News story

Unique Awards for the E-learning Industry

Herts, UKLearning NewsThe Learning Network

In an unprecedented move, the eLearning Network (ELN) - the UK's foremost professional association for users and developers of all forms of e-learning - has joined with publishers BizMedia to launch the eLearning Awards.

The ELN has decided that, in its 18 year history of serving the e-learning industry, the time is now right to promote awards that recognise excellence in e-learning and, crucially, from the perspective of learners.

Vaughan Waller, chairman of the ELN, explained: "For some time, there has been a growing realisation within the UK's e-learning community that industry awards should go to those e-learning projects, that have achieved conspicuous success in delivering the original aims and objectives of the particular e-learning programme.

"So nominations for these awards can only be from those who actually use the e-learning programmes," he added. "Nominations will not be accepted directly from e-learning suppliers who would, by so doing, promote their own programmes."

The eLearning Awards are being officially launched at the Learning Technologies event, being held at Olympia, in London, on 26th and 27th January. The winners of the awards will be announced at a special event in September 2005.

There will be eight awards which have been chosen in a poll by ELN Members:

- The Award for the best e-learning production on a low budget.
- The Award for the most conspicuous return on investment from an e-learning project.
- The Award for the most innovative use of e-learning.
- The Award for the project or strategy that has done most to secure enthusiastic and widespread adoption of e-learning within an organisation.
- The Award for the best example of supporting learners through online coaching or tutoring.
- The Award for the care taken to achieve inclusivity in an e-learning programme for users of all aptitudes and abilities
- The Award for the most successful generic e-learning project of the year.
- The Award for the best use of an enterprise content or learning content management system in the UK.

According to Clive Snell, managing director of BizMedia: "The winners will be judged by key members of the ELN. These awards provide an ideal way of gauging the importance and impact of e-learning on the UK's workforce - rather than having to rely on the claims of e-learning producers, as at present."