| EXCERPT:
E-Learning 101: An Introduction to E-Learning, Learning Tools,
and Technologies
PART 1: The Growth of E-Learning
In 2005, instructor-led classroom-based
delivery accounted for 61-68 percent of the average organization’s
training delivery methods, down from 80 percent in 1999 (ASTD,
2006). In contrast, the use of technology as a delivery method
increased from about 8 percent in 1999 to between 28-38 percent
in 2005 (ASTD, 2006). This should not be viewed as the
imminent death of the classroom. Developing and delivering
face-to-face training is still an important component of most
corporate learning programs. Rather, it should be viewed as
a snapshot of an industry leveraging technology to provide
learning with greater range, better integration with work,
and greater efficiency.
Based on this industry snapshot, the ability
to understand, articulate, evaluate, recommend, and select
appropriate and effective learning technologies should be
viewed as a critical skill in today’s workplace learning
environment. Many incumbent instructors may have tried to
deliver instruction online unsuccessfully and may even view
it as ineffective. This may be because the same objectives
and methodologies used in the traditional classroom change
dynamics in the form of loss of social-contextual cues in
the online class. Instructors have to learn new approaches
using technology – they must become ‘e-literate.’
A Brief History
Although e-learning has only been around
since the 1960s, distance education – which e-learning
can be categorized under – has evolved over the past
100-150 years when study was offered via ‘post.’
This type of study - correspondence study that targeted adults
- was incorporated at a number of universities in the late
1800s through the early 1900s. Technologies were introduced
as a tool to deliver learning in the 1930s, first via TV and
then via satellite in the1960s-1970s (Schlosser, 1994). Both
are still in use today. Distance education technologies continued
to evolve significantly over the past 30+ years, and, as a
result, rapid change in delivering learning is occurring throughout
the world in conjunction with technology advances –
primarily the computer and the Web.
Two major developments over the past several
years have significantly impacted the evolution of e-learning
– the events of 9/11 and technology (primarily bandwidth).
The events of 9/11 caused a major socio-cultural disruption
in society, primarily in the U.S., that influenced nearly
every facet of business, including corporate education.
After 9/11, companies needed to train their
employees but were hesitant to allow employees to travel and
were uncertain about the economy. The time was ripe for e-learning
as a way to train large numbers of geographically dispersed
employees on everything from terrorism recognition to diversity
training. E-learning became a major force for delivering training
after 9/11 and has continued to grow and evolve since.
Immediately after 9/11, multiple live face-to-face
training events were cancelled. The American Management Association
reported an immediate 30 percent drop in enrollment (Caudron,
2002). In contrast, training technology companies –
those providing e-learning, videoconferencing, CDs, and satellite-delivered
content -- were seeing significant increases in business.
Videoconferencing minutes at the world’s largest conferencing
specialist went up 40 percent in the weeks after the attacks
(Caudron, 2002). In short, when it came to using technology
to train, the post-9/11 landscape of the corporate training
world would change significantly. In fact, there was a 100
percent increase in the percentage of corporate dollars dedicated
to e-learning (4.2 percent to 8.5 percent) between 2001 and
2004 (ASTD, 2004), around $11 billion of corporate training
funds in 2003 alone (Rouin, 2004).
Although e-learning had been a part of
many corporate training programs for several years, it did
not have a strong foothold until recently. E-learning has
really come into its own in the past several years. Face-to-face
instruction is still the primary method of instruction. An
ASTD survey shortly after 9/11 indicated the following commonly
mentioned changes in training:
- A shift to distance technologies
and e-learning
- Travel stopped or reduced
- Different training topics became priority
– diversity, security, stress management, change management
- Budget restrictions, layoffs,
business slowdowns
What makes this socio-cultural disruption
in American society and the subsequent increase in the use
of technology in education noteworthy is that it has stuck.
E-learning is now a staple of corporate training departments.
The second major development that has had
a significant impact on the evolution of e-learning in the
past several years is technology, especially increased bandwidth
as a means for offering rich multimedia content.
PART
TWO: What is E-Learning?
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