“Second generation” e -learning: An action-based exploration of design and implementation

This research focuses on some of the challenges involved in making learning organizations a reality as opposed to an aspirational concept, with particular reference to the role that internet technology can play in the integration of work and learning. It has been conducted through an action learning case study approach focused on my involvement as participant-observer in the evolution and development of an e-learning system developed to foster competency development through leadership and management education.

The results emerging over a five year study period lead to conclusions on the importance of a pedagogy-driven (vs. technology-driven) approach to the design and implementation of e-learning, and to important insights on the integration of work and learning in practical contexts. Specifically, it makes the following contributions to both theory and practice: (1) The importance of understanding the distinction between “first” and “second generation” e-learning system designs, and their respective contributions to technical learning as opposed to the open-ended “self-organizing” learning required in the field of leadership and management development; (2) Knowledge of a four-level approach for blending different learning modalities to maximize the performance impact of e-learning in work settings; (3) The importance of “Learning Triangle” interactivity between learner ↔ content ↔ context as the basis for effective applied learning as opposed to abstract learning, and the ability to integrate learning, knowledge creation and knowledge sharing in practical work settings; (4) Four learning team models emphasizing the importance of understanding the relationship between “content” and “context” in promoting individual, team and organizational learning; (5) A helpful matrix for understanding and mapping the characteristics of learning organizations in theory and practice in terms of their capacity to deal with change and deliver positive learning impacts; (6) A deeper understanding of the importance of seeking negatives to falsify emerging themes and “hypotheses” in action-learning research to bring scientific rigor to the process of exploration and discovery.

In summary, the research provides a strong endorsement on the use of e-learning technologies for catalyzing the creation of learning organizations “from the ground up” and provides insights on the e-learning and implementation designs likely to be most effective in practice.