The paper analyses global online labour platforms (OLPs) through the lens of the Expansive-Restrictive Learning Environments framework. The framework articulates a set of structural factors that enable or constrain workplace learning and development. The paper draws on multistakeholder, mixed-method empirical data to illustrate how OLPs are…

Purpose: This study addresses the need for a validated tool to assess self-directed learning (SDL) behaviors among Thai operational employees in the petrochemical industry. Understanding SDL capabilities is essential for effective human resource development, given the complexity of plant operations and the need for continuous skill enhancement.…

Employability, defined as a set of competences that allow an individual to create and maintain a job, is pivotal for both organizations and employees. Organizations with an employable workforce remain competitive and individuals who are employable experience better career development. The present study investigates self-directed learning…

The importance of skills has been expounded repeatedly as a crucial factor to thrive in the workplace, as opposed to mere knowledge of content. It is important to be able to adapt to new situations; this is especially true in today's world, where volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) are prevalent. To better prepare…

This case study details microlearning content development, testing, and implementation of the NATO Headquarters Supreme Allied Command Transformation (HQ SACT) e-Learning Networking App (NeNA) conducted by an AECT microlearning consulting team. NeNA was designed to provide microlearning "just-in-time" content, to create socialization…

Capacity building for advancing climate-change leadership has become a critical workforce development requirement for both professionals and front-line workers. As the World Economic Forum Jobs 2020 report noted, there is an increasing need to provide short-timeframe opportunities for reskilling and upskilling that will keep step with the…

This paper serves as an exploration and thick description of job performance outcomes based upon the manner in which self-directed learning activities of employees are conducted, mediated by the use of Web 2.0 technologies in organizational settings. It provides a collective view of the role that Web 2.0 technology plays in self-directed workplace…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the new role that human resource developers play in the globally connected workplace. Towards that end, this paper explores the changing landscape of self-directed learning (SDL) within the digital ecosystem based on the concept of World 2.0. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reviews and…

The role of research in university institutions whose primary task is to provide teaching remains ambiguous and controversial. In principle, all university teaching is based on pertinent research. However, for some university units, such as language centres, the basic tasks, and consequently their funding, are very often defined in a manner which…

This paper traces the historical origins of formal and informal lifelong learning to argue that optimal twenty-first-century education can and should draw on the traditions of both the school and the coffee house or cafe. For some time now, educational policy documents and glossy school brochures have come wrapped in the mantle of lifelong…

Purpose: A central issue in the field of workplace learning is how work-related learning can be stimulated so that a powerful learning work environment is created. This paper seeks to further enlarge understanding on this issue. Based on the demand-control-support the aim is to investigate the influence of job-characteristics on the work-related…

The article describes the active network of workers' education in China. Topics discussed include the broad range of disciplines available; school calendars; the use of guest teachers, televised programs, and self-study; and the new Chinese workers' audiovisual center. (CH)

Shares experiences of a human resource development (HRD) book group. Offers practical startup tips, descriptions of different types of book groups, and lessons learned about such groups. Suggests that membership on an HRD book group is an opportunity for self-directed learning in a social context, and it fosters a mindset for lifelong learning.…

Discusses free agent learners--those who take responsibility for self-directed learning--and offers recommendations related to the problems of recruiting, developing, and retaining competent workers in a period of labor market shortages and rapid technological change. (JOW)

This document consists of a series of three short articles that appeared in the "Resource Connections" column of three consecutive issues of the newsletter of the Boston chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). The articles are intended for adults considering enrolling in a professional development program,…