Academics and industry value Learning Light’s e-learning sector report
Learning Light’s definitive report into the UK e-learning sector in 2009 is winning recognition not only among the corporate e-learning community but also among UK academics.
‘The UK e-learning market 2009’, a report by Learning Light, a company limited by guarantee which focuses on promoting the use of e-learning and learning technologies, published at the end of last year, has prompted positive responses from both the commercial and academic worlds.
Using financial modeling and third party research, the report – which updated an earlier market survey by Learning Light, published in 2007 - suggested that the annual size of the UK e-learning industry is currently between £300m and £450m; with growth rates forecast of between 6.7% and 8%.
“This is exactly what I'd been looking for,” commented Anita Pincas, Senior Lecturer and a specialist in e-learning from the Department of Continuing and Professional Education at the University of London's Institute of Education. “The report is extensive, clearly presented and among the best things in the field that I've seen.”
Anita Pincas was alerted to the Learning Light report by Dr Maggie McPherson, Senior Lecturer in ICT in education at Leeds University, who is also deputy chair of the Board of Learning Light.
Endorsing Anita’s viewpoint but from a commercial sector point of view, Vaughan Waller, Senior Instructional Designer with the international accountancy firm Moore Stephens LLP, said: “The e-learning sector has always been extremely difficult to define and, therefore, to quantify accurately. So far, Learning Light is the only UK based organisation that has grasped the nettle firmly and has produced trends and forecasts that are realistic and believeable.
“The benefit of Learning Light’s pioneering work in this field is that with two reports at reasonable intervals, we can begin to view and track trends in this sector over the last couple of years. Both suppliers and buyers of e-learning will be looking forward to further updates of this report.”
“The Learning Light reports make interesting and informative reading,” commented JJ van Delsen, sales director of Giunti Labs UK – the UK arm of Giunti Labs, the multi-national learning and mobile content management solution provider. “Importantly, the report also draws comparisons between the state and sizes of the e-learning markets in a number of European states.”
Matthew Lloyd, Managing Director of Omniplex, a provider of e-learning solutions with bases in the UK and North America, added: “Our own market research data in the UK is beginning to confirm some of the findings in the most recent Learning Light report. In particular, we’re seeing an increase in demand for simpler, easy to use learning management systems as well as a significant rise in interest in mobile learning, along with the personalisation and contextualisation of learning content.”
”Our goal in producing the report was to provide both suppliers and purchasers with an understanding of what’s possible, what’s available and where e-learning services and products are going,” said David Patterson, one of the report’s three authors. “An important part of the process of information gathering and interpretation for the 2009 Report was a series of interviews with organisations engaged in the e-learning market,
“We also commented on the convergence of technologies and design techniques for business, entertainment, gaming, learning and assessment. Finally, we included some analysis of public sector procurement patterns derived from the Learning Light Market Intelligence and Tender Information Service.”
The report is available, as a free download, from http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk or http://www.creativesheffield.co.uk/
End