A note from the publisher
Looking ahead to the next issue
Vol. 34 No. 2 (2002) of Industrial and Commercial Training will be a special issue on the dynamic nature of e-learning and the whole context in which it is being applied. Guest-edited by Bob Dodds and Bryan Smith, the special issue, "Current outcomes and developments in e-learning", explores the practical benefits to be had by organisations from e-learning and also provides insights into the ramifications of anticipating rapid growth in this area. In compiling the issue, the editors have sought to illustrate how the support and achievement of "life-long" learning on an individual and organisational basis can be a key factor for success in the global economy.
Contributions to the issue include:
"E-learning: research and applications" by Gunasekaran et al.In this article, the authors establish both the historic context and overall framework for reviewinge-learning in educational organisations and the public and private sectors. The authors define and clarify the constituent parts of e-learning, provide a conceptual framework, then move on to illustrate the uses of e-learning in practice. The article emphasises the importance of recognising differences in learning style preferences and of providing appropriate learning support services and teaching processes. The authors conclude by offering suggestions on how e-learning strategies might be applied usefully within industry, the arts and science.
"Is e-learning delivering ROI?" is the question posed by Kevin Young in reviewing the findings from his major benchmark study on the status ofe-learning in UK organisations. The study establishes how e-learning has developed over the last year, and how it is predicted to develop over the next two to three years. While there are sector differences, with IT/Telecommunications as the earliest adopters, considerable growth is predicted in all sectors.
In "Demystifying e-learning standards" Harvi Singh addresses the important area of standards and specifications, considered essential in e-learning, with its rapid development and fragmented activities. Singh identifies the key groupings that are driving standards and specifications initiatives, and considers the complexities involved. The article suggests that it is vital for designers/implementers to understand e-learning standards and how applicable they are to their own situations. The author argues that the widespread adoption of a set of learning standards will be a critical turning point for e-learning and will mark the inflection point of dramatic growth for the industry.
Paul Henry provides insights into how e-learning can help turn business strategy into business reality by enabling people throughout the whole organisation to understand "big picture" goals and contribute to the implementation of major strategic initiatives. Businesses may be no less than transformed by empowering people with the right knowledge and skills. His article, "Learning enters the boardroom", illustrates how accelerating the learning process can result in significantly reduced timescales for development and launch of new products and services.
The practical case study, "E-learning in support of induction training at De Lage Landen" by Bob Dodds and Marjan Verest, illustrates how the induction process for new staff in a rapidly developing international financial services company is made faster and more effective by applying the capabilities of the company Intranet. The benefits obtained are described from the perspective of new employees and those involved in human resource management. As operational staff may initially find it difficult to envisage how the new Web-based training will function, the authors illustrate the approach they adopted of visualizing and demonstrating the interactive nature of the planned e-learning induction process, in order to clarify and agree operational requirements.
In "Harnessing learning technology to succeed in business" Bob Little explores the development of learning management systems (LMSs) and their purpose in helping to enable effective learning processes within an organisation. It focuses on a case organisation, Pathlore, in describing how an effective learning process can be achieved for individuals and organisations by the application of LMSs. The author provides insights into the historical background and computer mainframe predecessors of e-learning and points up possible directions for further developments in e-learning.
Finally, in "E-learning and how to survive it", Richard Halkett identifies the opportunities on offer through producing learning experiences tailored to individual strengths and learning styles. The article re-emphasises the continuing importance of the educator/trainer role while also acknowledging the need for more skilled educators/trainers to apply the new tools effectively,so that different and diverse outcomes can be achieved. Halkett stresses the importance of not outsourcing training brainpower and proposes a strong "call to action".
Acknowledging editorial excellence
The 10th Literati Club Awards for Excellence will take place at the Lords Cricket Ground, London, in April 2002. The Editor of this journal, Bryan Smith,is currently identifying the Best Paper from Vol. 33, 2001 of Industrial and Commercial Training, along with a shortlist of other, highly commended articles. Details of all the winning papers will be published in this journal over the coming issues.
The Literati Club itself was formed in 1992 and consists of all authors,editors and editorial board members who have contributed to Emerald's entire portfolio of journals since this time. Emerald seeks to support its author community through the Literati Club's activities, by providing a comprehensive collection of author resources and offering tangible member benefits.
Literati Club members are entitled to:
An interest area e-mail alert service.
Calls for papers alerts.
Regular newsletters.
A premium permissions service.
Liberal copyright arrangements.
A complimentary copy of the journal issue in which they are published, plus reprints, plus PDF version on request.
Online resources for writing and research.
Consideration for the annual Awards for Excellence.
Widest possible dissemination of their work.
For further information on the Literati Club, or suggestions as to how member services might be developed, e-mail literaticlub@emeraldinsight.com
Editor's note
As editor I would like to thank Alan Mumford and Lyn Hedges for their splendid service to the journal over many years. I have known Alan for over 30 years – he was the previous editor of the journal for about seven years and carried on as Reviews Editor for a further 13 years. I shall personally miss his contributions. It is hoped he may be tempted to contribute the occasional book review, and thereby not deprive our readers of his rigorous, punchy,challenging, fair and insightful reviews. Thank you, Alan.
Lyn was my first Managing Editor and put me straight on what I needed to do,whilst offering valued coaching support. She then (too quickly) moved on to become our End Section Editor, which she has carried out for the last 12 years,ensuring that our readers knew just what was newsworthy. Her contributions have been wide ranging (global), always topical and at the leading edge of training and development. Thank you, Lyn.
Bryan SmithEditor
