An open-door discussion on learning portals

This recent online interactive chat sponsored by ASTD featured some leading portal players: Hemang Dave, CEO of TrainingNet.com; Kevin Oakes, CEO of C lick2Learn.com; and Joe Miller, CLO of KnowledgePlanet.com. The chat was fa cilitated by managing editor Donna Abernathy of ASTD's Webzine, Learning Ci rcuits, and by T&D Web editor Ryann Ellis. Online visitors joined in. First, the participants discussed the current differing definitions of a le arning portal and the need for some common terminology in the industry. The y concurred that, generally, a learning portal is a place where there is le arning content to buy or to share, or a portal may direct you to other cont ent providers. One participant said that a learning portal can mean differe nt things depending on its function: where learners go to find training res ources, where learners go to take training, or where learners go to find, r egister for, and buy training. All participants agreed that an important aspect of corporate learning port als is community, in order to share knowledge. And many, if not most, curre nt learning portals are offering community. Another necessary component is customized content, especially regarding corporate portals that provide tra ining. Most of the participants also agreed that the current available portals nee d to make selection of content easier and more "prescribed," meaning not le aving it up to learners to do most of the work finding appropriate content for their unique needs. Participants also discuss the criteria for selecting learning products for portals and how portals are shaping e-learning and the training industry. T hey conclude with some predictions about the next evolutionary step.