Have a coffee to combat cancer – and learn instructional design at the same time, with the eLearning Network

For the second successive year, the eLearning Network (eLN) - the UK’s foremost professional association of users and developers of all forms of e-learning – will be raising money for Macmillan Cancer Relief as part of this year’s ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ at its conference in London on Friday 29th September.

The ‘business’ part of the day will, as in last September’s eLN meeting, involve collaborating to develop a piece of e-learning from scratch during the day.

The objective is to take a simple, self-contained learning need, and create an e-learning solution in one of eight groups led by design and development specialists.

Each group will be challenged to create a distinctive version of the ‘project’, working with different goals, target groups and development tools (some with fully-functioned authoring systems and some with the commonplace Rapid Development tools that reside on everyone's desktop).

The event will give delegates chance to practise and compare one another's approaches to the five major phases of instructional design - all in one day! As the groups analyse, design, develop, implement and evaluate their pieces of e-learning, it is anticipated a good deal of fun and learning taking place, together with some interesting transactions between design teams and the development resources who, by invitation, will turn their ideas into a more or less ‘finished’ reality.

“This is a refinement upon last September’s eLN conference, which attempted something similar. It was so popular that we had to turn some would-be delegates away because there was no room for them,” said Phil Green, of Optimum Learning and the eLN’s acting chairman.

“In view of last year’s experience, I would advise anyone who is interested in ID and wants to benchmark their processes and hone their skills during peer-to-peer collaboration with the UK’s best instructional designers, to book their places early this year!”

In addition, delegates will hope to improve on the £100 they raised last year for Macmillan to help people living with cancer.

Last September, 2m people around the world had a coffee for Macmillan and helped to raise £6.5m.

One of the event’s key supporters this year is the television actor Martin Clunes. Clunes said: “At a time when Macmillan is changing and broadening its range of services to reach everyone living with cancer, the charity needs everyone’s support more than ever. And how often do you get the chance to take part in a record-breaking event by having a cuppa and chatting with friends and colleagues?”

Vaughan Waller, the eLN’s administrator, commented: “Everyone knows someone who is living with cancer and we all recognise the excellent work that Macmillan Cancer Relief staff do in supporting these people and their families.”

To learn more about the finer points of instructional design, have a coffee or two – and help to raise funds for MacmillanCancer Relief in September, visit www.elearningnetwork.org

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Notes for Editors:

About the eLearning Network

Formed – as The Association for Computer Based Training (TACT) in 1987 – the eLearning Network (eLN), which adopted this title in 2000, is the UK’s foremost professional association
of users and developers of all forms of e-learning. It is a non-profit making body that exists to promote information and best practice among all those who are involved in the e-learning world, as well as act as a networking medium for its members.

For more information about the eLN and eLN events, call 01992 634244 or visit www.elearningnetwork.org

Further information from:

Phil Green, The eLearning Network, 01246 541904
Bob Little, Bob Little Press & PR, 01727 860405