Technology for building a learning organization : A Scenario Scan

PP Sengupta
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What is a learning organization ?

In his article published in August 1993 in Harvard Business Review, David Garvin defines a learning organization as "an organization skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights."
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What is a learning organization ?

Peter Senge , on the other hand , in his book, The Fifth Discipline, described a learning organization as "a place where people continually expand their capacity to create results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free and where people are continually learning how to learn." This definition is quite abstract. Its focus is on the philosophical approach towards learning.
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What is a learning organization ?

The Society for Organizational Learning (MIT) defines a "Learning Organization" as one in which people at all levels, individually and collectively, are continually increasing their capacity to produce results they really care about.

To summarize
Firstly ,a Learning Organization is more of a collective ideal, a vision. The distinguishing feature about a learning organization is that it promotes a culture of learning, a community of learners, and it ensures that individual learning enriches and enhances the organization as a whole.
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To summarize
Secondly ,a Learning Organization is one that treats learning as a strategic business process tying learning to business results. A key characteristic of a learning organization is one in which learning is woven into the fabric of the organization.
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Ability to learn faster than your competitors

Ability to learn faster than the competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage in todays world. Knowledge Transfer', therefore, will hold the key. Speed and effectiveness of knowledge transfer will become the drivers for organizational learning.
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Role of technology
The question will be how can an organization impart the same knowledge different employees with different learning abilities, scattered over different locations ? Most importantly, how can it ensure that training takes place in tandem with daily operations and pressures of workplace emergencies, without compromising on the quality? How can a organization personalize the training inputs given to its staff?
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" Vulcan mind meld "

These challenges might remind us of the film Star Trek. By placing his fingertips on another person's cranium, Mr. Spock, the hero of the film, could instantly transfer images, knowledge, data, and memories from his brain to theirs, or vice versa. The transfer was quick, cheap, tailored (Spock could extract only the information which he wanted), and permanent. If you look at organizational learning and knowledge transfer, at its simplest, as being the transfer of knowledge or skills from one person to another, Spock's machine " Vulcan mind meld " could become the paradigm for education and training in 2025.
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Technology Of Knowledge Transfer

Classrooms in the world today are quite different from what it used to be ten years back and will be dramatically different ten years from now. Interactive classrooms : Mimioboards or interactive white boards allows the teacher to manipulate computer functions on the white board in the front of the room Sensors are in place in the board that allow the teacher to use a special pen that acts like a mouse by which teachers maneuver through websites, graphs and other lessons and students can even participate by using the board for presentations.
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Technology Of Knowledge Transfer

The Ipad, Ipod touch and the smart phones are making waves in learning with thousands of applications (APPS) to download and use. Now a wiki has been created to help foster this interesting new development.

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Computer based training (CBTs)

Computer based training (CBTs) is another popular method for increasing efficiency of learning, which came into practice in India during early 1990s. CBT is generally delivered in a compact disc (CD) which contains images, video, sound and text. It is driven by a software and provides a user-friendly interface to access the educational contents. The most predominant characteristic of CBT is that it is interactive and not passive. It is also easy to distribute, evaluate and update.

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Commuter Aided learning (CAL)

CAL technology can create environments in which learners can learn by doing, receive feedback, and continually refine their understanding and build new knowledge The new learning technologies can help people visualize difficult-to-understand concepts by accessing different versions of a lesson many times over. Students can work with visualization and modeling software that is similar to the tools used in non-institutional environments
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e-Learning : The Cutting Edge Of Learning Technology

e-Learning typically means using technology in particular, internet or intranet to deliver learning materials. Simply speaking, e-Learning is training that takes place through a network, usually over the Internet or a company intranet. It has its roots in computer-based training (CBT) mentioned earlier which used CD-ROMs to teach mostly technical skills to technical people. While CBT was basically a pre-programmed content- combining text, image and audio, captured and distributed in a CD, CAL is much wider, deeper and more flexible technology.

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e-Learning
Using e-Learning solutions , companies can train a large number of salespeople to use a new product, even if they are scattered in different geographical locations. On the academic front, e-Learning allows people to take online classes in a variety of subjects from remote universities. Even famed universities like Stanford and Harvard now offer courses over the Web, popularly known as virtual campus.
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Asynchronous and Synchronous e-learning

Synchronous e-Learning is similar to a classroom, which means classes take place in real-time and connect instructors and students via streaming audio or video or through a chat room. Asynchronous. It means that learners need not flock to a fixed venue at a fixed time to avail of the learning opportunity. They can learn at their own chosen time and location.
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LMS , VLE and LCMS

Various software solution platforms are today emerging to enable the e-learning initiatives for organizations across the globe. Basically they may be categorized into three broad headings , namely
(1) Learning management system (LMS) (2) Learning content management systems (LCMS) (3) Virtual learning environment (VLE) .
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LMS
LMS is a software application for the documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery courses or training programs , who not only manages and automates administration of the courses , but also delivers learning content rapidly, support portability and standards and customize content and enable knowledge reuse .
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LCMS
LCMS by contrast creates a multi-user platform where many developers authors, instructional designers, and subject matter experts can join and create, store, reuse, manage, and deliver digital learning content from a central object repository, thus eliminating duplicated development efforts.
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VLE
A VLE on the other hand are primarily used by universities and institutes , which allow teachers to manage their courses and interact on an on-going basis with students for long duration courses. In the corporate setting a course may be much shorter in length, completed in a single instructor-led event or online session.
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Current global technology trends in e-learning

Mobile technologies One of the major trend in current technology is integration of e learning into as mobile phones, PDAs, digital pen and paper, and in the long term, mobile devices that are not yet on the market. E-learning solutions and services are also more and more integrated globally into electronic appliances, machines and information interfaces
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Learning Analytics
The second trend in the current technology is growth of learning analytics, which will enable easy access to data on the desktop or tablet for instructors, administrators and even students about how well students are learning and identification of factors which have impact on learning. The rapid expansion of learning analytics in 2012 is probably going to be the biggest productivity tool used by the e-learning service providers and users. The analytics will help to identify at-risk learners , sometimes almost within the first week of a course by analyzing as amount of activity in an online class, response to e-mails, etc.
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Digital game based learning

The third technology trend is the digital game based learning. In 2003, James Gee described the impact of game play on cognitive development. Since then, research, and scholastic interests in the area has nearly exploded, as has the diversity of games developed by the industry . Serious interactive games have emerged almost as a genre. Proliferation of gaming platforms and the evolution of games on mobile devices have nearly revolutionized the learning game scenario.
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Social networks in e-learning

The fourth trend is use of social networks in elearning. Presently trainers, instructors, and learners are using social networking platforms like facebook in many innovative ways as e-learning tools , far beyond its initial stages of replicating, the existing classroom-based models. Learners can collaborate on-line with other learners and the instructors with all kinds of resources like videos, podcasts, blogs, etc, whenever they need them and create their own resources and store them for easy retrieval .
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Open source e-learning tools

The last one in the list is the evolution of Open source e-learning tools. It is estimated that there are already more than 300 providers of commercial e- Learning Management Systems. Out of them about 40 offer open source LMS offerings (some of the most well known are Moodle, ILIAS, eduplone, Claroline and SAKAI), many of them with extensive developer communities. Authors are increasingly more motivated by pride and peer recognition preferring robustness before adding features.

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The Shape Of Things To Come

The fantastic advancement in technology will very soon make the present technological scenario in eLearning or computer assisted learning look like stone-age. The advancement, for example, will take place in broadband multimedia technology , browser technology, platform-independent transmission protocols, and media-capable features such as Java-enabled client-server interactivity. It may extends to readily accessible "new media" such as online multimedia and hypermedia.
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Intelligent agents
Another technology of the future that will revolutionize eLearning is intelligent agents. They are nothing but software tools driven by Artificial Intelligence Technology. They are Intelligent, autonomous, mobile, rational, persistent and moreover proactive . Experts are saying that Intelligent agents would represent the next tidal wave of innovation and development in the Information age. These agents would perform specific tasks on the behalf of students, instructors, and other members of the educational community including parents and alumni. The agent-based technology is expected to have an effect as profound and lasting as the Internet . It is growing to be a continuously evolving and expanding area.

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Predictions for future

E-Learning software will have Cognitive audit trails which will automatically record user actions for recognizing patterns of sub-optimal performance by the learner. In other words , the software will keep a track of performance of an individual learner during all other earlier sessions and will not only remember the response pattern of the user but also provide customized content to him .
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Predictions for future

High quality voice synthesis technology will enable auditory natural language output. Hence e-Learning system will be capable of listening to voice commands and give back answers in natural speech mode.

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Predictions for future

Advancement in display hologram technology will enable visually striking 3dimensional images to be broadcast over networks. The images will have completed depth-offield and parallax when viewed directly with the unaided eye and will actually float in space. A user sitting at Kolkata in front of his computer can view 3-D image of a faculty delivering a lecture in Ahmedabad, in real time mode.
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Predictions for future

Advanced manipulative input devices ( similar to joy sticks in a video game) like gesture gloves with tactile feedback will enable mimetic learning which builds on real world experience.

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Predictions for future

Advanced manipulative input devices ( similar to joy sticks in a video game) like gesture gloves with tactile feedback will enable mimetic learning which builds on real world experience.

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Predictions for future

Artificial Realities i.e immersive, multisensory virtual worlds will be made possible . For example, it will be possible to create a cock-pit of a battle tank with near reality sound, smell, heat, wind speed and jolts and bumps resulting from a rough terrain. Learning to operate a tank will be an intensely motivating simulation providing virtual experience to the trainee.
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Predictions for future

Consciousness sensors will become a reality. Such sensors will take inputs from the users bio-system and send vital signs of the state of mind of the user to the computer. This will enable monitoring the mood of the user and delivering learning inputs customized for that point of time.
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Predictions for future

Artifacts with embedded semi-intelligence and wireless interconnections will be available. This will make portable smart devices in real world settings, operable in an e-Learning environment .Such devices driven by powerful analytical software will continuously predict what is required to be learnt now and then deliver it to the users device in real time.
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Summing Up: What Technology Can Do

Technology increases both productivity and quality of learning. Classroom training requires a trainer, a room, materials and enough learners to make the training worth the investment. With appropriate technology, each learner can access training exactly when it's needed at a time and location convenient for that particular learner. This means no more absence from workplace during training and no more cancelled or postponed training sessions due to production emergencies.
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Summing Up: What Technology Can not Do

In the final analysis learning is a people-centric activity. Technology however great it may be, can not eliminate or undermine the people process. Technology can only increase the speed, quality and efficiency of learning. At the end of the day, the learning has to be applied to work places. Learning has to be treated as a strategic business process linking learning with business results. This requires vision and an enterprisewise learning agility to be built inside the organization. If that is achieved, then only we can make the dream of building a learning organization a reality.
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