TABLE OF CONTENTSFIGURES AND TABLESFigures A Systems Model for Distance Education2Learning Organization Sub-systems6Distributed Knowledge Transfer Model10E-Learning Framework11Knowledge Management Pyramid1Knowledge Lifecycle13E-Learning Survey Results16I. INTRODUCTIONII. THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGSThe Contributions of Distance EducationA Systems Model for Distance EducationOrganizational DevelopmentThe Fifth Discipline (1990)The Principles of The Fifth DisciplineTable 1ConnectivismConnectivism in The Context of the Learning Organization(Adapted from Downes, 2005, slide 19)III. BUILDING THE LEARNING ORGANIZATIONLearning Organization Sub-systemsClassifications of the Human MindTable 3 (Bellinger, et al, 2004)Benefits of a Service Oriented ApproachDistributed Knowledge Transfer ModelE-Learning FrameworkKnowledge Management PyramidKnowledge LifecycleSteps to Sustaining a Learning OrganizationIV. THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION IN PRACTICEE-Learning Survey ResultsV. CONCLUSIONAppendix A – Learning Organization Survey ResultsLearning Organization SurveyAs part of the survey, each participant was askedUniversity Survey Comments (March, 2005)Government Contractor Survey Comments (April, 2005)Information Services Organization Survey Comments(April, 2005)REFERENCESOMDE 690 - Distance Education Project Jeff Rand The Role of e-learning in Building and Sustaining a Learning Organization OMDE 690 - Distance Education Project Spring 2005 University of Maryland University College Master of Distance Education Program Jeff Rand 13 Saint Thomas Street Providence, RI 02911 [email protected] 690 - Distance Education Project Jeff Rand TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................1 II. THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS...........................................................2 The Contributions of Distance Education.......................................................2 Organizational Development..........................................................................2 Connectivism .................................................................................................5 III. BUILDING THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION .........................................6 IV. THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION IN PRACTICE .................................16 V. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................17 Appendix A – Learning Organization Survey Results ..................................18 REFERENCES ............................................................................................20 FIGURES AND TABLES Figures A Systems Model for Distance Education......................................................2 Learning Organization Sub-systems..............................................................6 Distributed Knowledge Transfer Model........................................................10 E-Learning Framework ................................................................................11 Knowledge Management Pyramid .................................................................1 Knowledge Lifecycle ....................................................................................13 E-Learning Survey Results ..........................................................................16 Tables The Principles of The Fifth Discipline.............................................................4 Connectivism in The Context of the Learning Organization...........................5 Classifications of the Human Mind.................................................................7 Benefits of a Service Oriented Approach.....................................................10 Steps to Sustaining a Learning Organization...............................................14OMDE 690 - Distance Education Project Jeff Rand I. INTRODUCTION What exactly is a learning organization? Many organizations are struggling with becoming one while others are just beginning to recognize the connection between learning and business performance. Research in the area of organization-wide learning began in the 1940’s, but it was in the frenetic 1980’s that companies like Royal Dutch Shell began to include organizational learning in their strategic planning, recognizing learning as a crucial factor in the success of the enterprise. By the 1990’s, thanks in large part to Peter Senge’s seminal work The Fifth Discipline (1990), corporations such as General Electric, Pacific Bell, Honda, and Sun Alliance began committing themselves in earnest to becoming learning organizations (Marquardt, 1996). According to Senge, learning organizations are: “organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together.” (Senge, 1990, p. 3) In today’s economy, corporations are under tremendous pressure to remain competitive. The ability to continuously reinvent themselves in the face of market changes becomes an imperative to achieving success. However, when compared to most people’s working environments, this utopian vision seems nearly unattainable, prompting the question: What would it be like to work for an organization like that? In the development and sustainment of such an organization, e-Learning plays a pivotal role by utilizing “Internet technologies to deliver a broad array of solutions that enhance knowledge and performance.” (Rosenberg, 2001, p. 28), thus becoming the engine that drives the organization’s ability to respond and compete in a highly volatile business environment. E-Learning acts as an agent of change within the organization. Successfully implemented, e-Learning provides a framework for a new way of thinking about learning and produces measurable performance improvements. The remainder of this paper will discuss the theoretical, organizational, and technical considerations necessary to build an effective learning framework built upon the implementation of a solid e-Learning strategy. In Section IV of this paper, survey results from 4 different learning organizations are also included in order to provide the reader with basis of comparison in order to gauge his or her own