The year that was! And, the year ahead…
Well, the first thing that stands out about year 2006 is the philosophy of “Vasundhara Kutumbakam” which means the whole universe is one family, also well espoused in “The World is Flat” by Friedman. The shrinking of the world was more evident in 2006 as we saw passions rising for Learning 2.0 and web 2.0 technology, wikis, podcasts, increased blogging, webcasts, and online networking. Certainly, the world has shrunk and web-users have a plethora of options to feast on. Gone is the era of push-learning, welcome the new age pull-learning that transcends all modes of gathering information.
While blogging hit an all time high in 2006, podcasting tempo fizzled out. Serious blogging increased and this lent credibility to blogs. Companies are increasingly using blogs to showcase their capabilities and it has become a powerful marketing tool.
Second Life seems to promise a second lease of life for eLearning. It’s much talked about, although the real benefits in eLearning are yet to be seen. As always, new terms and jargons like u-Learning (ubiquitous learning) has also surfaced. The new message that is coming out loud and clear is that eLearning is moving out of the defined parameters of content, control, and LMS; and moving into the informal domain of chats, blogs, webcasts, and learning communities.
For the eLearning industry, the year was marked by falling costs, lower margins, M&A deals, sell-outs, and patent rows. Thomson sold NETg e-learning business to its rival SkillSoft for $285 million. Blackboard’s attempts to file for patent rights over eLearning technologies triggered an online debate across the world about the future of open source movement.
Memorable Events for Us
2006, our company, Kern turned two; and like all two year olds, it lived up to the epithet of troublesome two! New ideas, new clients, new ventures, and an exciting bunch of people driven by enviable passion for whatever they do. Like a proud parent, I see Kernites growing in stature everyday.
The most significant event of 2006 was the birth of our eLearning blog - Learnability Matters. What started as a chronicle of our Saturday sessions (more about this later) and research findings has become an interesting platform for each member to put forth his/her ideas to the world. It’s doing mighty well, attracting close to 90 visitors a day!
It takes time to identify the philosophy that you believe in. It takes even longer to practice this philosophy. 2006 saw our eLearning development methodology – LCM (learner-centered methodology) – come alive. It stood for our philosophy - learner is the king! It is one thing to believe in it and another to get your clients appreciate its essence. The crusade for the latter is still on and we know it’s a tough road ahead.
Challenges in 2007
The biggest challenge for eLearning industry in 2007 is to reinstate eLearning as the primary mode of training. Until today eLearning has been a secondary, cost-saving option. It has not been accorded the seriousness that classroom training gets. Despite the technological breakthroughs and advances, eLearning still is a country cousin to traditional classroom training. The biggest challenge is to move the focus from low cost, off-the shelf canned eLearning programs to quality customized products tailor-made for learners.
Another big challenge is to develop a foolproof evaluation mechanism to prove the effectiveness of eLearning at the deployed places.
Other persistent concern is about the decline in the quality of eLearning. Glorified PowerPoint presentation still dominates the majority of eLearning courses developed today. The latest casualty for eLearning—it is hijacked by technology-driven companies who substitute instructional designers with technical writers or just do away with instructional designers!
There is increasing competition in the eLearning industry. The sad part is competition is not driving quality higher but driving costs lower! Consequently, its forcing eLearning companies to focus on cutting costs rather than improving the quality of products.
The biggest challenge for Kern is to find the right marketing partner. So far it has cruised along beautifully based on word-of-mouth marketing; but as it matures, we need to find the right marketing partner to sustain its development and move higher in the value chain.
Predictions - 2007
As awareness about eLearning increases, companies will reject page-turners and demand better quality of eLearning. The eLearning industry will have a clear demarcation. Those who provide niche learner-driven eLearning that guarantee ROI and those who mass manufacture page-turning courseware.
There will be more studies conducted to prove the effectiveness of the learning programs.
In India, many traditional business houses and business giants will move towards online training to train people across various geographic locations.
Podcasts will die out while blogging will emerge more effective than traditional marketing techniques, recruiting, and training modes.
Game-based learning will touch new heights. Adult learners will want to choose their learning based on their attitudes and perceptions and not be force-fed mind-numbing page turners.
For Kern, we hope to see our research and development unit a major force to reckon with. Also a brand new office! 
Geeta:
Welcome to The Big Question. i liked your observations, particularly the unfortunately circumstance of greater competition creating a low price market pressure versus a competition for better quality.
Good luck to you and everyone at Kern as you move into your 3rd year.
Dave Lee
Blogmeister
Learning Circuits Blog
If your were awed by Friedman …
Watch the 13-minute overview (below).
Just off press …
The World is Flat?
“Globalization is Threatening to Hollow Out America’s Middle Class,” Assert Business Analysts
Thomas Friedman’s recent New York Times bestseller, The World is Flat, asserts that the international economic playing field is now more level than it has ever been. As popular as it may be, some reviewers assert that by what it leaves out, Friedman’s book is dangerous.
“The world isn’t flat as a result of globalization,” say Ronald Aronica and Mtetwa Ramdoo, business analysts and authors of a critical analysis of Friedman’s book. “It’s tilted in favor of unfettered global corporations that exploit cheap labor in China, Indian and beyond. Today’s global corporations go to the ends of the earth to employ factory workers for 20 cents an hour and PhDs in science and technology for $20,000 a year,” add Aronica and Ramdoo. In short, “Globalization is the greatest reorganization of the world since the Industrial Revolution,” says Aronica.
From boardrooms to classrooms to kitchen tables and water coolers, globalization has become a hot topic of discussion and debate everywhere. But by what Friedman’s book ignores or glosses over, it misinforms the American people and policy makers.
Aronica and Ramdoo’s concise monograph, The World is Flat?: A Critical Analysis of Thomas L. Friedman’s New York Times Bestseller, brings clarity to many of Friedman’s stories and explores nine key issues Friedman largely disregards or treats too lightly, including the hollowing out of America’s debt-ridden middle class. To create a fair and balanced exploration of globalization, the authors cite the work of experts that Friedman fails to incorporate, including Nobel laureate and former Chief Economist at the World Bank, Dr. Joseph Stiglitz.
Refreshingly, readers can now gain new insights into globalization without weeding through Friedman’s almost 600 pages of grandiloquent prose and bafflegab. “It’s of utmost urgency that we all learn about and prepare for total global competition. If you read Friedman’s book, and were awed, you really should read more rigorous treatments of this vital subject. Globalization affects all our lives and will be of even greater significance to our children and grandchildren,” says Ramdoo.
Aronica and Ramdoo conclude by listing over twenty action items that point the way forward for America and other developed countries. They provide a comprehensive, yet concise, framework for understanding the critical issues of globalization. They paint a clear and sometimes alarming picture of the early twenty-first century landscape, and present timely information needed by governments, businesses, and individuals everywhere.
Watch a thought-provoking 13 minute Overview on the Web:
http://www.mkpress.com/FlatOverview.html