need of the hour What does "need of the hour" mean?Context: E-learning applications continue to increase. At the same time, the traditional classroom is not going away. The challenge is in how to maximize learning and performance in all types of settings. We will return to this point in Chapter 6, where we discuss implementation issues. Clive Shepherd has proposed four “key skills” that learning professionals need to effectively design and deliver learning electronically. In terms of all types of learning, we discussed strategic skills in both Chapters 1 and 4. Curriculum design and content creation skills have been covered in this chapter, and facilitation skills will be covered in Chapter 6. Once again, we emphasize that the “need of the hour” in terms of technological applications in HRD is in making effective use the assessment and design issues covered in Chapters 4 and 5. We wish that more of our technologically-minded colleagues fully embraced this viewpoint!