At DECOM 2008, the future of educational publishing was debated. The event was hosted by Giunti Labs and the European Learning Industry Group (ELIG).


Over a hundred top-level executives took part in the event, including representatives from the learning-content industry, international publishing firms, corporate-training providers, and academic stakeholders engaged in both publishing and open-courseware initiatives. Government policy makers from throughout Europe were also in attendance.


DECOM sparked a fruitful debate on the future of the learning-content industry and in particular its ability to adapt to, and exploit fully, a new generation of educational content production, management, sharing, and distribution models.


The results of delegates' deliberations will be summarised in 'The Sestri DECOM Declaration'. Intended for the EU Commission, the Declaration will outline suggested policy actions to support a transition towards digital-content marketplaces for educational publishing in Europe.


During the ELIG AGM, learning priorities were set for 2009. These include a demonstration of how 'learning' can ensure economic survival in the light of the current global financial crisis, promoting technology for 'upskilling' learning, as well as building knowledge and skills within professional communities.


At the Giunti Labs Hive DR and learn eXact LCMS Joint User Group conference, some one hundred delegates from around the world were present. The user- group conference endorses open-platform learning content, technologies, and standards. Michael King, Vice President of IBM Global Education Industry, outlined three important trends during the event:

• Demand for 'learning outcomes' and pressures on costs are leading to an industry that is increasingly student-centric integrated.
• Consumer information technology (IT) will drive learner expectations of technology-delivered learning.
• Open technologies and standards will continue to drive enterprise IT innovation.