September 2001 — Editorial
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Accommodating Individual Learning Needs
Though this topic is of concern, the primary interest of educators and trainers now seems to be how to best establish e-learning opportunities and do this cost-effectively. Most monies spent on training are for importation of new knowledge. For instance, an average U.S. company provides 78.6 percent of their employees with training programs, as stated in a recent report issued by the Society for Training and Development. This training costs U.S. businesses approximately $50 billion annually. The importance of the Web as a tool has grown in almost all areas of education and training, but not always because it is the best method to reach educational objectives. Meaningful evaluation assessment of actual performance with well-defined feedback requires well-trained and experienced instructional designers.
The federal government is quite active in e-learning. For example, in an April 1990 memo to the heads of the executive department and agencies in regard to international education, former President Clinton encouraged the advancement of new technology throughout the world to create a global environment. He appointed an international study team that included representatives from the departments of State, Education, Labor and Commerce, as well as from the Office of U.S. Trade and the International Trade Commission. Though the main focus was on supplying e-learning products, it encouraged the use of knowledgeable U.S. educators and trainers to provide students with electronic services (Report of the International Education Study Team: Survey of U.S. Posts, February 2001).
Learning From Each Other
I would like to share with the readers some observations from the Society for Applied Learning Technology (SALT) conference held in Arlington, VA, July 24-26, 2001. "Education Technology 2001" was the theme of the meeting and included some very interesting presentations on the following topics: E-Learning in Education and Industry, Knowledge Management and Support Systems, Technology Applications in Schools and Colleges, and Development of Assessment Systems for E-Learning. However, the last strand dealt more with developmental approaches and implementation than with assessment - a topic that still needs to be addressed.
SALT conferences are not large meetings, but they bring together representatives from industry, government and academia who are involved with educational technology. And we certainly can learn from each other.
I spent most of my time at SALT's Technology Applications in Schooling and Colleges strand, but I did attend other sessions and spoke to many individuals. Some of the highlights for me were the following:
Dr. Gertrude Abramson, professor at the Nova Southeastern University, School of Computer and Information Sciences, chaired a three-hour panel. The panelists were online doctoral students sharing their experiences in communication, teaching and learning in a Web-based environment. They are now working in continued professional education, industry training, community colleges, four-year colleges and graduate schools. Some of their comments included:
