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reflections
“DIGITAL TRAINING PLATFORMS: The Tip of the Iceberg, a Maze … or an Archipelago?” By Claire Mazuhelli // Freelance Writer
Over time, through his reflections and given the diversity and large number of digital training platforms, Daniel Baril wondered if these resources were only the tip of the iceberg or if they were more like a maze in which learners had to find the breadcrumb trail to reach their destination. In the end, Mr. Baril concluded that digital training platforms are like archipelagos, made up of thousands of different “islands” and offering multiple possibilities. It’s up to learners to find a way to navi gate between these “islands” in order to find the one that best suits them … a task that is not as easy as it seems.
We had the opportunity to speak with Daniel Baril, Executive Director of the Institut de coopération pour l’éducation des adultes (ICÉA), during an interview on February 8, 2021. He shared his obser vations on his research following a five-year strategic planning process initiated by the ICÉA in 2015. As part of his work, Mr. Baril read through the ICÉA’s 70 annual reports, noting that in the 1960s and 1970s, the ICÉA was at the forefront of adult education, focusing on the issues facing the emerging community sector and the public education sys tem. During the 1970s and 1980s, the focus shifted to computer science, which became increasingly important. The question underlying his research is: which area will the ICÉA focus on going forward? In his research, he also attempted to identify current major trends, the elements shaping the adult education environment and the ICÉA's role within it, by identifying stra tegic intervention areas based on the organization’s mandate. While researching these new trends, one aspect immediately became clear to Mr. Baril: the use of digital training platforms.
These platforms have the potential to transform not only approaches to adult education, but also the way in which adults learn. This is a brand new area, made up of multiple private and public platforms, free or not, operating by monthly subscription and allowing access to all courses in the catalogue, through agreements with companies where learners can choose courses, programs or topics of interest. These companies are designing new models for pedagogy and defining how training is structured. It is a very different reality from classroom-based and public sector training, which is structured around pre-established courses and programs. In particular, the emphasis is put on personalized and individualized pedagogical models that are literally integrated into people’s daily lives, through applica tions that send alerts and suggestions to users. According to Mr. Baril, there are two parallel worlds: the one we know - the adult education world familiar to us, and the other, this emer ging world that does not interact with the latter.
