Engaging in the future of e-learning: a scenarios-based approach

e-Learning has been frequently heralded as a transforming influence on global education and corporate training. Despite such rhetoric, the adoption, diffusion and exploitation of e-Learning by educational institutions and organizations have been slower than anticipated. In this paper we attempt to examine the future of e-learning by adopting a scenario planning approach, which formed the basis of a recent major international conference held in Edinburgh, Scotland in February 2004. We set out the background of the study, the methodology used to investigate the future(s) of e-learning and reflect on the process and outcomes of the exercise to provide some assistance for practitioners in the field. Our general conclusions are that the scenarios have been a valuable starting point to engage in a more informed discussion of how e-learning may transform education and training markets and the ways in which people learn over the next decade.