This publication captures the outputs of an event organised by JISC infoNet, the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) and the JISC, held in February 2005 at the Orange Studio in Birmingham. The event was entitled 'IT Won't Work Here' and it aimed to explore what is required to make Lifelong Learning a reality.

Abstract

The title was a play on words indicating both the need to overcome a range of negative attitudes and for the ALT and JISC communities to focus on more than simply the technology required to support learners moving across the different education sectors.

The event built on the outcomes of a JISC funded Development Programme entitled MLEs for Lifelong Learning and many examples of good practice and innovation from institutions involved in that programme were cited during the day.

To start off we invited four speakers from very different backgrounds to sum up their experiences of supporting lifelong learning and their views on key issues and you can find transcripts of those presentations towards the back of this publication. We then followed with an open forum and a debate on the topic 'Joining up learning across organisations is for the benefit of the institutions/government and not the learner' and we have also included a transcript of what was a heated and lively debate.

The main focus of the event was however a 'Think Tank' in which groups consisting of over 70 delegates and invited experts discussed the areas to be addressed to ensure effective and successful collaboration between FE and HE on e-learning and suggested practical steps to address those key areas.