E-learning will become even bigger than e-commerce. Daniel Thomas
reports from the World Open Learning Conference
The open learning industry held its inaugural awards at the World
Open Learning Conference and Exhibition (Wolce) in Birmingham last
month, and the loudest cheer of the night was reserved for Stephen
Molyneux, who won the Outstanding Contribution Award.
Molyneux is director of the Development and Evaluation of
Learning Technology Applications Institute (Delta) at the
University of Wolverhampton where he currently holds the Microsoft
chair of advanced learning technologies.
Speaking at the awards dinner, he said, "I am thrilled and
honoured to receive this award and consider it to be the pinnacle
of my career to be recognised by my peers in this way - especially
for a contribution to something that I am so passionate about."
The Delta Institute is dedicated to the promotion and use of
information technology in education and training. Molyneux's
responsibilities at the university include monitoring technological
advances which could benefit the student population, as well as
reviewing the strategic implications of information and
communication technology.
In addition to being director of the Delta Institute, he is also
director of The Learning Lab, a centre of excellence for ICT in
training and education solutions. And in 1998 he was made a
distinguished fellow of ICL for his contributions to the computer
industry.
Molyneux is chief architect of the European Regional Development
Fund Broadnet project, a joint £2.6m venture between ICL, IBM,
Telewest and the University of Wolverhampton, which is aimed at
providing university-to-industry services across the West
Midlands.
He strongly believes that IT will play a vital role in education
and training in the future. "E-learning is set to become far bigger
than e-commerce. With an estimated growth rate of 141% over the
next five years, e-learning will have the sort of impact on
education and training that hasn't been experienced since the
invention of the printing press," he said.
"How can I fail to be enthusiastic when UK e-learning companies
will have the opportunity to be a part of this learning
revolution," he added.
Other award winners included Wendy Cliffe of Scottish Equitable,
who was named Learning Resource Centre Manager of the Year. She was
appointed in 1997 and dramatically increased the usage of Scottish
Equitable's learning centre to over 16,000 hours last year (75%
utilisation of the centre). As a result, the company saved over
£150,000 in 1999 compared with the costs of comparable training by
traditional means.
When a new learning centre opened in the building in which Janet
Henry had been working in Stockton on Tees, she embarked on a
programme of IT skills. Encouraged by her rapid progress, Henry,
who had been working as a part time cleaner in the building for 15
years, prompted others to enrol. her actions meant she was recently
offered a full-time contract as a learning assistant. For her
sterling efforts, Henry received the New Learner Award.
wolce winners
Outstanding Contribution to the Open Learning Industry:
Stephen Molyneux
Learning Resource Centre Manager of the Year: Wendy
Cliffe, Scottish Equitable
New Learner Award: Janet Henry
Generic Product of the Year: Electric Paper
Bespoke Product of the Year: AdVal