The European Association of Distance Learning (EADL) and the PR Training Academy have joined forces to create a web-series of peer-to-peer interviews to offer insights to new entrants into the online education business.
To celebrate their accession to membership of EADL, the PR Training Academy has sponsored a series of interviews with EADL members across Europe to learn about how their businesses had been impacted by the coronavirus and how they responded.
Ellen Gunning, the PR Training Academy director, who is a regular commentator on Irish national television and hosts her own weekly radio program on Dublin City fm, conducted the interviews. “We were delighted to co-sponsor this initiative,” said Ellen. “It is a wonderful opportunity to share insights from industry professionals with trainers who need to suddenly start providing their services online.” she added.
EADL members are at the cutting edge, providing engaging, bespoke, relevant, interactive, professionally recognised courses. Members teach approx. 2 million students each year between them and represent the cream of distance education in Europe. This series interviewed members in Ireland, Holland, Germany, England, Italy, Scotland and Cyprus.
“It is a pleasure work with Ellen and her excellent colleagues at the PR Training Academy. EADL is privileged to have the Academy as a member; I am delighted that Ellen, in addition to her role on our Executive Committee, works closely with us on a number of innovative projects including a series of videos highlighting Covid-19 challenges encountered by our members. I find her expertise in learning and PR, as exemplified by her excellent book ‘Public Relations – A Practical Approach’, to be invaluable” said Tony Horsfield, EADL executive director.
The interviews highlighted the challenges of working in different markets – the issues in the Netherlands were very different from the issues in Africa. The interviews investigated the change in attitude in traditional industries who had previously rejected online in favour of on-site. They discussed the growth in enrolments in serious professional or educational courses and the ‘holding steady’ of enrolments in hobby courses. They looked at the challenges of getting books delivered to people in remote locations, how to teach very visual skills like welding online.
The interviews highlighted the advantages that online education tutors have in the current climate as they were recruited with online presentation skills already well developed. They spotlighted the new opportunities EADL is creating for members by liaising with universities who have been suddenly thrust into the online world, and they looked at the need to change examination structures and possibly marking schemes as a result of Covid-19. “Most of all, this interview series is a wonderful opportunity for peer-to-peer learning, and it was a pleasure to be involved” said Ellen.
The PR Training Academy, a global resource for PR professionals, was created in 2019 by Ellen Gunning, who has nearly 30 years’ experience in distance learning.
PR Training in the 21st Century
Source: The PR Training Academy