| EXCERPT:
E-Learning 101: An Introduction to E-Learning, Learning Tools,
and Technologies
PART 2: What is E-Learning?
Introduction
The meaning of the letter ‘e’
is vast and encompasses many fields – from astronomy
to video games. Used in technology, ‘e’ means
electronic. E-learning, then, is e-(lectronic) learning, just
as e-mail is e-(lectronic) mail. The ‘e’ represents
the means by which we receive or access learning – electronically,
typically on the Web (online) via a Web browser. This ‘e’
has been described as the ‘how’ and the ‘learning
content’ the ‘what’ (Clark & Mayer,
2003).
Notable definitions
Existing literature defines e-learning
as instruction accessed electronically on a computer. This
instruction could be a class, a course, or a discussion and
could look like a book, a movie, a Web page, a game, or a
combination of those things. E-learning can be bought or created
from scratch. Some other notable definitions of e-learning
are listed below:
- E-learning is instruction that is delivered
electronically, in part or wholly – via a Web browser,
through the Internet or an intranet, or through multimedia
platforms such as CD-ROM or DVD (Hall, 1997).
- E-learning is a structured, purposeful
use of electronic systems or computers in support of the learning
process (Allen, 2003).
- E-learning covers a wide set of applications
and processes, such as Web-based learning, computer-based
learning, virtual classrooms, and digital collaboration.
It includes delivering content via the Internet, intranet/extranet
(LAN/WAN), audio and videotape, satellite broadcast, interactive
TV, and CD-ROM (ASTD, 2001).
- E-learning is training delivered on a
computer (including CD-ROM, Internet, or intranet) that
is designed to support individual learning or organizational
performance goals (Clark and Mayer, 2003).
- Web-based training [an alternate
term for e-learning] is the integration of instructional
practices and Internet capabilities to direct a learner
toward a specified level of proficiency in a specified competency
(Conrad, 2000).
How Do You Learn Online?
You don’t have to be a computer geek
to learn online. In fact, learning how to use a computer can
be accomplished by taking an online course (e-learning). It’s
kind of like learning to cook while reading a cookbook (no
interactivity), watching someone cook and practicing (some
interactivity), or cooking an entire dinner with feedback
and coaching from an expert chef (high interactivity). How
quickly or deeply someone learns depends on the level of interactivity
received. It also depends on how someone learns. Different
people learn in different ways, and e-learning accommodates
different learning styles, abilities, languages, ages, and
cultures. This is true in e-learning and traditional face-to-face
training. In the past, students have learned in a physical
classroom with others, on-the-job, or with a book-like a tutorial,
often with a test. E-learning is the same – sometimes
the learner is alone, sometimes he or she is learning with
others at the same time, and sometimes he is learning with
others at different times.
Who Uses E-Learning and How is It Used?
All types of organizations use e-learning
– private sector/for profits, nonprofits, governments,
and educational institutions. Organizations use e-learning
for many reasons – to save money, to reach geographically
dispersed groups, to provide “anywhere-anytime”
learning, to provide consistency, to ensure compliance with
regulations, and to improve productivity, to name just a few.
E-learning is often used for some of the following reasons:
to provide introductory/orientation training, to provide remedial
training, to provide certification training, to deliver academic
courses (for credit), to promote products and services, to
support organizational initiatives, to offer training to geographically
disparate personnel, to offer a variety of learning opportunities,
to coach and mentor learners, to standardize training/knowledge,
and to provide software training.
Organizations can purchase non-customized
e-learning commercially off-the-shelf or can purchase customized
content. Organizations can also create their own e-learning
using various courseware development tools often called authoring
tools (because you are the “author” of a course).
Many organizations use a combination.
Alternate Terms and Spellings
There are at least as many definitions of
e-learning as there are spellings, alternate terms, and people
using it. This is most likely because the evolution of technology
brings with it new terminology. It may even have something
to do with a writer’s use of a spelling checker, a vendor seeking
to differentiate a product or service in the marketplace,
or whether or not it’s at the beginning of or within
a sentence. Alternate spellings include E-Learning, E-learning,
e-Learning, e-learning, eLearning, and Elearning. A Google
search of the Internet today reveals many more hyphenated
spellings than non-hyphenated spellings, so the recommended
usage includes a hyphen.
Some alternate terms for e-learning include
Web-based training (WBT), online learning, virtual learning
(meaning non-physical), distance education, distance learning,
and online training (OLT). Before widespread Internet usage
(and still in existence) was computer-based training (CBT),
the term frequently used to describe training that is delivered
via CD-ROM, mainframe, or network to a learner’s desktop.
Online learning and Web-based training seem to be the most
popular interchangeable terms for e-learning.
You should know that e-learning is not the
panacea for all organizational learning. There are advantages
and disadvantages associated with e-learning. Advantages include
cost, geographical reach, use of multimedia, availability,
portability, consistency, learner control, up-to-date content,
no duplication, and shorter learning time. Disadvantages include
a lower level of interactivity, initial development time and
cost, technological limitations (bandwidth, access), developer
limitations, learner motivation, learning styles, and preferences.
PART
ONE: The Growth of E-Learning
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