E-Learn Speaker

Invited Panel

Past Promises and Present Challenges: A Conversation about Hype and Reality and What’s to Come in E-Learning

Patti Shank

President, Learning Peaks, USA

Phil Abrami

Professor, Centre for the Study of Learning & Performance, Concordia Univ., Canada

Jane Bozarth

E-Learning Coordinator, NC Office of State Personnel's HRD Group

Wayne Precht

Asst. Dir. for Development Learning Applications Dev. & Support, Univ. of Maryland Univ. College

Margaret Driscoll

Managing Consultant, IBM Global Services;

Tom Reeves

Professor, College of Education, The Univ. of Georgia, USA

Abstract:

E- learning has been widely adopted in higher education and corporations but there have been and continue to be plenty of challenges. Promises of vastly cheaper technology-based learning didn’t pan out. Promises of costs savings for travel and facilities have been offset by costs for infrastructure and the high cost of building high-quality instruction. Sucking content from the heads of instructors, subject matter experts, and faculty and turning it into “courses” doesn’t work. Online instruction is often frustrating for learners.

There’s good news as well. Working adults are increasingly able to further their education and careers because of online instructional opportunities. Virtual classrooms and self-paced online courses permit timely access to learning opportunities. The fact that the hype is being replaced with reality is a good thing. Technology can provide the opportunity to improve access, respond to learners’ needs, share knowledge, and improve learning experiences. These opportunities are in our hands and must be taken.

This session is facilitated by a panel of online learning experts and chapter authors from the recently published The E-Learning Handbook: Past Promises, Present Challenges (John Wiley & Sons, 2008). They will discuss the promises and challenges from their points of view and engage the audience in a conversation about fulfilling the promises and dealing with the challenges in the years ahead.