Kineo discusses global e-learning culture with Martyn Sloman of CIPD

One of the most reliable speakers on learning and technology in the UK is Martyn Sloman, Adviser in Learning, Training and Development at CIPD. He spoke to Kineo, the leading e-learning consultancy, on the changes in the global economy and their impact on trainers and learners, and the role of technology in supporting the individual learner.

Martyn Sloman has long been one of those people you call on when you want the straight story on an aspect of learning and technology. He knows the value of technology, but he also knows its place. Place is an important idea for Martyn, as he explained to Kineoís Stephen Walsh in Kineoís most recent podcast interview, available at the Kineo site: ìThe modern economy puts far more emphasis on the individual, and on individual learning, than on top down learningÖwe were interested in finding whether this was an international phenomenon. We think thereís a global model emerging, based on a derived demandÖat its crudest the issues of delivery of public services in Dublin are not that different from those in Shanghai. Whatís different is that you have different learners with different dispositions.î

Sloman believes that culture is a dangerous word in learning. ìItís not enough to say that learning in China will be different because the culture is different ñ we have to go further than thatî. He went on to make the point that research scientists working for Pfizer in Japan could share more ëcultural similaritiesí in terms of whatís expected in learning and knowledge management with their Pfizer colleagues in the US than they do with others in Japan. This throws into question the idea of national identity and culture as a driver for learning: ìI think thereís a real danger in saying that our approach to learning and development is related to our national identityî, Sloman argues.

So what role does e-learning play in enabling individuals, regardless of their national identity? Walsh and Sloman went on to discuss what individual motivation can mean in e-learning. His message was clear: donít believe the hype. ìE-learning has spent too long at the hype phase ñ we need to get beyond that and look to best practice, whatís actually working to explore whatís really possibly in personalisation and customisationî, he stated. While Sloman believes that the benefit of performance support has still to be proven, thereís no doubt that the individual is in more control of their future learning than ever ñ and has better support through technology than any previous generation. Just donít expect it to be too different from one place to the nextÖ

You can hear the full conversation at
http://www.kineo.co.uk/audio-downloads/martyn-sloman-interview.html

Martyn Slomanís book, The Changing World of the Trainer, picks up on many of these points and will be available in March 2007.

Interested in your own podcast? Kineo can support you in creating podcasts for your own organisation. Learn more at