eLEARNING APPEALS TO BUSINESSES - Despite the troubles facing the technology
sector generally, eLearning programs continue to roll along with strong support from many
corporate learning programs. Home Depot, for example, is in the middle of a program to
install computer kiosks in its stores to allow training of its 300,000 employees. Gary
Jusela, vice president of learning at Home Depot, said eLearning cuts the training time
while increasing retention. Black & Decker University has experienced similar results; an
official from the company said that "each hour of eLearning is replacing three to four hours
in the classroom." Other companies such as McDonald's, as well as various federal
agencies and the US armed forces, also have invested significantly in eLearning programs.
The complete article can be found at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26874-2003Apr23.html (Washington
Post, 24 Apr 03 - Edupage, 25 Apr 03)

GAMING AND SIMULATION USE IN BUSINESS - An executive summary of a
survey on Gaming and Simulation was conducted a few weeks ago by the Masie
Institute. Of the 1,085 respondents, 70% said that if they had the opportunity they
would participate in a learning process that used computer games; 20% were with an
organization that was currently using gaming, with 18% exploring or currently developing.
In the area of training, 43% were using gaming for factual information, 42% for technical
or business skills, 28% for soft skills, 19% for leadership skills, and 8% for academic
skills. The overall respondent reaction to the use of computer games for learning was
88% positive to very positive. It appears that there is great interest in gaming and
learning that outstrips the current access. (TechLearn Trends, #256, 15 Apr 03)