Epic show report

ITEC 2006

ExCel, 16-17th May 2006
Report by Matt Dolan, Epic

At the recent ITEC exhibition and conference, Epic was once again present. It was the second occasion that we had been there and represents a growing importance of e-learning in the defence sector. For the first time, in 2006, there was a Learning Zone in the exhibition hall and this area seems set to grow year on year as initiatives such as the Defence Learning Portal (DLP), one of the largest e-learning projects in Europe, continue to gather support and, more importantly, content. According to ITEC committee Chairman, Colonel Chris Caswell, the themes for this year’s show were e-learning, Multi Level Training, Simulation, Training in the Live Environment and Interoperability Standards. The majority of these themes have resonance with Epic as we increasingly use simulations in our programmes and have just updated our white paper concentrating on Standards.

There was a buzz around the exhibition this year especially in the area of e-learning with less of the large-scale simulation companies showcasing their fascinating hardware. Despite the obvious attraction of trying a helicopter simulator over a plasma screen demo of an e-learning product, the Epic stand was very busy and I’d like to say thanks to all of our guests; those with whom we were renewing friendships and those we welcomed for the first time. We found that there was a real growth of interest in having e-learning integrated into blended solutions and the change management challenges associated with new ways of learning, in both training and education. Our link to Epic content on the DLP also gained much attention. In terms of demonstrable material, many of our visitors were captivated by the delivery of high quality e-learning material through PDAs.

Owing to the constant flow of traffic to the stand I was unable to witness many of the presentations but took the time to watch Steve Dineen, CEO of Fuel and Donald Clark, former CEO of Epic. Steve discussed brain science, concentrating on recall and repetition to enhance memory. Steve’s theory asserted if the brain is refreshed every 15 minutes with a piece of information, rather then several times during the course of 15 minutes, recall rates improve. Steve also used imagery to enhance the theory and true to his word, every 15 minutes, showed us a picture of a walnut up someone’s nostril as a quick and easy Portuguese lesson. Walnut, in Portuguese, is noz (pronounced ‘nosh’). Sounds a bit like nose, eh? It must be said that I do still remember that lesson, however, there was another word that appeared on the same slide that I don’t recall.

Donald Clark took the floor next to reflect on the paradigm shift in military training. He focussed on lessons currently being learned in Iraq, namely the lack of cultural and linguistic training that troops have received. Lieutenant General John “Mark” Curran recognised that the average US soldier was unlikely to have a second language or to have travelled outside of the US prior to mobilisation and saw the advantage that simulations would bring. The brain uses 80% of its capacity in a simulation as for real activities. This would suggest that simulations have tangible, measurable benefits – something that Epic have been saying for a while.

Donald then went on to discuss formal versus informal learning. Recent findings suggest that one hour of formal learning is worth four hours of informal learning and Jay Cross also highlights this in his spending paradox. Informal learning can take many forms and we heard about wikis, blogs and MMOGs (Massive Multi-player Online Games). Informal communication encourages information flow, teamwork, decision-making responsibility to a level not fully understood by senior management. The message is clear – we must change the traditional delivery methods.

ITEC 2006 was well received by exhibitors and visitors alike. We look forward to seeing you all at next year’s show in Cologne.