Applying P2P to e-learning

The importance of peer communities in e-learning has been recognised for some time now, as a means for providing learners with moral support and facilitating the exchange of tips, hints and experiences. Content publisher SmartForce (now SkillSoft) has integrated this philosophy into its MySmartForce site, which has more than 1.5 million users. Laura Overton explains: “We are real advocates of connectivity between individual learners. Not only do we provide chat rooms and discussion boards, we’re building exercises into our courses that require learners to collaborate to solve problems.” However, Overton is cautious about turning over control entirely to learners: “We use experts to moderate the interaction between learners and ensure that it stays on track. Someone needs to be responsible for the quality of the experience.”

Five tips for making P2P e-learning a reality

1. Let go of the reins and trust learners to do the right thing. Don’t feel that you have to moderate all learning experiences.

2. Allow users to benefit from contributing content to the repository. At very least make sure their names are featured prominently. Ideally take account of their contribution in terms of your performance management system.

3. Provide users with the software and the training necessary to create quality content.

4. Provide an easy-to-use yet powerful tool to allow users to upload and download content.

5. Don’t allow users to drown in content. Add sophisticated search and filtering facilities to your content management tool. Allow learners to rate the content that they download.

Collaboration between learners is important but it doesn’t take the P2P concept the whole way – where learners are themselves contributing to the bank of content. Overton: “We know how important it is for learners to be able to draw upon tacit knowledge, in particular the insights and experience within their own organisations. We encourage SmartForce customers to contribute their own learning objects to our courses, whether these are web links, PowerPoint presentations, white papers or case studies. This is done at an organisational level, not by individual learners, because learners rely on us to ensure the overall quality of the material in our courses.”

Linn expresses similar concerns: “P2P more than anything represents freedom; freedom from publishing restrictions, from the need for web space and server access, from copyright and legal restrictions. But is this freedom of information helping us address the primary problem we are faced with? Most professional people are information rich and time poor. We want to be informed but what is most useful to us is intelligently filtered information. And the need for less for edited information runs counter to the main drive of P2P.”

Although there may be reservations at this stage about the benefits of allowing learners to make available whatever content they like for the benefit of their peers, they will not be held back by the technology. Learning management systems are increasingly capable of supporting the origination of content from a variety of sources, not only content publishers, but an organisation’s own training department and individual learners. Says Keith Smith, Managing Director of Docent UK: “The delivery of formal learning content in the form of standard courses is necessary but not sufficient. Systems like Docent make it possible for organisations to drag and drop all forms of content into the repository.” But won’t most of this content be simple, passive material in familiar formats, such as Word and PowerPoint, whereas powerful learning needs to be interactive and crafted by professionals. Smith: “We encourage clients to create content in the form of short learning objects that address a real need. In these circumstances, what is being said is more important than its form. However, at the same time we are seeing a new generation of users who are familiar with interactive multimedia technology and will be confident to create more sophisticated learning material.”

Where does this leave us? Well, one thing is for sure and that is that P2P technology as such is a red herring, if not a complete dead end. What is important is the spirit of P2P, the opening up of the gates to learners to put something back for the benefit of their peers - to be a provider as well as a consumer. True we still need formal learning content, developed by subject matter experts and skilled practitioners in the design for learning. But so much learning material does not need to be so formal, it needs to be quick and to the point and express a diversity of perspectives and viewpoints. Let go of the reins just a little and you may find the horse gallops even faster.