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E‐learning offers many exciting opportunities for supporting a wide range of students to learn more effectively, but it has also created significant challenges for academic staff who feel increasingly strained to rethink teaching methodologies. This article seeks to explore the main barriers faced by academics in incorporating technology into their teaching and goes on to offer guidance and practical tips for a more successful and learner‐centred approach informed by the authors’ own e‐learning research, relevant publications and reflective analysis of their own practice. Awareness is also raised regarding survey findings and discussions with academics that confirm that successful implementation of an e‐learning strategy across an institution depends primarily on senior management’s recognition of the wide range of pedagogical, managerial and technological support needs of teaching staff and the workload implications if new student needs are to be met effectively. It is argued, furthermore, that institutions will only be in the position to draw on established benefits of teaching technologies if staff development programmes are redesigned to incorporate emerging technologies and electronic resources and show how these may be mapped on to pedagogical approaches. The paper aims to demonstrate how the lessons learnt have been applied to date and describes the ongoing activities in making the e‐learning vision a reality at Napier University. As such, the work has a predominately UK focus, rather than attempting to cover a wide range of international practice.

Explores the practical and theoretical issues involved in the evaluation, quality assurance and engagement of operating an e‐learning programme as a distance learning service on an international basis for people in employment. Focuses on the experiences of delivery of e‐learning of a case at the University of Wales, Lampeter that has been adapted from a project into mainstream provision. Suggests that the current emphasis of the prefix “e” in learning application needs to shift from electronic to the more supportive descriptions of engagement, enhancement and execution of the student learning programme. Reviews the current quality assurance recommendations in the context of e‐learning. Concludes with the evidence emerging from the particular case of e‐learning provision at Lampeter and the key findings of the programme.

Under pressure from modern business conditions and practices, technology is being harnessed to help more people learn more things quicker than ever before – thus enabling them not only to do more things but to do new things, and do them better than would have been the case under the traditional, instructor‐led training system. There is a danger, however, that people will fall in love with “technology” and ignore the value of ensuring that e‐learning materials cater for learners’ needs and follow the principles of effective instructional design. One of the leading companies in the field of producing custom built e‐learning solutions, VEGA Skillchange, outlines both its philosophy and the process it uses to ensure that this is the case. Finally, three case studies – Standard Life, Gartmore Investment Management and DailmlerChrysler – illustrate how e‐learning is being used effectively in different contexts to produce competitive advantage.

The paper presents the critical success factors that fostered effective collaborative learning and development among a cluster of UK universities seeking to benchmark their management of e‐learning and related practices.

The data is based on an observational study undertaken during the course of the benchmarking exercise.

Collaboration in the context described was, overall a positive and edifying experience. Collaboration is an activity for engaging socially complex institutions: the idea if collaborative learning, in the cluster of institutions, extended from drawing e‐learning experts and policy‐makers into conversation, encouraging them to think about particular issues, to systematically forging infrastructures and processes to facilitate development and support change.

Collaboration can be a complex exercise. In the experience of the cluster institutions, it was sustained because: there was clarity of purpose; the meetings were well structured; there were no prescriptive methods imposed; there was mutual respect for the various viewpoints; and, moreover, the process was facilitated by an objective critical friend who displayed sufficient knowledge of the social networks to keep the collaborative activity both vibrant and productive.

The activity was part of a large‐scale UK benchmarking activity, involving 73 post‐16 institutions in the UK. Few studies on collaborative activity recognize the role of an objective champion or critical friend and will be of value to strategists and managers of e‐learning.

This paper discusses the lessons learned from applying a theoretical framework for the professional development of teachers. This framework draws three interrelated theoretical areas: constructivism, situated and distributed cognition, and communities of practice. We first present the theoretical ideas on which this framework is based and discuss two projects that were developed following the framework. We then discuss the lessons learned and present the implications for the design of online professional development. The values of commitment, innovation, assessment, evaluation, communication, and interaction that underpins successful online professional development projects are highlighted. It is argued that using technology by itself does not support professional development; however, using technology in ways that are consistent with constructivist learning, and recognizing that online professional communities of practice can contribute to professional growth is something worthwhile to explore.

This paper aims to describe a new e‐learning service for Glasgow City Council's 37,000 staff.

The paper explains the reasons for the new e‐learning service, the form it takes and the advantages it has brought.

The paper reveals that more than 17,000 courses have been implemented and that 26 generic e‐learning courses are available under the headings of communication and life skills, leadership, team development and personal development.

The paper highlights how IT training, which cost £200 per head when delivered face to face, can now be completed at a desk with courses built internally at a cost per head of £2.20.

The paper details a 6 percent improvement in customer service since the introduction of Glasgow Cares, the city council's first internally built course.

The paper reveals that the new e‐learning service is enabling the council to take more control of its training needs in‐house.

To outline the structure and development of a library‐based Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) training programme at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and to describe its origins, implementations and long‐term goals. To explain why WIT Libraries was prepared to diversify from its traditional role and to take on the challenges involved in this project.

Case study report on the VLE training initiative as it has progressed at WIT. Describes WIT Libraries' experience as the main instigator of the WebCT training programme at WIT and questions whether or not this has been an effective medium for the introduction of WebCT to WIT.

Concludes by stating that the Library Unit is capable of implementing a varied, diverse and successful VLE programme. Stresses the importance of the personnel involved to the success of the project to date.

The project is still at an early stage of development. The study provides a short‐term view of one small academic library service's experience of implementing a VLE. No full‐scale user survey has been conducted to date.

This account of WIT Libraries” experience of working with a VLE is likely to be a useful source of practical information for libraries in similar positions, of similar scale, faced with similar challenges.

Offers practical solutions for libraries in similar positions. The successful diversification of the traditional library role is likely to be of interest to all members of the library profession.

The paper aims to discusses two complementary initiatives focussed on developing and implementing e‐learning guidelines to support good pedagogy in e‐learning practice.

The first initiative is the development of a coherent set of open access e‐learning guidelines for the New Zealand tertiary sector. The second project, arising from the e‐learning guidelines project, will implement selected guidelines in 18 tertiary institutions and evaluate the implementation processes and the outcomes.

The guidelines provide a framework for good pedagogical practice that supports quality e‐learning activity and engages staff in critically reflecting on e‐learning practice. The paper describes how e‐learning quality guidelines contribute to enhanced pedagogical quality, greater collaboration, and an approach that is focused on the learner.

Institutions need to provide motivation, support and resources to successfully implement e‐learning guidelines.

The paper describes an innovative approach to collaborating on improving e‐learning quality and coherence across a national tertiary education system.

The aim of this paper is to explore e‐learning’s potential as a change agent for higher education using an e‐learning project, E‐College Wales (ECW), as a case study. E‐College Wales was a large scale, four‐year, longitudinal project which provided a good opportunity to evaluate the potential of e‐learning as an institution‐wide change agent in higher education practices. The findings of this case study are reported via the five dimensions for sustainable implementation of e‐learning, namely learning and teaching, organisation, technology, culture, and strategy and management. The methodology used was qualitative and the data collection methods included interviews and focus groups with the tutors and management of the University at both the beginning and the end of the project. These included looking at their attitudes in their own teaching and learning practice, as well as the way e‐learning was managed as part of the University’s strategy, in order to compare their expectations with what they experienced. The findings from the ECW project showed that e‐learning triggered some initial but vital changes to the University – such as pedagogical discussion that has long been absent – and introduced a more student‐centred learning model, new organisational structure and procedures to support technology‐enhanced learning, and a clear vision and culture that are more responsive to change.

Advances in new media and web technology are making it easier for organizations and their employees, suppliers, customers and stakeholders to participate in the creation and management of content. It is therefore, useful to understand how a corporate communication strategy can leverage these trends. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the take‐up and use of new media in organizations, highlighting a current approach to implementation issues.

The paper reviews and explores new media in organizations from three ecological layers: the social, discursive and technical, addressing who is communicating, the communication content and new media technology used.

The paper recommends a customer‐centered approach to implementing new media adoption in organizations using action research.

Academic literature is lagging behind the pace of technological change, and evaluation studies are limited.

The paper shows how new media and Web 2.0 services can be employed to work in tandem with conventional communication tools such as phone, fax and corporate intranets. Such a hybrid approach enables organizations to maintain and strengthen existing stakeholder relationships, but also reach out and build relationships with new stakeholders who were previously inaccessible or invisible.