eLearning - where have we got to in the UK Christian community?

The last eLearning newsletter was six months ago, since when I've been more a plumber, project manager and handyman than an educator.  Returning to the screen prompts me to reflect: what has Connected Community Learning (CCL) achieved?  What else goes on in the UK in the name of Christian eLearning?  Where next?

CCL now has 7 courses, but some classes due to start this September are unviable, despite attempts at serious (though inevitably low-budget) marketing.  Elsewhere I am aware of Trevor Thorold in Lichfield (Anglican) Diocese working on an on-line version of a Bishop's Certificate course.  And there is the national Foundations 21 project, a CD ROM plus on-line course that will take two years for a learner to complete, available through bookshops in 2005/6.  I'd be glad to hear of others.  Altogether a slow start - why? and what next?

It's not that the learner experience is poor.  CCL evaluations consistently reveal people highly satisfied with what they have learnt and with the whole on-line experience, the course material, meeting with others, and quality and availability of facilitation.  In similar vein, an article in IT Training (June 2004) headlines “ELearning has more fans than we thought”.  Two recent surveys report “... ordinary employees of major organisations (not techies or teenagers) actually like eLearning. ... SkillSoft's March 2004 survey ... [reveals]  93.5% said they enjoyed eLearning and 98% would recommend it to a colleague ...  e-Learning Age ... obtained responses from 2112 learners in 14 organisations ... 89% would recommend eLearning, 93% would use it again.”  And these were not self-selecting enthusiasts, nor did they get special support once enrolled.

The columnist concludes “SkillSoft found that one of the main obstacles to success was an image problem, based on fear of technology and a lack of understanding about how eLearning works.  One respondent said: ‘The main barrier is taking the first step to do an initial course.  Once that is overcome, people can't help but get hooked on eLearning.’”  But I'm convinced that the challenge is bigger than simply addressing this point for the millions of prospective learners who sit in pews on Sundays. 

Prof John Stephenson (International Centre for Learner Managed Learning) talks about a mismatch between teacher / instructor activity on the one hand and what is technically possible and pedagogically desirable on the other.  He cites two reasons: lack of awareness amongst key players, and a tendency for trainers and teachers to continue with their traditional paradigms.  Both affect the quality of the learning experience and ultimately its uptake.  More anon.

An ex-colleague of mine reported on  eLearninternational World Summit 2004 (www.elearninternational.co.uk).  His question at the end is as pertinent in the church as it is in the world of business and the public sector: How do we get those with their hands on the levers of power to engage with the eLearning debate, to become personal users and then advocates for eLearning?  Only, then, perhaps are approaches to learners really likely to succeed.

Yours in Christ,

Peter Nicholls

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