This document discusses e-learning innovations, including the weaknesses of traditional e-learning programs for employed learners and how more interactive approaches can improve effectiveness. It outlines C.A.T.T.I.D.'s experiences using e-learning 2.0 tools like social networking, simulations, and serious games in projects targeting different groups. Simulations allow practical learning but have high costs; C.A.T.T.I.D.'s LABeL has researched immersive education and digital games.

1. E-Learning: Innovation scenarios
Weaknesses of traditional e-Learning
and analysis of more effective methodologies
C.A.T.T.I.D.
Centre of Applications for Television and Digital Technology
Innovation
”Sapienza” University of Rome

2. Summary
• Adults as distance e-Learners: peculiar characteristics
• Weaknesses of traditional e-Learning programs involving
employed learners
• The quest for improved interactivity and the importance of
relationship building
• Towards e-Learning 2.0
– Reference’s framework
– Experience of C.A.T.T.I.D.
• Simulations: opportunities and threats
– Some important aspects
– Experience of C.A.T.T.I.D
– Critical points to take into account

3. Adults as distance e-Learners
Peculiar characteristics (1/2)
Employed learners who participate in distance learning programs are
often quite different to learners enrolled in university or post-graduate
distance learning programs. Adult learners, in fact:
• have a different set of needs, strategies and motivations towards
the learning process
• can be experiential learners and have a life experience that
becomes an additional resource for learning
• are often capable to successfully generate internal motivation for
their learning, frequently based on notions of self-development,
career advancement and achievement

4. Adults as distance e-Learners
Peculiar characteristics (2/2)
• are intent on directly applying their learning and approach learning
primarily as a problem-solving activity
• tend to complete e-Learning in their personal time due to workload
pressures in the workplace
• can experience feelings of isolation through lack of support and a
perceived lack of control. These sorts of circumstances can force
mature learners into non-completion even though they may be
performing well in their distance studies

5. Weaknesses of traditional e-Learning methodologies
involving employed learners (1/2)
Weaknesses of Unsatisfied needs of
traditional e-Learning employed e-Learners
Distributes consolidated knowledge Generate new knowledge building on
personal experiences and previous
achievements
Is often e-Teaching Be involved in learning experiences that
enhance spontaneous and playful dimension
of learning
May isolate the learner Being part of learning communities
Is delivered by a single Make the training an opportunity to build
provider/institution relationships and create discussion and
group sharing
May ignore the learner’s context and Build on their prior knowledge and
previous achievements perceive the applicability of the lessons
learned to their work

6. Weaknesses of traditional e-Learning programs
involving employed learners (2/2)
Formative effectiveness can be affected by the mismatch
between traditional e-Learning features and the employed-
learner’s needs.
E-Learning programs that are exclusively based on self-learning,
display a dropout-rate as high as 75% in working environments.

7. The quest for improved interactivity
and the importance of relationship building
Because of the high failure-rate of traditional e-Learning, many
professionals realized the need to keep in high regard not only the
peculiarities of the used media, but also the adult students’ needs,
expectations and learning style.
Positive results have been achieved through the adoption of a learning
environment embodying:
• Social networking (the so-called “e-Learning 2.0”)
• A well-framed use of simulations and serious games

8. Towards e-Learning 2.0
The advent and the rapid growth of Web 2.0 introduced, in the last
few years, substantial changes in the practices of web-based distance
learning.
The spread of social networking and social media, with all the corollary
of interaction and activity in online communities, has created a kind of
literacy to peers’ collaboration and information/knowledge sharing.

9. Towards e-Learning 2.0
Reference’s frame (1/3)
Since 2003 Web 2.0 has been characterized by a rapid growth
followed, at a later time, by a slowdown, thus testifying to its
maturity.
Web 2.0 provides different media, allowing for different ways to have
a dialogue and collaborate: this could help learners, in an instructional
environment, to enhance their knowledge in a more participant and
motivating way.
Which 2.0 applications could be used in a learning environment?
What is nowadays their actual diffusion?

10. Towards e-Learning 2.0
Reference’s frame (2/3)
• Social Networking Services (November 2009: over 450 million
profiles on social networking sites)
• Blogs (The size of the blogosphere has doubled every 5-7 months
in recent years and more than 100,000 blogs are created daily)
• Wikis (Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown rapidly into
one of the largest reference websites, attracting at least 684
million visitors yearly by 2008. There are more than 75,000 active
contributors working on more than 10,000,000 articles in more
than 250 languages)
• Tagging, Social Bookmarking e Folksonomies (January 2010:
About 5 million blogs posted at least one tagged post)

11. Towards e-Learning 2.0
Reference’s frame (3/3)
• Media Sharing Services (More than 1 billion photos are uploaded
in photo sites. December 2009: there were 2,500 university
channels on YouTube and many learning-related topic groups).
• Podcasts (The estimated number of podcasts in 2010 was over
1.000,000 when, only three years earlier, there had been fewer
than 100,000)
• Online social gaming (more than 1000 MMORPG, “Massive(ly)
Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game”, exist today worldwide.
Playing games online is attracting a quarter of the total worldwide
Internet population)

12. Towards e-Learning 2.0
Experience of C.A.T.T.I.D. (1/7)
Currently C.A.T.T.I.D. is involved in various projects where, among the
key elements, strategies and tools of e-learning 2.0 are used.
Among the most significant are:
• AddMe, Activating Drivers for Digital eMpowerment in Europe
• Cemsdi, Civil-servants Empowerment for Multi-media Service
Delivery ICT-enabled
• ESCS, Training European Senior Civil Servants for tomorrow

13. Towards e-Learning 2.0
Experience of C.A.T.T.I.D. (2/7)
AddMe, Activating Drivers for Digital eMpowerment in Europe
ADD ME! is a pan-European network bringing together into a common
framework and learning environment, by means of a community of practice,
the different social and institutional organizations that support or can
support disadvantaged groups in becoming major beneficiaries of public
services to which they are entitled.
Target:
• elderly poor and retired seniors
• youngsters not in education, employment and training (NEET), and non-EU
teenagers that are integrating into a local community with their families or
by themselves
• individual civil servants from small or medium size local governments,
mainly those administrations that do not pertain to large metropolitan
areas and suffer the digital divide

14. Towards e-Learning 2.0
Experience of C.A.T.T.I.D. (3/7)
AddMe, Activating Drivers for Digital eMpowerment in Europe
Partners:
1) CATTID (CATTID) (Coordinator) IT 11) 4C Hungary (4C) HU
2) KS Nalra (KS) NO 12) eINK Hungary (eINK) HU
3) GISO (GISO) GR 13) Nottingham City (Notts) UK
4) ADICONSUM (ADI) IT 14) Esd Limited UK
5) Inesc Porto (INE) PT 15) Vysocina Region (VYS) CZ
6) Gov2u (Gov2u) GR 16) Seniornett Norge (SEN) NO
7) Digital Access (DA) GR 17) CEMR (CEMR) BE
8) University of Adgar (UIA) NO 18) Santa Maria de Feira Mun. (SMF) PT
9) Comune di Modena (CM) IT 19) I2BC (I2BC) ES
10) Fondazione Mondo Digitale (FMD) IT
Start Date: November 2009 Duration: 24 months

15. Towards e-Learning 2.0
Experience of C.A.T.T.I.D. (4/7)
Cemsdi, Civil-servants Empowerment for Multi-media Service
Delivery ICT-enabled
CEMSDI is a project to empower the public sector in Europe, through a
strong capacity building initiative of civil servants and other practitioners by
creating a validated learning environment supporting planning,
reorganization of administrative procedures and working methodologies,
service delivery and communication with citizens and enterprises using the
modern ICT.
Target:
• civil servants from local and regional governments
• practitioners from associations, agencies, institutes, local networks and
enterprises created by local/regional administrations
• practitioners from SME’s

16. Towards e-Learning 2.0
Experience of C.A.T.T.I.D. (5/7)
Cemsdi, Civil-servants Empowerment for Multi-media Service
Delivery ICT-enabled
Partners:
1) INNOVA EU Belgium (Coord.)
2) CATTID (University of Rome “La Sapienza”) Italy
3) Scuola Superiore della Pubblica Amministrazione Locale Italy
4) Comunità Montane Media Valle del Cerchio (Toscana) Italy
5) Norwegian Association of Local Authorities Norway
6) Asociaciòn de Municipios del Pais Vasco EUDEL Spain
7) Robotiker Spain
8) Electronic Service Deliver (ESD ) Limited UK
9) INESC PORTO Portugal
10) Régie Cooperativa VARD- 2015, CIPRL Portugal
11) Vysocina Region, VYSOCINA Czech Republic
Start Date: April 2010 Duration: 24 months

17. Towards e-Learning 2.0
Experience of C.A.T.T.I.D. (6/7)
ESCS, Training European Senior Civil Servants for tomorrow
The course aims at improving competences, networking skills and knowledge
for those officials who have regular exchanges with their European
counterparts or those interested in working in the Public Administration of
another EU Member State. This type of mobility scheme will enhance
learner’s career development and will provide them with a significant
experience in an international and highly professional environment.
The ESCS is an innovative model of transnational training and networking,
thanks to the active involvement of European schools and institutes of
public administration from 9 countries.
The e-learning module lasts six weeks and is highly interactive, with full
tutorial assistance to users and interaction and collaboration via a “forum
café” and a “wiki”.

18. Towards e-Learning 2.0
Experience of C.A.T.T.I.D. (7/7)
ESCS, Training European Senior Civil Servants for tomorrow
Partners:
• the Scuola Superiore della Pubblica Amministrazione - SSPA (Italy)
• the Ecole nationale d'administration - ENA (France)
• the Bundesakademie für öffentliche Verwaltung im Bundesministerium
des Innern - BAköV (Germany)
• the National School of Public Administration - EKDDA (Greece)
• the Kormányzati Személyügyi Szolgáltató Közigazgatási Képzési Központ -
KSZK (Government Centre for Public Adm. and Human Resource Services)
(Hungary)
• the Krajowa Szkola Administracji Publicznej - KSAP (Poland)
• the Instituto Nacional de Administration Publica - INAP (Spain)
• the National School of Government (United Kingdom)
• the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (France)
Start Date: November 2009 (3rd ESCS Course)

19. Simulations: Opportunities and Threats
Simulations allow to turn theories and hypothesis into concrete
examples by showing their application in real settings.
They make possible the creation of an environment suitable for
experiments without risk and/or consequences of various sort.
They have the ability to directly involve the learner, placing him at the
center of the situation.
They are suitable for training in managerial contexts, because they
allow the learner to experiment new behavioral strategies, evaluating
the effects of decisions in the short and long term.

20. Simulations: Opportunities and Threats
Some important aspects (1/2)
Some of the characteristics of simulations are very useful in learning
courses that involve students who are placed in professional contexts:
• Learners’ identification. In order to fulfill its role and educational
purpose a simulation should be able to engage the learner.
Since this training approach is characterized by a videogame-like
structure, a simulation is capable of attracting and maintaining the
attention of learners for its whole duration, even if they repeat the
experience

21. Simulations: Opportunities and Threats
Some important aspects (2/2)
• Practical approach, problem solving oriented. The submission of
real settings allows to place the learner at the center of the
reference context and actively involve him/her in resolving the
problem
• Obtaining feedback. At the end of the simulation, the learner is
invited to consider his/her 'performance', by evaluating the
decisions taken, the exchanges made, the critical steps and the
total path conducted. This is an opportunity to re-considerate the
adopted strategy

22. Simulations: Opportunities and Threats
Experience of C.A.T.T.I.D. (1/2)
LABeL is the e-Learning Laboratory of C.A.T.T.I.D. where, over the
years, extensive research and experimentation have been run on areas
such as immersive education, mobile learning, complexity education
and digital game based learning, with special focus on simulations
and serious game.
In 2009, moreover, was held at Label a series of seminars aimed to the
systematization of knowledge and practice on simulations, serious
games and business games, by analyzing and comparing many
national and international experiences.

23. Simulations: Opportunities and Threats
Experience of C.A.T.T.I.D. (2/2)
An example of effective use of simulations in a business context is represented by
the case “Bank robberies: Security measures and effective actions” of ABI
Training.
• The online simulation allows users to interact with the robbery event in a
likely but protected context
• It is addressed to all operators of commercial network
• It has an estimated duration of 4 hours
• It is built on three scenarios with different dynamics of the robbery and
involving a different number of robbers
• Within each scenario, the story is structured in steps, which leads the learner
to the decision-making
• At the end of each scenario the user receives a report that analyzes and
comments every choice

24. Simulations: Opportunities and Threats
Critical points to take into account
Main problems related to the use of simulation in educational
contexts:
• Long time for implementation and high production costs
• Need to employ professionals that are still rare on the market
Therefore it is not appropriate to invest much time on the
development of a single training simulation, but to invest in planning a
system designed to automate some of the technical aspects of the
creation process of simulations, thereby enabling those who do not
possess technical skills to work as developers.

25. MORE INFORMATION
www.cattid.uniroma1.it
carlomaria.medaglia@uniroma1.it
g.marinensi@gmail.com