E- Learning DefinitionThe delivery of a learning, training or education program by electronic means. E-learning involves the use of a computer or electronic device (e.g. a mobile phone) in some way to provide training, educational or learning material. (Derek Stockley 2003)E-learning can involve a greater variety of equipment than online training or education, for as the name implies, "online" involves using the Internet or an Intranet. CD-ROM and DVD can be used to provide learning materials.Distance education provided the base for e-learning's development. E-learning can be "on demand". It overcomes timing, attendance and travel difficulties.What are the benefits of e-Learning? Yes, e-Learning is "cool," but what are the strategic benefits of this way of learning? When does e-Learning become a strategic imperative?
What are some trends in e-Learning?
There area other reasons for e-Learning, and equally there are benefits for instructor led training. As we see better e-Learning content, organizational development professionals need to be careful to select the most appropriate learning styles. One style that is emerging is the blended learning approach, also called blended e-learning.Blended Learning is learning that blends e-Learning with instructor-led learning. The learners do pre-work online, learning the subject and facts. Then they come together with an instructor-facilitator and do activities which may include reviewing the material seen online, role-plays, discussions, etc.
 | Cost The cost of e-Learning becomes an important benefit particularly if you factor in the travel expenses of the learners. |
| Time The speed of e-Learning becomes an important imperative in some situations: First, if you have a dispersed group of learners they may spend more time traveling to the instructor than actually learning. Second, the time will be reduced for learners who already know some of the material, as they can skim over what they already know. |
| Pace Learners can pace their learning according to their work demands. They can learn during chunks of free time. |
| Reference Learners can use the learning as a permanent reference system, which they can go back to for refreshers or if a particular need arises. |
| Learning Effectiveness. A 12-year meta-analysis of research by the U.S. Department of Education found that higher education students in online learning generally performed better than those in face-to-face courses. |
| Designable and actionable social networks: Right now, most social networks — either at work or in our personal lives — are places to visit, interact or just gawk. But most social networks do not allow instructional designers to design an actionable request. For example, if I am building a management development program, could I configure the social network to require that each learner have an in-depth conversation with a peer in the organization who meets key criteria? Could I design a collaborative project that would leverage an internal social platform, like SharePoint, and structure the action in a visual format?Video annotation and editing made simple: As we grow the use of YouTube-like video, demand for simple editing and, more importantly, annotation of video will rise. So, if I take a video of how to load paper into the copy machine, how could I easily add a comment and even a big white arrow pointing to the button that needs to be pushed? Most workers are not going to learn in-depth or complicated video editing programs; therefore, you will see at least two Web-based, online video editing sites become popular in 2010. They will have a range of templates and even allow for multiple annotations in different languages. Also, watch for a beta version of a video-to-text auto transcription capacity pop up in one of these services. Skype, Google and Microsoft video come to work: Currently, millions of people are using platforms like Skype to chat with their friends, family or colleagues around the world. Still, simple desktop video has not really taken hold in the workplace. IT groups don’t want to see it waste bandwidth, and legal groups wonder if they need to store video chats for future lawsuits. But just as the use of color monitors and speakers started at home and then invaded the office, watch for the rise of desktop videoconferencing using tools like Skype, Google or Microsoft in the enterprise. New, thinner, cloud-based learning systems: We are seeing early signals about new learning systems — LMS and LCMS — that may be headed to the market or to the open source world in late 2010. These systems are slim in size, located in the computing cloud and more focused on learners who engage in social, mobile and contextual learning. One of the ventures is based in Asia and the other is coming out of a higher education project. Interestingly, both see themselves as systems that could be deployed by small workgroups, individuals or enterprises. I give them about a 40 to 60 percent chance of making it to market. |
