E‐learning: new opportunities in continuing professional development

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-

Effects of traditional, blended and e‐learning on students' achievement in higher education

“…-Individualisation, which is a feature of any well-designed learning environment, can be achieved through e-learning and aims to prioritise the needs of an individual learner rather than on the needs of the instructors, or the educational institution (Klein & Ware, 2003).…”

“…• E-learning might have a negative impact on the development of communication skills of learners. In other words, although a learner might have acquired excellent academic knowledge, yet he or she might not have the skills to communicate this knowledge to others (Akkoyunlu & Soylu, 2006;Klein & Ware, 2003). • E-learning might be less effective than face-to-face learning in terms of aspects of the learning process such as clarification and explanation, as these may be easier in face-to-face encounters.…”

Critical success factors for successful globalised e-learning

“…E-education and e-learning have been criticized because of some drawbacks including social isolation (Klein andWare, 2003, Hameed et al, 2008). Thus, blended learning has been suggested as an alternative (Klein and Ware, 2003) and a lot of evidence exists to support blended learning (Hameed et al, 2008).…”

“…Thus, blended learning has been suggested as an alternative (Klein and Ware, 2003) and a lot of evidence exists to support blended learning (Hameed et al, 2008). Blended learning combines e-learning components with traditional classroom components to produce the most effective education (Hameed et al, 2008).…”

Good practices in asynchronous e-learning — a short guideline document for Polish medical teachers — a pilot study

“…Moreover, it gives students more control over technical and organisational aspects of their learning process. They can tailor the amount of time spent on different tasks to suit their individual needs, rewind, or pause when they feel tired [13,14].…”