Supporting a life-long learning culture

EDUCATION

Twenty-five years ago, it was quite normal to have 80 per cent of all post-secondary students enrolled in traditional, full-time university or college programs. Today, those same students represent only 30 per cent of adult learners. In Canada, there's been a huge increase in the number of non-traditional, working adult students.

Rapid technological change requires that firms provide ongoing education to employees in order to stay competitive. Companies that organize themselves to support a life-long learning culture will benefit by creating a highly skilled, flexible and competitive workforce.

The notion of a "corporate university" has emerged as a new option for education. It differs from a traditional training department; it's more of a strategic umbrella for an organization's educational needs. Within a corporate university, companies align their training with their business goals, departmental performance objectives and individual developmental needs. The new learning culture also fosters the development of intangible skills such as leadership, creative thinking and problem-solving.

Corporate universities come in different shapes and sizes. Some, such as Motorola University, have campus locations around the globe. Others, such as Dell University and SunU, have gone virtual.

There's an explosion of alliances between corporations and universities, as companies and non-profits look for innovative ways to offer continuing education. More often, the use of technology to deliver programs includes the Web through Internet or intranet, CD-ROM and videoconferencing. High-speed Internet access has made distance learning much more efficient and interactive. Working adults are discovering they can learn in powerful new ways with technology - learning more, better and faster, at their own pace - after their kids are in bed or while on the road.

The Internet has also transformed our expectations as working adults and as adult students in how we communicate with our teachers, instructors, coaches, peers and colleagues in our learning process. More than ever, a student's learning experience is enriched with an amazing array of technologies through graphics, audio, video, interactive applications, text or references to relevant Web sites. We are no longer restricted by tradition or a predetermined curriculum.

In addition, online instruction has been found to hold many of the quality components of traditional education, without the constraint of the learner's daily schedule. Online education seems to offer motivating, interesting and pertinent content online in a lecture format: images to make a point or explain a procedure, Web chat options, bulletin board group discussions, and instructors as guides to help facilitate the learning process.

While life-long learning could signify a range of educational efforts from adult literacy and basic skills to continuing professional development, the Internet has added a fundamentally different outlet for education. Learning can be accessed and customized to our own personal needs. Workforce education and training via distance learning can assist any of us in pursuing a degree, certificate, diploma and non-credit educational programs.

Lan Nguyen is the chief information officer at Centennial College in Toronto. She has particular interest in applying IT to international development. Lan can be reached at lnguyen@Lmail.cencol.on.ca.

Copyright Plesman Publications Ltd. Oct 2001
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