Evaluation of eLearninternational

The e-Learninternational 2004 project involved the design, development and hosting of an international e-learning Conference and Awards in February 2004. The key objectives for the project were to: provide an opportunity for Scotland to showcase its potential in key areas of eLearning; build key partnerships within and beyond Scotland; directly link the Scottish eLearning community to global leaders at a Scottish venue; and provide a unique opportunity for industry, government and academia to make better use of and explore the future of e-learning. The aim of the evaluation was to develop an understanding of the extent to which the envisaged benefits had occurred, or were likely to occur in the future.

The methodology involved: a desk based review of documentation relating to the event; a series of 32 consultations with delegates; and an assessment of the economic impact of delegates attending the conference.

A good degree of success was achieved in terms of meeting each of the main objectives of the event. The event made an important contribution to raising Scotland’s profile and facilitated a significant number of new and renewed contacts between conference delegates, and through people drawn in through the scenario development process. A number of key international players now have a more positive view of the sector in Scotland. In addition, most of those interviewed during the consultation process felt that, in the main, their own personal objectives for attending the conference had been achieved. Feedback suggested that that as the sector matures and other networks develop there may be less need in future for such an all embracing event seeking to meet several different objectives. Rather, a more deliberately segmented approach may be most effective.

The report recommends that future work is focused on: building contacts and networks; using the scenarios developed by the project, for example by developing a toolkit which would help businesses apply the thinking in the scenarios; raising Scotland’s profile through promoting the scenarios and good news stories from Scotland through participation in major events and the e-Learninternational website; and spreading knowledge through another more focused event aimed mainly at the commercial sector in Scotland.