Taking part in Online Educa Berlin, an international conference on technology supported learning and training, based in Europe, did you perceive a different view toward Online Education here in comparison to US conferences?

Dr. Brandon Hall: Yes indeed. First of all, I noticed the growth of the conference over the last years. This is very rare for US conferences. I have recognized much more cross-cultural awareness of the attendees, which was to be expected, but it was very much in evidence. There are a lot more collegial discussions - lots of affiliations, committees, sharing groups. In the US it is more individually based; at ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN it was more group-centric.

Should US companies have the same intensive look at European developments as is the case from Europe toward the US?

Dr. Brandon Hall: The learning of best practices should go both ways. The US needs to watch more and observe more of all aspects of elearning: client usage, vendors and suppliers, management perspective, etc.

There have been some big movements in the US technology provider market. How do you see the market after these acquisitions? What are the consequences for the customers?

Dr. Brandon Hall: I am very pro-customer. In view of that, I am still pleased to see some consolidation. There are simply too many providers in each category for many of them to make any money. But it does distract all involved during an acquisition. If one of the technologies is made obsolete, that leaves people hanging, and that is what happens in most cases. That is how the acquirer gets more customers. Unfortunately, the CEO almost always gets up and says nothing will change.

In Europe there hasn't been much consolidation. There are many small technology providers; there are a lot of developments at universities. Can diversity be sustainable in the technology area?

Dr. Brandon Hall: Traditionally, no. But the game is changing, and it may prove to be a reasonable model. Usually, if people's money is tied up in a smaller product, there would not be the money to invest in a major tool.

Open architectures, Open Source - is it real competition for the big LMS vendors?

Dr. Brandon Hall: No, only for the smaller ones, especially at universities. Larger user companies do not have the freedom to be that risky or to test it now.

At Online Educa Berlin we heard that the future lies in services and tools that help the knowledge worker and are embedded in formal and informal processes. Is the quality of a Learning Management System still decisive or will services become increasingly important?


Dr. Brandon Hall: Learning Management Systems are still the major fundamental systems that support it all. Once that is taken care of, internal staff will look to services and new tools.

As a knowledge worker, what would your wish be? Which services could help you most?

Dr. Brandon Hall: I'd like to have a well-developed learning portal where my courses are listed, and suggestions for new ones are in place. A combination of learning resources, knowledge resources as well as tools and guidance for my work would be helpful. Links to outside resources where I can learn more about my job would also be useful.

In your keynote you mentioned implementation as a key trend. What does it take to work? Are there key issues for companies?

Dr. Brandon Hall: In a nutshell, one could say "change management", but that begs the questions. The #1 item is getting the people on board with it so that there is less resistance and more support. So it involves the individual's working resolve.


Where do you see the key topics and issues in 2006?

Dr. Brandon Hall: In many of the items above, plus more simulation, more blended solutions.