E P I C T H I N K I N G
Issue 24: November 2003
This month:
1. Top 5 white papers of 2003
2. Epic Think Tank: Evaluation and ROI
3. Show report: Blended Learning London
4. Book review: Piskurich's guide for
e-learners
5. News: Epic wins Deloitte's Fast 50
WHITE PAPERS
1. Top 5 white papers
Since we last listed our most requested titles this
time last year, requests for Epic white papers
have increased by 250%, showing the appetite is
out there for the latest knowledge and information
about learning and education.
Over the same period the range has expanded from
18 to 27. Below are the titles which have been
most hotly demanded by you in 2003 - in order of popularity:
1. Evaluation and e-learning
2. The future of e-learning:
survey report 2003
3. Blended learning
4. Learning design
5. Blended learning in practice
If you missed any of these first time around, now's your chance
to catch up on some of the brightest thinking in e-learning.
Check out our other white papers
To get your free copies contact
us
EPIC THINK TANK
2. Evaluation and ROI
The advent of e-learning and blended learning has shaken
up the way training departments are required to operate. The
most widely used form of training delivery, classroom, is
cheap to originate and expensive to deliver: with e-learning
things are the other way around - and this encounter with
front-loaded costs has brought a whole new set of requirements
to the learning professional's role. Sound business cases
need to be created, and positive outcomes demonstrated in
tangible terms.
But evaluation is difficult, expensive and time-consuming.
These new requirements are exposing a well-recognised weakness
in the traditional model of organisational learning. Organisations
don't evaluate effectively. By and large they don't have the
tools for evaluating, the budgets for evaluating - nor, in
most cases, the conceptual wherewhithal to go about originating
effective processes for evaluating.
For this Think Tank we brought together leading decision
makers in learning and education across both public and private
sectors to discuss these questions:
- Why evaluate?
- How and when should evaluation best be undertaken?
- Given the limitations of evaluation, how do we prove
the value of learning to the organisation?
Read full
report
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SHOW REPORT
3. Blended gets real - report from Strategy & Practice
in Blended Learning, London
'I came to this conference with a clear aim in view: to find
out what people in training and development currently understand
by the term blended learning - and to hear about work that
is currently being done.
Some war stories, a bit of best practice…
maybe an ounce or two of theory…'
Read John
Helmer's report from this fascinating event
Selected presentations:
Karen
Murphy - the buddy in the blend
Don
Morrison - all the colours, all the sizes
Gilly
Salmon - it's collaboration, stupid!
Adrian Snook - skill up for blended
Michelle
Selinger - localising e-learning in the classroom
Paul
Bacsich - where the numbers bite
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BOOK REVIEWS
4. Getting the Most from Online Learning
Pfeiffer, August 2003
Author: George M. Piskurich (ed.)
Review by John Helmer, Epic.
'…There are times when the obviousness of the advice
here breaks through to a new dimension of banality, and where
a simple thing is explained with such braindead ponderousness
that it eludes meaning altogether, beginning to resemble one
of the more arcane proofs from string theory...'
John Helmer, editor of Epic Thinking, welcomes a
new addition to the e-learning bookshelf.
Read this review
NEWS
5a. Denial of service attack
If you've tried to access the Epic website in the
last week you might have experienced some
difficulties. This was due to our servers suffering a
denial of service attack, which affected our internet
connection and knocked out our email for several days.
This has also meant delays in fulfilling white paper requests.
However the problem has now been dealt with and
normal service resumes!
5b. Epic wins Deloitte's Fast 50 award
Epic has been named as one of the
fastest-growing technology companies in London and
the South East in Deloitte & Touche's sixth annual ranking.
This is the first time that Epic has featured on the prestigious
'Fast 50' list.
Read this Press
Release
EPIC SPEAKS
24-25 November - FERL
Annual Conference
Novotel London West, Hammersmith
Donald Clark will open Day 2
5 December - Online
Educa, Berlin
Epic's Donald Clark will be delivering a
presentation in the theme 'Learning in
Enterprises' entitled, 'Blended Learning in Practice:
Creating Optimal Blends'
RETURN OF POST
If you have:
* a question to put to the Epic Thinking user base
* a response to any of the points raised here
* a suggestion for a topic you'd like to see covered
mail us right now
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