Automation in Education/Learning Systems

Abstract

The information technology (IT) revolution which began in the latter half of the 20th century has brought great changes to education and learning. The spread of the Internet has made information ubiquitous, changing the emphasis of education from the transmission and acquisition of knowledge to knowledge creation [85.1], and shifting the focus from group to individual education. Since the perspective for discussions of education systems is moving from instructors to learners [85.2,3,4], in place of education systems we adopt the expression education/learning systems. When considering the automation of education/learning systems, along with the impact of information and communications technology (ITC), the effects of educational psychology and educational technology cannot be ignored. This field overall is referred to as instructional design (ID) [85.5]. This chapter examines the history and present conditions of automation in education/learning systems, centered on e-Learning, from the perspectives of information and communication technologies and instructional design. The chapter also introduces two examples from the field of industrial engineering and management systems concerning projects to develop education/learning programs to train Japanese manufacturing management personnel. These examples are both ongoing industry–government–academia collaboration projects aimed at the transmission and development of Japanese manufacturing kaizen (continuous improvement) knowhow and the education and training of management personnel. The chapter concludes with a summary of future issues concerning the automation of education/learning systems and a list of reference materials in related fields for readers who seek further details.