Commentary
The E-learner : a sponge that can soak up inspiration from a worldwide reservoir
by Helen Shiels, Course Director, University of Ulster
e live in a world of instant, 24/7, global communication. Business leaders find themselves working
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in an environment where they are unrestrained by limitations of geography, culture or communication. But do they have the right business education and tools to maximise the potential of this freedom?
There is a constant demand for the search of revolutionary design, products and business practices; which forces organisations to constantly make imaginative leaps rather than simply respond to events or innovations. A well‑educated, leadership and management team that can react and collaborate to realise potential, is crucial to the dynamic economic landscape in which 21st century business exists. Northern Ireland is a small business economy, yet there is a clear need for businesses and organisations to change their mindset, moving from local thinking to national and then to international. It is time for our local businesses to embrace and celebrate the global generation.
Globalisation is not just about location and language translation, it is about building a global mindset and working effectively across multicultural boundaries. Training and development professionals and academics need to develop expertise in designing and delivering training and education, which emphasises cultural and intercultural competency. High‑ performing leaders must be able to foster respect among a multigenerational workforce, lead a global team and mediate cultural conflict and diversity.
Although typical in a downturn economy, some organisations slash training budgets and stop investing in the development of their greatest asset ‑ their people. However, the more progressive companies will seize this opportunity to view training and education as a key business strategy ‑ one that will retain top talent while they weather the economic storm. Professionals who take responsibility for the development of their workforce should know about and understand e‑learning, because it can be a fundamental career‑building tool for the future.
Knowledge and knowledge‑based skills will increasingly differentiate leaders from followers as the workplace of the 21st century becomes increasingly competitive. As the pace of change continues to escalate, some organisations and people will keep up and some will not. Employees who succeed in the career competition will be those who understand and adapt.
Employees who fail to learn will be left with the commodity jobs for which there will be much competition. Career development will increasingly become a personal responsibility. Human Resources will provide career guidance on where to find needed education materials, but learning will be the responsibility of the motivated individual.
On‑the‑job learning will be predominantly e‑learning because of its availability on‑demand when needed. Specific job or professional information will be available on demand for the absorption by the motivated employee. With employees changing jobs more frequently than in the 20th century, employers will place responsibility for career development increasingly with the individual employee.
Future career development will depend more on personal initiative and less on employer‑provided training and the resources will be available online everywhere via e‑learning. Employers may pay tuition costs for successful completion of independent study, but will be less likely to pay for the time investment by the learner. The flexibility offered to the online learner is a significant feature in the growth of on line learning. Higher education has a responsibility to provide high‑level skills for the information economy, and to equip learners as workers and citizens in an information society. Increasingly, employers are demanding a real stake in curricula that may be delivered wholly or partly while learners are at work. Institutions such as the University of Ulster, have initiated more agile processes of curriculum design and delivery, and are discovering that technology can provide the efficiencies and flexibility needed.
The Universityʼs online learning provision is a growth area, with the development of the Masters of Science in International Business a prime example. This has run as a campus‑based programme for over a decade and was subsequently developed for online delivery mode, to meet the demands of potential students and employers in local, national and international markets.
Online learning is an exceptional educational growth area that offers value for money, geographical freedom and flexibility of delivery for educators, individual students and their employers.
Helen Shiels is the course director for the MSc International Business programme, within the Department of International Business, Ulster Business School. For more information, see
www.ulster.ac.uk/intbusiness
www.businessfirstonline.co.uk
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