This report summarises the main findings of a research project on how e-learning can help to improve adults’ literacy, language and numeracy skills.

The report provides a framework of the diverse e-Learner profiles found throughout the tertiary sector, taking into account: Demographics. Learning orientations (learning styles). Readiness for e-Learning, and Experience of and attitudes to e-Learning.

This report was commissioned by the Ministry and undertaken by Massey University in collaboration with the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and Otago Polytechnic.

Elearning can have a transformational impact on small business, not-for-profit and other fragmented groups sharing common interests, challenges or opportunities.Being able to provide training to a disjointed group spread over thousands of kilometres on a flexible schedule enables you to capture more people, more quickly, and more effectively.

In the current evolving economic environment, it is important for organisations to effectively implement and utilise e-learning applications, strategies and techniques to up-skill their workforce so that they are more productive, higher performing and competitive in regional, national and global contexts.

Recommended reading, this webpage from the Ministry of Education (New Zealand) summarises key issues and findings from the full report (also available for download). The content is succinct and includes some excellent graphics clearly depicting the process of elearning industry, elearning as it occurs in large companies, and in small or medium businesses, and a model for examining elearning effectiveness. This is an excellent summary of key e-learning issues in the New Zealand workplace, but many of these factors have wider relevance. It also glances towards the future…

When planning for e-life, empower trainers and learners to engage in e-life. Concepts and methodologies of elearning will have to take into account the needs of the small business environment and its learners in order to achieve a wider learning application. A learner driven pedagogy rather than a product driven one could be experienced as the real challenge as it may confront equal opportunities and the democratisation of learning environments, be it blended learning approaches or others.

This brief research report looks at e-learning in small and medium enterprises in Canada to provide an overview which hints at some key factors in utilising this effectively.Though this report was published in 2004, the findings are pertinent, particularly in New Zealand where SME adoption of e-learning is lagging behind the North American experience. The report also outlines very succinctly some of the perceived advantages of elearning – both in theory and in the experience of the SME’s which participated in the research.

Learning is critical to organisation and people development in any organisation. Elearning provides improved and innovative ways to contribute to this vital function. This is a broad and complicated subject, but let’s consider it in simple terms and link elearning with organisation development in plain english. Thorn and Mackey proposed the following checklist for developing people and organisations

The recommended download this week is really a whole series of downloads. Peer Group and Collaborative Learning in real and virtual worlds was the theme for the eLearning at Edinburgh Conference held in August. The full conference programme with links to abstracts, presentations and videos is available.

The information is intended for elearning professionals and is heavy going if you are new to the field, but even a quick glance through the abstracts will give you a sense of the scope of collaborative elearning in practice.

This commentary sets out the clear benefits of elearning for the not-for-profit sector. The link between stated advantages and real case studies illustrates what can be achieved. Creative approaches to building capacity in not-for-profit organisations are well served by the flexibility and customisation that elearning provides.