Mindset for e-Learning

Jay Cross is credited for coining the word e-Learning. In his foreword to the book 'The Handbook of Blended Learning' he makes a case as to why the corporates are still a hard sell for e-learning in their training departments.

"Corporationns seek self-reliant workers they can trust to do the right thing without supervision. Every manager wants self-starters on her team. Yet when it comes to learning, many workers wait for others to tell them what to do. Why don't they take matters into their own hands? I think it's a vestige of schooling.

Several hundred years ago, cumpulsory schools were set up as a seperate reality. Students were seedlings, while schools were greenhouses to protect them from outside elements. The mission of schools was transmitting values and teaching a body of knowledge. The noise of the real world might taint the righteousness and clarity of the lessons.

Many of us equate learning with schooling. That is why we think of learning as something a person does in isolation and that its ideal delivery takes place in the classroom or the library, cloistered from the outside. Group work is by and large discouraged (it's called "cheating"). Authorities choose the curriculum. Self-direction is viewed as rebillion.

As a consequence Senior managers equate learning and schooling; they remember school as an inefficient way to learn. They are not willing to pay for it."

The premise to bring forth this point is to highlight the stickiness many e-Learning business development operators struggle with. Invariably it is observed that business development executives start comparing the school (read as: classroom) and the move from this classical setting of learning to a more technology based platform of e-learning. What Jay Cross says makes sense. Because such a comparision is a sudden death trap for the executives vouching to bring business. Most times this is frustrating. 

As rightly pointed by Cross, its learning that needs to be highlighted and not the departure of school or classroom to the technology enabled delivery patform. Essentially its the mindset of the decision makers that is botlleneck. Typically in a corporate setting managers like to have onboard team members who are self-starters and for this to happen in the fast paced business environments access and availability of learning in the 'e' delivery format makes business sense.