On the relevance of digital learning cultures within online business education

Abstract

Advancing digitisation on the job requires a rethinking and redevelopment towards a new business education that is able to address the challenges of increasing complexity. Business qualification measures have to do justice to an increasingly flexible and interconnected life and work environment that is linked to the application of new technologies. Thus, the industry of the future, including large, medium and small enterprises, must apply new ways and strategies in order to enable their employees to embrace and adequately deal with the new digital chances and challenges. In this, the important question for research and practice concerning business education is not whether digital formats should be integrated into qualification measures but indeed how they must be applied. An important factor for success is the development and support of new digital learning cultures that promote the integration of digital media as intuitive and self-explanatory devices, thus reducing uncertainty or scepticism. In this way, the opportunities that digital qualification measures offer with regard to individual and lifelong learning, agility, topicality, democratic knowledge transfer, accessibility and cooperation can be effectively exploited by employees, managers and organisations. The development and use of innovative digital learning tools and formats is a requirement; however, it is not a sole guarantee for success. This chapter aims to reflect on the relevance of the development of a fitting digital learning culture within different types of organisations. The varying parameters that are decisive for success are scrutinised: Teachers, students, media and corporate structures each have different requirements, aspirations and contributions towards digitalisation and desired education processes regarding content, goals and methods. Focussing on the manufacturing sector, a concept for developing jointly performed digital learning cultures is outlined in this chapter. It strives to combine and enhance communication, values, didactics, learning contents as well as individual and corporate goals within organisations as livid networks in a digitalised environment.