What is e-Learning?

e-Learning can be a confusing topic in part because of the alphabet soup of acronyms, technology related buzzwords, overlapping definitions, variety of delivery options, and the converging histories of the two disciplines of technology and training. In the current marketplace, what most people really mean when they use the term e-learning (and its multiple synonyms) is Web-based training -- but we'll see that it really means much more.

e-Learning is really nothing more than using some form of technology to deliver training and other educational materials.

e-Learning is the latest, in vogue, all-inclusive term for training delivered by a number of means. In the past, these have included the use of mainframe computers, floppy diskettes, multimedia CD-ROMs, and interactive videodisks. Most recently, Web technology (both Internet and Intranet delivery) have become preferred delivery options. In the near future, e-learning will also include training delivered on PDA's (e.g., Palm Pilots) and even via wireless devices like your cell phone. This new, mobile form of education is called, predictably enough, m-learning.

Other Terms Associated with e-Learning

Understanding what is and what isn't e-learning can be confusing due to the wealth of different terms that exist to define the same thing. Most people prefer the word learning to training ("dogs are trained, people learn") and use technology-based learning (TBL) or "e-learning" instead of technology-based training (TBT).

Other commonly used terms include computer-based training (CBT), computer-based learning (CBL), computer-based instruction (CBI), computer-based education (CBE), Web-based training (WBT), Internet-based training (IBT), Intranet-based training (also IBT), and any number of others. Some of these, like Web-based training, can be seen as specific subsections of e-learning while others, notably computer-based training, are less specific. Other confusion arises from technical definitions that differ from their popular use. For example, the terms CBT, CBI, and CBL are sometimes used generically to refer to all types of e-learning, but are commonly used to describe older disk-based training.

A term beginning with the word computer frequently, but not always, refers to interactive tutorials that are distributed on floppy diskettes. The term multimedia training is usually used to describe training delivered via CD-ROM. This rule of thumb is complicated by the fact that advances in Internet technology make it possible for network-based training to now deliver audio and video elements as well.

Browser-based training is the term used to describe courseware that requires a Web browser to access, but may in fact be running from the Internet or CD-ROM. In fact, some training programs will pull content from both a Web site as well as a CD-ROM. These courses are sometimes called hybrids, or hybrid-CD-ROMs.

Distance learning, or distance education, are other commonly used terms. They accurately describe most types of e-learning, but are most often used to describe instructor-led, web-based education -- for either corporate training or college classes.

To further complicate matters, some theorists divide e-learning into three distinct branches: Computer-aided instruction (CAI), computer-managed instruction (CMI), and computer-supported learning resources (CSLR). The first term, CAI, encompasses the portion of a given e-learning product that provides the instruction, such as the tutorials, simulations, and exercises. The second term, CMI, refers to the testing, record keeping, and study guidance functions of an e-learning product. The last term, CSLR, encompasses the communication, database, and performance support aspects of e-learning. Although these distinctions can prove useful in academic research and discussion, it is enough for most of us to know that they exist and that they all refer to parts of the greater whole, e-learning.

Finally, when it comes to course and student management, the newest descriptor is learning mangement system (LMS). LMS' are typically web-based programs that are used to enroll students, assign and launch courses, and track student progress and test scores. A close cousin to the LMS is the LCMS which stands for Learning Content Managemet System. An LCMS manages chunks of reusable learning objects, known as RLO's.

For more detailed definitions of the ever changing jargon of e-learning, visit the The World's Biggest e-Learning Glossary.