A number of key developments recently have made it a difficult choice to decide which article will become this issue’s lead story. However, the February launch of Deutsche Telekom’s global learning services won prime position as it is the first significant telematics-based learning service to be launched by a commercial organisation from the non-traditional education and training world.
In the UK, BT and ICL have been tinkering around with relatively small-scale "proof of concept" projects for a few years but as yet they have not become fully-fledged large scale and sustainable learning services with the exception of CampusWorld, BT’s web-based intranet learning resources service for schools. BT have also recently launched their HomeCampus service but they are giving it a low profile.
France Telecom also appear to be still at the stage of trying to identify what the French education world requires and are still experimenting with technology focused virtual or remote classrooms with video-conferencing equipment and a very didactic style of teaching.
BT and ICL have recently offered their support for the UK launch of the University for Industry, better phrased as a National Learning Network. This has taken second place in this issue as it is still at the idea stage. However, it potentially does have considerable high level support from the Labour Party who may form the new UK government after the general election in May this year. Whether its association with a political party will stimulate or stifle its growth remains to be seen.
The key issue with all these initiatives is to find the appropriate mechanism to develop an interesting idea into a practical, sustainable and scaleable reality. Deutsche Telekom, as a now private commercial company, now appear to have taken the lead in Europe. However, they still have much to do after the hype of the launch, in front of 500 people, has died down. Time will tell if they can do better as a single organisation by offering a brokerage service, compared to the consortium approach which has been attempted by the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities and appears to be the emerging model of the UK focused University for Industry.
Although originally planned to be the lead article of this issue the European Commission’s "Learning in the Information Society" initiative has taken third place. This is because it appears to be primarily just an initiative with no specific new money attached to it. One component of this initiative is focused towards developing a European network for schools and there is likely to be funds available under the Educational Multimedia Joint Call. But the slow bureaucratic procedures of the European Commission often mean that funding for stimulating key developments becomes available after the point when it was really required. Thus the "first league players" have moved ahead with their own resources and then Commission funding often goes to the "second league players" who are often tied-up within a funding dependency culture and often not geared up towards the rapid transfer of new ideas and innovations. It is hoped that the new "Learning in the Information Society" initiative will stimulate developments where they are most needed, but there is clearly a need for some radical re-thinking of how Commission funds should be allocated effectively to stimulate developments at or ahead of the point they are needed.
Those in the "learning business" are funded from both the public and private sector and in total all the players do form a significant business. Research, development and implementation strategies need to be linked up to clearly defined business plans. Key issues involve sustainability - whether it be through a purely commercial activity, a public-private funded partnership or within mainstream public sector funding. Research and development activities need to be built into a longer term business plan - at least over ten years. This applies equally at the"micro" - departmental level of a school as well as at an institutional "meso" level in a university and at the "macro" level of the European Union. Mechanisms need to be in place to quickly fund initiatives to stimulate developments in areas which are falling behind agreed targets.
One current example is the need for continuous training of teachers to make appropriate use of new technologies. Pump-prime funds are needed to stimulate the development of training mechanisms to enable the activity to be sustainable within existing public sector funds.
It is hoped that future Commission initiatives will be much more strategically orientated with flexible mechanisms in place to enable to more rapid deployed of funds as and when they are needed. However, this also requires the "political will" to allow the rapid but controlled re-deployment of resources. In addition there is a need for more flexible mechanisms to allow new ideas and approaches to be taken "on board" by the Commission and not just the recycling of a limited number of ideas or approaches which have become the "pet projects" of a small number of officials.
A clear picture of the current state of developments is also needed. For example the Commission have produced a report on Educational Multimedia within Europe and in other main countries of the world. It is an attempt to get a picture of the current situation but limited resources have only enabled a "thumb-nail sketch" to be painted of each country with no overall analysis. The feature article of this issue does contain a critical analysis of the report - the only one in existence. The Commission has now commissioned a number of "observatory type" studies to look at related issues, but they have only just started and are unlikely to be able to report on the current situation for another twelve months - after funds for the new educational multimedia projects have been allocated.
Just one last comment. There is a need to accept that is very unlikely that much more public sector money will be available in the future. So mechanisms need to be geared towards making much more efficient usage of existing resources. This appears to be the emerging case throughout the world now.