Online Learning Europe

2003-02-05T06:46:00.000-08:00

INFORMATION SOCIETY WEBSITE
[5 February 2003] The European Commission has launched a research networking website for its Information Society programme.

2002-12-17T06:48:00.000-08:00

United Kingdom - Scottish Enterprise launch new website to increase broadband take-up
[Europemedia.net - 16 December 2002] The website is focused on how broadband can benefit businesses in Scotland and provides an impartial guide to high-speed internet access, what it is, how it works and where to get it.

2002-12-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

Is the consumer e-business ready?
[IT-Director.com - 22 November 2002] It is interesting to read the recent report 'the World's Most Effective Policy for the e-Economy'. Available online, it examines Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and the UK using more than 100 selected criteria and rates which age groups and households are comforable in the online age.

Skills get the go-ahead by the government
[ITTraining - 28 November 2002] Skills for business are high on the political agenda, the Government announced at last week's UK Skills Convention in Manchester.

2002-12-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

Ireland & Hong Kong strengthen ICT Links
[eBusinesslive - Enterprise Ireland - 9 December 2002] Ireland & Hong Kong have issued a joint statement designed to strengthen trade and economic links between the two countries, especially in the ICT sector. It identifies the following areas of cooperation between Ireland and Hong Kong:
1. on-going dialogue and consultations between Ireland and Hong Kong regarding the development of e-commerce, including building an international framework for e-commerce;
2. exchanging information about Government policies and measures to develop and promote e-commerce;
3. delivering Government services on-line;
4. enhancing cooperation between our business development agencies;
5. encouraging dialogue between business organisations in Ireland and Hong Kong and
6. enhancing awareness and confidence of citizens and business in e-commerce
Ms. Mary Harney, Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment of Ireland and Mr Antony Leung, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China recently exchanged this Joint Statement on Co-operation, on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and on small and medium size enterprises (SMEs).

2002-11-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

THE 'NET RESULT: A British Telecom (BT) e-learning success story
[eLearning Magazine - 1 October 2002] The problem: With part of BT's revenue derived from the sale of Internet products and services, it was a little embarrassing that many inside the company knew little of its actual workings. Management realized they had to change that by making everyone, including themselves, Internet savvy. The Solution: A three-tiered approach that catered to different employee skills and requirements. Tier one was on the basics; tier two on advance concepts; and tier three was simulation based activities. ROI: Subsequent internal surveys have indicated that the eXperience course not only helped the employees understand the Internet, but also substantially increased their sales numbers--around 220% increase in sales.

2002-10-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Knowledge management market steams ahead
[Europemedia.net - 24 October 2002] Over the coming five years, the knowledge management (KM) software and services market will exhibit strong growth as more companies begin to understand how to apply KM practices for the improvement of enterprise value, predicts a new report from the research firm IDC.

The Best of the Best—From a Distance: A Report on the MIT Conference on Distance Education and Training Strategies: Lessons From Best Practices
[eLearn Magazine - 25 October 2002] Over a dozen expert panelists from higher education, industry, and government sectors shared their experiences at the MIT Conference on Distance Education and Training Strategies: Lessons From Best Practices conference held on September 24th at the Tang Center at MIT. This all-day conference attracted about 150 learning professionals from the Boston area and beyond, including a panelist who presented virtually from his office in Nairobi, Kenya.

ICT research still lagging behind US
[Europemedia.net - 23 October 2002] Only 19 per cent of the France's private and public research funding is dedicated to ICT research, whereas in the US the ICT sector comes second in terms of funding priorities, behind the fight against terrorism.

2002-10-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

Benchmarking report calls for reforms to increase human resources in RTD
[Cordis Focus - 7 October 2002] While Europe is potentially capable of producing the scientists to meet aspirations of a knowledge driven economy, most EU Member States have inadequacies at almost every stage in the process, according to a new report.

Information day on technology enhanced learning
[Cordis - 11 October 2002] An information day on technology enhanced learning will be hosted by Proacte on 5 December in Luxembourg.

EU outlines its framework for 2003 world summit on the information society
[Cordis - 7 October 2002] In a speech in Geneva on 17 September, at a meeting on the themes and content of the two-part summit, beginning in Geneva in December 2003, Mr Ip Petersen, representing the European Council Presidency, outlined his vision of a framework for the future world summit on the information society.

UK Dominates the Information Society sector - Ireland features strongly, employment-wise
According to recent figures from Eurostat, the EU statistical office the UK has the largest number of firms in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in the EU, although in employment terms, Ireland, Sweden and Finland feature strongly. In 1999 the ICT sector in the European Union accounted for approximately 442,000 companies, 90% of which were in the service sector. Two thirds of these firms (143,100) were based in the United Kingdom, followed by Italy (90,400) and Germany (57,400). Employment in the ICT sector totalled about 4.5 million persons in 1999, of whom two-thirds were employed in the service sector.

2002-10-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

E-learning is where the money is at- new reports

[Europemedia.net - 10 October 2002] Two recent studies--one by On-Line Learning magazine and the other by the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD)--show that up to 60 per cent of companies in the US use some form of e-learning.

2002-10-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Romania - One third of the population never heard of the internet
[Europemedia.net - 3 October 2002] While 53 per cent of the population have heard about, but never accessed the internet, an amazing 33 per cent of Romanians say they have never heard of it.

2002-10-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

FD Learning's e-Learning Market Insight Report
During the past five years the character of the Web has evolved, however unsteadily, from that of a mission to that of a market. This change has been most apparent in the areas of activity that were at the heart of the pioneering vision of the Internet – not least community, knowledge and learning. There seems little doubt that e-learning and associated knowledge services will form part of the emerging post-dot.com, post-September 11th global economy. Nevertheless, from the key viewpoints such as technology, business case, delivery capacity and pedagogy, a number of critical questions remain unanswered. The purpose of this paper is to separate out some of the real issues, the pros and cons, from amidst the market hype and the missionary zeal. [download pdf report]

2002-10-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

EUROPE HATES E-LEARNING?
[ONLINE LEARNING E-NEWS - 24 September 24 2002] An information and idea service of VNU Business Media, THIS WEEK FROM ANAHEIM AT ONLINE LEARNING 2002:

Fair to poor -- that's how three out of five respondents rate e-learning in Europe.

The survey of 433 training professionals from 15 nations shows that 46% score e-learning's performance so far as fair and 15% poor.

Thirty-three percent say e-learning's performance is good, 5% very good and 1% excellent.

E-learning showed badly in the study against two criteria that respondents rated highest in evaluating e-learning:
* It should "function technically without problems
across all users."
* It should have "clearly explicit pedagogical
design principles appropriate to learner type,
needs and context."

Tech performance was inconsistent, said report author Jane Massy in an interview at Online Learning.

Moreover, trainers "found e-learning not to be of any kind of pedagogical soundness," added the Cambridge, United Kingdom, consultant.

"I think a lot of e-learning has really been very bad."

A free summary of the report, "Quality and eLearning in Europe," downloads as a .pdf file at this site from e.learning age magazine.

The full report costs 125 pounds for an e-version, 195 pounds for hard copy.

2002-10-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

EU - Commission gives IBM/PwC deal the green light
[Europemedia.net - 24 September 2002] The advance the deal gives IBM was not enough to raise EU concerns in such a fragmented sector.

WE - Denmark and Hong Kong most mobile internet ready countries
[Europemedia.net - 24 September 2002] Also among the top 20 in a new index were the European countries of Sweden (3rd), Switzerland, the UK (6th), Netherlands, Iceland, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Austria, Germany and Portugal (19th).

European CRM market slows down drastically - report
[Europemedia.net - 19 September 2002] A rebound is projected during 2003 and 2004 reaching nearly 14.4 percent growth.

2002-10-01T06:49:00.000-07:00

Management training is inadequate and suffers from poor attendance, finds survey
[TrainingZONE - 24 September 2002] According to a survey by learning innovator Cambridge Online Learning, UK businesses are wasting up to 20% of their training budgets due to employees failing to attend designated business courses. Over half of those organisations who calculated wastage admitted to losses (which could total somewhere between £217m and £871m per year), and only a fifth claim they suffer no financial loss from lack of training attendance.

Vocational education and training to promote EU integration and mobility in an enlarged EU - Interview with the Minister of Education Ulla Tørnæs
Each year the Education Ministers of 35 European countries meet to discuss education. This year the main topic of discussion will be on vocational education and training as well as youth. While it was decided in June 1994 in the Italian city of Bologna to establish a “European Higher Education Area”, it is now the turn of vocational education and training, says Minister of Education Ulla Tørnæs in an interview.

2002-09-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

Jane Massy at Online Learning 2002 on E-learning in Europe
[Internet Time Blog - 22 September 2002] Jane Massy gave an overview of the Euro market: Collective bargaining the rule. Big demographic shift – aging populations.

Belarus - Government enables e-learning
[Europemedia.net - 27 September 2002] The University will use distance learning technology from the Russian company Prometheus, for the offered courses.

EU - European e-publishing network launched
[Europemedia.net - 27 September 2002] FIGARO aims to investigate new business models for scholarly publishing and stimulate open access to the publications produced and distributed with its infrastructure.

Quality and E-learning in Europe
[elearning Age - 2002] Summary report of a survey that asked European training professionals for their views on the quality of eLearning. Key findings: 61% rated the overall quality of e-learning as "fair" or "poor". [Note: PDF file, 422kb]

Ireland lags behind in Internet Infrastructure
[Enterprise Ireland - 30 September 2002] A recent report by the global telecommunications body affiliated to the E.U, the International Telecommunications Unit (ITU) ranked Ireland 30th of 206 countries in a Mobile/Internet Index which was based on 26 indicators of infrastructure developments, usage and market structure. At face value this may appear a reasonable rating however it is the lowest ranking of all EU countries. Worse still, the Internet usage penetration is measured at just 23%, which is far below the findings of previous studies.

2002-09-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

BAE SYSTEMS and Xchanging Recognised for Excellence in Apprentice Training
[Business Wire - 11 September 2002] - LONDON--The UK Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has designated BAE SYSTEMS as a Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) for its apprentice training programme, managed and delivered to BAE SYSTEMS by Xchanging HR Services. This designation marks BAE SYSTEMS as one of only five work-based learning providers to achieve this status in England. The designation was conferred on BAE SYSTEMS in a ceremony at its Training Centre, near to its Warton and Samlesbury facilities in Preston, Lancashire, by Tony Blair, the Prime Minister.

2002-09-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

UK lags behind Europe in broadband take-up
[Europemedia.net - 9 September 2002] The number of households using broadband internet connections in the UK is lower than in any other country in Europe, according to a new study from Nielsen//NetRatings.

UK Employees Lack Commitment
[International Survey Research - 3 September 2002] - Levels of commitment among UK employees are significantly lower than in most other major global economies. Fewer than six out of ten UK employees wish to stay with their current employer or would recommend it as a good place to work, according to new research entitled UK plc: leader or follower? by International Survey Research (ISR).

2002-09-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

Sustainable Design
Is sustainable design possible in e-learning? Explore this at the Centre for Sustainable Design's conferences in London and Belgium this autumn.

2002-09-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Delivering perfect business presentations
[Cordis Focus - August 2002] Looking for tools to improve your blended teaching? Check out this presentation projector disguised in a fashionable attaché case, developed under the European Commission's Innovation/SMEs Programme.

2002-08-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

Give a dog a phone...
[Europemedia.net - 22 August 2002] In Finland, stalking elk is enter the wonderful world of new technology in September when hunting dogs will be equipped with mobile phones.

2002-08-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

TrainingZONE LearningWIRE - 27 August 2002
Stephanie Phillips, Editor, TrainingZONE: "It's been a busy week for the e-learning industry. Private and public sector organisations have been meeting behind closed doors to agree a set of standards for their e-learning requirements/offerings, while the government's e-learning Task Force has published its recommendation that ICT training should be a free entitlement, delivered online."

2002-08-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

Agora THESSALONIKI, organised by CEDEFOP
2-3 September 2002
Topic: "Train differently - Empowering individual learners" - a place to acquaint oneself with new ways of developing professional competencies.

2002-08-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

Weblogs in Education - Edublogs?
Brief survey the uses of Weblogs in education, with passing reference to pros and cons, problems and issues; the adoption of Weblogs by librarians is a related topic which really deserves separate treatment. Check out a sample edu-blog:
EdGames Blog from San Diego State University's "Exploratory Learning Through Simulation and Games" course.

2002-08-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

IDC News:
16 Aug 2002: European Professional Service Applications Market Likely to Pick Up by First-Half 2003

09 Aug 2002: European HR Services Market to Surpass $34 billion by 2006, Despite New Economy Woes

Aug 2002: Future of Live eLearning: Vendor Challenges and Recommendations

July 2002: Information Smart Organization: An Analysis of the Role of Knowledge Management Enablers Technologies

July 2002: Case Study Profiles: Meeting the Challenges of Organizational Development Through eLearning

2002-08-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

15 quality indicators of lifelong learning performance in Europe
Brussels, 2 July 2002
The first European report on quality indicators of lifelong learning is now available. It examines the quality of lifelong learning in 35 European countries in four central areas: skills, competencies and attitudes, access and participation, resources for lifelong learning and strategies and systems. The report shows that Europe is, as a whole, not performing adequately in the area of skills and competencies.

Entering the Information Age
Berlin, 20 June 2002
Speech by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Education and Culture at the "Club of three" conference, organised by the Bertelsmann Stiftung
E-learning is just one example for the role that Europe can take in setting a common agenda and stimulating Member States. At the European level we can identify concrete common targets and deadlines, so as to stress both the urgency and the responsibility that we share on our way to the information age.

2002-08-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

The new eEurope 2005 Action Plan
The first eEurope Action Plan was adopted in the Lisbon European Council in March 2000, and until now it constitutes the most ambitious effort by the EU to create the most dynamic knowledge-based economy.

European Union Call for Proposals DG EAC/46/02
Preparatory and innovative actions 2002/b - e-learning
e-learning OJ C 179 of 27.7.2002 p.14
Deadline: 30 September 2002

2002-08-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

Communities and e-learning - interview feature
Dr Gilly Salmon, leading author and expert on e-learning, talks to TrainingZONE about learning communities in computer-based training.

2002-08-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

ONLINE LEARNING 2003 EUROPE SEEKS PRESENTERS
DEADLINE: 30 AUGUST

http://www.vnulearning.com/guidelines-olle.htm

VNU Learning seeks formal proposals for breakout sessions at Online Learning 2003 Europe, set for early-2003 in London. Exact dates are still being finalised.

Deadline for applications is 30 August. More information is at the site listed above.

Presentations should cover European-specific e-learning projects, including: case studies, panels, learning differences and strategic approaches. Proposals from North Americans should include European-specific case studies and topics.

Please visit http://www.vnulearning.com/guidelines-olle.htm for more information or contact Steve Dahlberg at +1 612 340 4730 (U.S.) or sdahlberg@vnulearning.com.

******************************************
Steve Dahlberg
European Conference Programme Manager
VNU Learning
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
+1 612 340 4730 | Fax +1 612 340 4759
******************************************

2002-08-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

Graduates put training before salary
Training is a vital element in graduates' choice of employer, according to a poll by Investors In People.