The “trillion-value industries”, including semiconductor, flat panel monitor, and ICT, lead Taiwan to stunning performances in the international market. With industries expanding internationally, learning how to spread knowledge and real-time information, such as WEEE and RoHS, and apply it into the industry value chain is vital to company competitiveness.
In the global network, all entrepreneurs should know the importance of e-Learning and how it can keep the industry value chain synchronized. Even so, a total solution is still required.
The Knowledge Promoter of the Trillion-Value Industries
IDB (Industrial Development Bureau) has promoted the “e-Learning Industry Promotion and Development Plan” from 2003 to 2007. During these 5 years, the number of e-Learning providers has grown from less than 30 to close to 200. These suppliers are helping the leading enterprises in the trillion-value industries to integrate their knowledge management portal and flexibly apply their respectable assets to cultivate competitiveness in global market.
The goal of an e-Learning supplier is to test products and services in local market, and then expand to the global market. By the time the local market has grown steadily and the suppliers are able to find a profitable and repeatable way for business, it will be the time to expand globally.
During these 5 years, the output value of the e-Learning industry has increased from NTD 700 million to NTD 10 billion. The industry supply chain has been formed. With such great growth, the e-Learning industry is definitely the rising star of 10x era.
New Market, New Opportunity, and New Strength
The important strategy used by the Institute for Information Industry (III) to execute the IDB’s “e-Learning Industry Promotion and Development Plan” (known as the “Plan”) was to stimulate the need of e-Learning and support the e-Learning suppliers. In the last few years, through incentives and promotions, the development of e-Learning for the domestic market has received extended and continued support from industries. Meanwhile, an applicable environment was also provided to help e-Learning enterprises grow into shape. Learning from the success of IT industry in Taiwan, forming a supply chain is the key to the development of the e-Learning industry.
The e-Learning industry supply chain includes three fields: platform, service, and content. For platform, it aims to help the e-Learning enterprises improve techniques and increase industry competitiveness. For service, the government not only helps to form an industry value chain but also provide high-quality e-Learning ASP (Application Service Provider) to reduce learning difficulty. For content, the government strives for improving the quality of e-Learning content creation in order to gain international orders. Also, in order to receive the highest result, it is crucial to build the learning centers throughout the country to enhance assistance.
To speed the development of e-Learning technology, III has developed tools such as digital content sharing, service exchange platform, courseware edit tools (CourseGo), e-Learning management platform (LMS), B2B element exchange technology, etc. These techniques are successfully implemented in 16 enterprises, including Foxconn, Acer, InterServ International, Kang Hsuan Educational Publishing, Sun Net Technology, LearningDigital.com, and Taiwan Knowledge Bank, and these efforts led to the formation of the e-Learning industry supply chain.
Combining the contributions of industry, government, academia, and research institutes, the enterprises that develop e-Learning solutions have gradually found their positions in the industry supply chain these 5 years. Before 2003, the government had no plan to promote the e-Learning industry, and enterprises with an interest in e-Learning sought this service from the suppliers abroad. However, after the 5-year effort, domestic suppliers have blossomed and currently hold over 80% of local market. In addition, the enterprises that joined the e-Learning Plan continually receive international orders and develop their competitiveness.
Taiwan Platform: An International Standard Platform
In addition to encouraging enterprises to embrace the new technique, the government authorities also promoted a strengthening of R&D for both technologies and products simultaneously. III has experience assisting small- and medium-sized enterprises to apply for the funding projects such as the “New Leading Product Development and Assistance Project” or “Small Business Innovation Research” (SBIR) led by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). Enterprises that have implemented e-Learning such as aEnrich Technology Corp., CyberLink Corp., Hebron Soft Limited, and Asia Training Network (ATN), also benefit from the funding and obtain a good R&D performance.
With the assistance of government authorities, e-Learning suppliers have increased the quality of production and the depth of technology; but due to domestic market limitations, e-Learning suppliers must have the vision to expand to the international market to promote their products and services. Therefore, the IDB endeavored to promote SCORM standard guideline and held the “International Plugfest II” seminar with attendees from 18 countries and 59 organizations, showcasing Taiwan from among other e-Learning providing countries. As the result, over 90% of e-Learning enterprises adopted SCORM standard guideline in Taiwan.
e-Learning suppliers gained recognition in the international market and received orders from international enterprises such as Corning Incorporated, Yahoo!APAC Customer Care, NEC Corporation, etc. It is clear that the adoption of SCORM standard has helped Taiwan’s enterprises gain a great competitiveness, save enormous R&D expense, and enable them to expand market globally. Other than promoting SCORM to the local industries, Digital Education Institute of III is the first organization to receive ADL SCORM 2004 certification in Asia, and also the first organization in Asia to receive the ASTD ECC e-Material qualification.
Service Quality is the Key to Success
As the courseware and e-Learning platform are both ready, the service becomes the key to success and the next goal to be focused on. There are three different service modules: ASP (Application Service Provider), e-Portal & e-Hub, and Mixed e-Learning Center.
Latest trends indicate that the IT industry must transform from manufacturing-oriented into value-added business service model, which is the key point for the e-Learning service providers to focus on. Chunghwa Telecom and LearnBank by Sun Net Technology, for examples, have built up their e-Learning application services by the ASP business model, which allows their customers to pay by usage without an enormous start-up investment. This also increases the willingness for industries to implement.
e-Portal never existed in Taiwan before this Plan, and now there are 5 e-Portal sites containing 4,000 courses and 320,000 users. Furthermore, the Plan has helped traditional learning institutes by combining e-Learning with their original courses contents. Now these mixed e-Learning centers are provided by Taiwan Knowledge Bank, Gjun Information Co., and Chihkung e-Learning Kingdom throughout Taiwan. Hundreds of e-Learning centers are currently spread over 88% of Taiwan and provide enterprises and the public with easy access to e-Learning.
More importantly, once the value chain of e-Learning has formed, the enterprises may form alliances to start up a win-win situation. The best example can be seen from the alliance of aEnrich Technology Co., with Over-Paradigm Technology Inc.; also the combination of the technology and language content of Gjun Information Co. and Hebron Soft Limited; and the resource coordination of the civil compulsory education system by Sun Net Technology and Kang Hsuan Educational Publishing. Furthermore, the forming of “e-Learning Industry Alliance” and “Chinese Learning Industry Consortium Taiwan” are examples of cooperation.
The Charms of e-Learning
The IDB’s e-Learning Plan has also led to innovation. The most common being is learning with digitized material assistance. For example, Inventec Besta Co., Ltd. uses video animation to simplify English study; OKWAP Inc., united with a well-known cram school English teacher to initiate a mobile English studying program; the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA) of MOEA initiated its “SME e-University” service for enterprises; Learning House teaches English composition by e-Learning; IQ Technology uses e-Learning to provide a series of Mandarin classes; Royal e-Pan Inc. uses e-Learning to teach Chinese writing.
Compared to traditional methods, e-Learning presents a more efficient way to study. Many traditional cram schools have also entered the e-Learning arena and created duplicable, profitable business models that focus on different market segments. For example, Taiwan Knowledge Bank focuses on the post-graduate degree cram schools; Mandarin Technology & Film (Study21) targets junior and senior high cram schools; Mandarin Daily News used to focus on junior and elementary education, and has now entered the e-Learning market; so did Kang Hsuan Educational Publishing Group, YuDa Education Origination Co., Ltd., and Studio Classroom. Their participation has diversified e-Learning content.
Courseware quality has also improved dramatically within these 5 years. From FLASH homepage to 3D presentation, courseware is more interactive and lifelike. Suppliers now have the abilities to complete overseas orders. This advantage is seen from many suppliers such as Bright Ideas Design Co., Ltd. which has been rewarded internationally, IQ Technology which provides Mandarin lectures in the North American market, and LiveABC by Hebron is well accepted in the global market. With the coordination of the industries, authorities, and academia, the e-Learning industry from Taiwan is very likely to become one of the leaders in the global learning market.