traditional students. well-developed sense of effective adult
So who has the goods when it comes to learning. They have quality content based
providing e-learning—the delivery of on freedom of expression and rigorous
skills and knowledge through electronic research. Although they are beginning to
means, especially through the catch up, to date they have been slow to
Internet—for working adults? To answer embrace new technologies and add
this question, we should look at those e-learning to the mix, and corporations
who need this type of learning. Working often still find them too theoretical and
adults no longer have a psychological their curricula too standardized to be
contract of fixed employment with one customizable to corporate short-term
company; they are increasingly aware of needs and the busy schedules of working
their responsibility for their own adults.
careers. This causes a deep need among New for-profit online universities, such
workers to ensure that they have the as Walden University and Unext's Cardean
means for a successful career path. To University, offer an approach that
attain this, they first need skills that focuses on working adults and employers
bring success in their current jobs, that as customers, integrates the benefits of
are portable to their next jobs, and that technological delivery, and claims an
increase their market value. Second, they understanding of adult education theory.
need membership in professional networks They offer an integrated solution that
that keep them up-to-date in their holds promise as the comprehensive answer
professions and provide contacts for job to delivering value to working adults,
searches. Third, they need the skills to employers, and the overall economy.
use the new technologies—computers, Although it is still too early to tell
hardware, software, Internet, webcasts, how this integrated model will work, the
chat rooms, and the like—to the extent University of Phoenix Online, currently
that these affect their current work the largest online education provider,
practice. Fourth, they need the already has more than 20,000 registered
legitimation that degrees such as an MBA students and is growing rapidly. The
can bring, but delivered in a way that broader question of how online learning
fits into their daily lives. is best blended with synchronous and
How do the needs of working adults fit face-to-face learning is still being
with employers' goals? Employers support worked out in the marketplace and is a
employees' building their career skills few years away from being answered
and knowledge, since this enhances conclusively.
retention and attraction rates. However, Conclusion
employers also want this investment to The probability is low of finding one
lead to increased effectiveness and entity able to do all of what is
productivity. Employers are attracted to necessary for successful e-learning. This
e-learning because it is scaleable includes the following:
globally and can more easily allow for Combining the efficiency and flexibility
learner customization, such as of e-learning technologies with
translation to local languages. high-context human interactions,
However, an employer's need to have Fitting these to the learner's particular
e-learning meet specific productivity job situation and lifestyle, and
goals is often at odds with the general Providing encouragement and reward for
good of the wider business world. This learner engagement in a manner that
can be seen when an employer spends develops portable skills and benefits the
millions of dollars to create a employer and the overall economy.
customized e-learning solution that could It is much more likely that we can attain
also benefit employees at other a comprehensive solution through
corporations, but the employer restricts partnerships among employers, technology
the intellectual property as a providers, online universities, and
competitive advantage and refuses to traditional universities, with
share it. corporations and adult learners seen as
Although there is tension between the the customers being served. One recent
adult worker's need for portable skills example of a move towards collaboration
and the employer's need for immediate is the A. D. Little-IRS consortium of 17
on-the-job increase in productivity, the universities, who together will provide
overall economy is best served when both online training for IRS employees over
needs are met. As Alan Greenspan (2001) the next five years. ADL is coordinating
has noted, the presence of innovations in the delivery of services through a blend
information technology and technological of online and classroom services. ADL
applications added a significant spur to also claims it will work closely with its
the recent years of economic growth. When university partners to conduct research
the skills and knowledge acquired through and benchmarking studies to improve the
e-learning are portable to other effectiveness of online course design and
companies, labor stays fluid; in other delivery, thus seeking to provide both
words, it is able to flow where demand short and long-term benefits (ADL, 2000).
is. When skills and knowledge can be The IRS, with its need to train employees
applied to current business problems, faster and less expensively, has caused
employers stay productive, benefiting the 17 universities who otherwise could
overall economy. consider themselves competitors to blend
Delivering Education: Online Providers their best e-learning strengths together
Versus Universities in a program that can also contribute to
Who is delivering effective learning to new research.
the burgeoning e-learning marketplace for Our current best hope is to seek the
working adults, using the new potential of collaboration among partners
technologies? There are four primary who in the past have viewed each other as
groups competing to provide e-learning: competitors, but who can gain much by
Traditional universities now adding working together. The A. D. Little-IRS
online curricula. The online MBA for approach is a step in this direction. The
global executives at Duke University's greatest good for all—working adults
Fuqua School of Business is a good and employers, traditional universities
example. and for-profit universities, e-learning
New e-learning platform technology technology suppliers, and the overall
providers who also offer content as part economy—will come from realizing the
of their service. See, for example, potential for collaboration, resulting in
DigitalThink's catalogue of courses. e-learning for working adults that uses
Educational departments of corporations the best contributions of all parties
who train their large global workforces involved.






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