OK, so although e-learning may still seem relatively new it has been around now for quite some time. Therefore, you have probably come across it many times and may have heard it described in such terms as ‘the future of training’ and so on.
Although they promote the advancement of technology, these terms fail to tell you what e-learning actually is and instead leave you scratching your head.
So e-learning, what is it?
Well, let me first take you back to 1728 where an advert in the Boston Gazette announced that Caleb Phillipps could provide short hand classes to not just the Boston area, but to all Americans! He proposed that all lessons could be posted out weekly and learners could study in their own time without the presence of a teacher or need for a classroom.
What has 1728, letters and an advert got to do with e-learning I hear you cry? Well, although e-learning refers to electronic learning it is also a form of distance learning, which this Caleb fellow was clearly trying to achieve and his efforts were the first recorded learning of this type.
But, back to the present and electronic learning...e-learning is now mostly Internet based, where learners can access information at anytime and almost anywhere as well as being able to share their thoughts, information and resources with one another.
Although nowadays e-learning is widely considered to mean online learning, it can also refer to learning via a standalone computer or across a network. However, it is safe to say that almost all e-learning courses today use the Internet for ease of information sharing and access.
This popular and relatively new concept of learning has been developed across industries including universities as well as the corporate sector, where it can be used to unify all training or as a flexible alternative to traditional classroom-based learning.
The basic everyday benefits are simple; learning online overcomes time, attendance and travel difficulties and is a more cost-effective way to train. So, no more commuting to head office for half a day of training!
The history lesson aside I hope I’ve answered the question and you are now confident about e-learning; what it is and the reason it is becoming more and more popular.
To find out more about the e-learning we can offer you and our branded features, please visit www.cple-learning.co.uk
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