eLearning
Why eLearning
eLearning and collaborative technologies are saving money and dramatically changing the way we educate, communicate and conduct business. Today organizations are targeting students, employees, customers, and even investors with eLearning initiatives.
While eLearning is being recognized as a cost effective tool to transform education, provide workplace training, and enable life long learning, eLearning is also providing cost effective solutions for business development including sales and marketing presentations, customer and investor relations, technical support and product training, collaboration and online meetings, project management, and much more.
While eLearning is being recognized as a cost effective tool to transform education, provide workplace training, and enable life long learning, eLearning is also providing cost effective solutions for business development including sales and marketing presentations, customer and investor relations, technical support and product training, collaboration and online meetings, project management, and much more.
What Is eLearning?
eLearning is the use of digital media such as the Internet, CDs, Cable TV and streaming media to facilitate education, training, lifelong learning, communication and online meetings. eLearning includes Web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classrooms, simulations, games, audio, video and web conferencing, mobile learning, blended learning, adaptive learning models, gamification, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), virtual lab experiences, and more.
Technology Enables New Learning Opportunities
New technologies are complementing learning in the classroom and workplace settings, and it is enabling eLearning opportunities that can provide access to meetings, events education and workforce development opportunities accessible from the convenience of the home or workplace. Technologies such as audio and video conferencing; webcasting, podcasting and streaming media; web conferencing; CD Rom; and Cable TV enable realtime or on demand delivery of audio, full motion video, animation, and multimedia content. These technologies enable the near realtime transmission of events as they happen or make it possible to conveniently distribute pre-recorded/pre-edited media on demand. In other words, media that is stored can be made available for access at any time.
eLearning Delivery Styles
Synchronous
Real-time, instructor-led online learning (virtual) classroom. All participants are logged on at the same time and communicate directly with each other. The instructors have the ability to "call on" students, individually. Interaction may also be via audio or video conferencing, Internet telephony, or two-way live broadcasts.
Asynchronous
Learning via interaction between separated instructors and students and occurs intermittently with a time delay. Examples:
There are many forms of eLearning, distance learning, computer based learning (CBL) to support education and training. Your choice will be based upon a number of factors such as: your goals, funding, size of your organization and number of learners, availability of technology, instructional level (i.e. high school, workplace, etc.), and instructor and student comfort with technology.
The following is a quick summary of eLearning alternatives:
Technology Enables New Learning Opportunities
New technologies are complementing learning in the classroom and workplace settings, and it is enabling eLearning opportunities that can provide access to meetings, events education and workforce development opportunities accessible from the convenience of the home or workplace. Technologies such as audio and video conferencing; webcasting, podcasting and streaming media; web conferencing; CD Rom; and Cable TV enable realtime or on demand delivery of audio, full motion video, animation, and multimedia content. These technologies enable the near realtime transmission of events as they happen or make it possible to conveniently distribute pre-recorded/pre-edited media on demand. In other words, media that is stored can be made available for access at any time.
eLearning Delivery Styles
Synchronous
Real-time, instructor-led online learning (virtual) classroom. All participants are logged on at the same time and communicate directly with each other. The instructors have the ability to "call on" students, individually. Interaction may also be via audio or video conferencing, Internet telephony, or two-way live broadcasts.
Asynchronous
Learning via interaction between separated instructors and students and occurs intermittently with a time delay. Examples:
- Self-Paced Courses Taken Via The Web Or CD-ROM
- Q&A Mentoring
- Online Discussion Groups
- Videotaped Classes
- eLearning Options
There are many forms of eLearning, distance learning, computer based learning (CBL) to support education and training. Your choice will be based upon a number of factors such as: your goals, funding, size of your organization and number of learners, availability of technology, instructional level (i.e. high school, workplace, etc.), and instructor and student comfort with technology.
The following is a quick summary of eLearning alternatives:
- Use of technology (Internet, CD's) to complement local classroom/workplace learning
- Online Only -- No Face-To-Face Meetings
- Blended -- Combination Online & Face-To-Face
- Synchronous -- Real Time Multi-Student Online Instructor Led
- Asynchronous-- Students-Instructor Intermittent Interaction
- Instructor-led group
- Self-study
- Self-study with subject matter expert
- Web-based (Individual or Group)
- Computer-Based (CD-ROM) (Individual or Group)
- Video/Audio tape