Exploring On-line Learning at Work

Location: Meeting Room 1 Ground Floor, Jennie Lee Building
Contact

Introduction
Flexible learning delivered just in time, anywhere, anytime is projected as the future model for provision of professional development. Universities have their virtual learning environments that dissolve the boundaries of the campus and enable support to distributed learning communities. Meanwhile in the corporate world the use of online based knowledge networks support the realisation of learning organisation aspirations. The majority of the Open University’s 260,000 students combine their studies with employment and for many their study is motivated by their career development aspirations. How can employers, professional bodies and higher education harness technology to support professional development of work based learners?

The Open University aspires to demonstrate leadership in the application of ICT in higher education and to innovate in serving the needs of its student population and their employers. This event is designed to improve understanding of the learning environments and contexts which professional work based learners may encounter, and the issues of recognition of learning across the higher education /workplace interface.
We will explore the current and future uses of Social Networking and Open Educational Resources in HE and employment contexts through presentations and exploratory workshop sessions. Anticipated outcomes include improved understanding, future models for integrated learning and opportunities for collaboration.

The programme:
Presentations from speakers involved in the e-learning sector will provide perspectives on the use of e-learning in the world of work.

Laura Overton of Towards Maturity (www.towardsmaturity.org) will present an overview of the use of online learning by employers based on their annual benchmarking activity.
Iain Napier of BT will describe their use of social networking techniques in BT’s Dare to Share initiative.
Lars Hyland of EPIC (www.epic.co.uk) will describe their developments in the application of social networking in learning programmes developed for their clients.
Dave Briggs of Learning Pool (www.learningpool.co.uk ) will outline his role as a community activist supporting user development of learning programmes in public sector organisations.
Peter Chatterton of Daedalus e-World (www.daedalus-e-world.com) has worked with the SME and HE sectors in the application of e-learning and will reflect on his experience of both sectors.
Hal Igarashi has managed Royal Academy of Engineering initiatives in employer engagement, he will describe the challenges of bridging between the worlds of academia and employment.

Following presentations in the morning session the event will then move into workshop mode for the afternoon session. Our external speakers will be joining OU staff with interests in e-learning in support of work based learning, social networking etc to explore future scenarios for the integration of work based and HE centred learning. Facilitators will use a methodology used in our Infinite Bandwidth Zero Latency workshop events (http://www.ibzl.net/ ) to identify shared visions of the future directions of employment related lifelong learning and the routes to achieving them.

Please indicate your interest in attending
1. Presentations (10.00-13.00)

2. Workshop Discussions (14.00 -17.00)

Lunch will be provided from 13:00 to 14:00 for attendees of either, or both sessions.
Please contact Gail Vardy via esteem@open.ac.uk to advise your attendance preferences and whether you will join us for lunch, stating any special dietary requirements by 29 June 2011.