No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

I ntroductionWhen commentators identify the most important new social trends spawned by the personal computer revolution, e-learning is often high on the list. 1 To its advocates, it promises cheap and ubiquitous access to learning resources for any student -young or old -with a computer and an Internet connection. To those involved in creating or providing educational servicesfrom universities to commercial publisherse-learning promises a new marketplace for a next generation of learning products.But like other new technologies that have tended to over-promise and under-deliver, e-learning has gone through its own painful process of finding specific applications and willing groups of early adopters before some of its true potential could be realized. One of these applications -and the one that occupies the focus of this paper -is the growing movement of highly trained professionals engaging in continuing professional development (CPD).After a brief review of the e-learning movement as a whole, we will examine this new and growing population of CPD 'earner learners' and show why some of the drivers helping to shape this movement make it one of the most promising areas for e-learning services. Next we will show why professional societies and associations, at the heart of the CPD movement, are best positioned to develop and deliver a new generation of life-long learning products and services. What is e-learning?Defined broadly, e-learning is essentially the application of a new breed of information and communication technologies (ICT) to the delivery of education services. 2 E-learning products can therefore range from simple packages of instructional content in electronic form, to the use of familiar software pro-