Innovation and E‐Learning: E‐business for an Educational Enterprise

Citation

Currant, N. (2006), "Innovation and E‐Learning: E‐business for an Educational Enterprise", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 38 No. 1, pp. 54-54. https://doi.org/10.1108/00197850610646070

A first reading of the information on the back cover of this book will give the prospective reader a hint of the style that this book is written in. If you understand completely what it says and have no problems with that style of writing then by all means this is a book for you. If you do not then this book may prove a difficult read.

Nothing about this book seems clear. The content, much of which is insightful and useful, is hidden beneath the academic style of writing. Even the physical layout of the book with its densely packed text and few spaces between paragraphs makes reading difficult.

Who are the book's audience? That may take sometime to figure out. Even the publishers do not seem exactly sure. The back cover information proposes that the book “discusses the development of e‐learning for small firms and a variety of other markets”. The emphasis is mine but it begs the question, what markets? The SME perspective is the one most clearly focussed on but the impression is that the text tries to cover as much ground as possible in the hope of creating a wider market. Yes there is probably something in it for a whole range of audiences. However, unless you work as a manager (training or otherwise) in an SME then you are more likely to want a book that focuses on your specific needs and not this one. I work in an innovative area of e‐learning and I am pretty sure this book is not that relevant to my job. The real title of this book is the sub‐title: E‐business for an Educational Enterprise.

Having said all that, this book is very thorough. The author clearly knows his material. It covers the whole process of setting up e‐learning from consideration of learning theory to implementation, marketing and evaluation.

The book starts by looking at the drivers for change within the sphere of e‐learning particularly for SME's. There are six case studies which show how SME's at different levels of e‐learning integration have increased their use of technology. It then explores the potential for e‐learning as a training tool which is followed by the pedagogical issues to consider when using e‐learning. The book gives a very thorough rundown of the different forms of e‐learning and the technologies involved before looking at strategic and implementation issues. Finally the book deals with quality, value and evaluation.

Overall, this book needs a serious browse before you decide on whether it meets your requirements.