A Beginner's Guide To Understanding The: Basics of E-Learning
A Beginner's Guide To Understanding The: Basics of E-Learning
Understanding the
Basics of E-learning
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 4
2. WHAT IS E-LEARNING? 7
Characteristics of E-learning
The Advantages of E-learning
E-learning Statistics and Trends
A History of Organizational Training
E-learning’s Impact on Business
What Organizations have to say about E-learning
Synchronous Learning
Asynchronous Learning
Blended Learning
Common E-learning Delivery Methods
E-learning Delivery Platforms
Design
The Importance of Design
Develop
3 Well-known Course Authoring Tools
Deploy
7. CONCLUSION 42
8. REFERENCES 45
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INTRODUCTION
We live in a knowledge-based economy that is characterized by advancements in
technology, globalization, intensive competition, and rapid changes in customer
needs. To be able to consistently grow, cope with these changes, and stay ahead of
the game, the workforce must keep itself constantly updated with new concepts,
skills and technology.
But there are challenges that hinder this ability to grow and change – the most
common being the inability to train a new type of workforce that is fast emerging
today – one that is young, diverse, globally dispersed, and with new learning needs.
In an endeavor to increase their workforce’s productivity and competency, many
large and mid-sized organizations have fostered innovation, moved away from the
traditional training methods and adopted eLearning methodologies that have had a
positive impact on business.
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INTRODUCTION
Today, eLearning is a multibillion dollar industry that is expected to grow further
with more organizations adopting its methods. eLearning has spread its
tentacles far and wide – so for an organization that is looking at eLearning for
the first time, it can be a daunting task to know where to begin.
The aim of this eBook is to give you a basic understanding of eLearning – its
business impact, the steps involved in creating, delivering and deploying an
eLearning program. The next step is to evaluate the need for eLearning in your
organization and assess how to implement it in a manner that will be fruitful –
both to your employees and the organization.
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WHAT IS
E-LEARNING
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WHAT IS E-LEARNING?
There is no single definition for eLearning; but very simply put, eLearning refers to any
form of learning that can be accessed through web technology.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF E-LEARNING
Did you know that not every course that is available online can be termed an eLearning
course? A true eLearning course adheres to Instructional System Design (ISD) principles;
these principles are the basis for creating sound, instructional experiences to make the
learning of both knowledge and skills, effective, appealing and efficient. A true
eLearning course can be identified by the following characteristics:
eLearning Trivia
The average age of someone who learns online is 34 years’ old
(Ferriman, 14 Interesting ELearning Facts, 2014)
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THE ADVANTAGES OF E-LEARNING
The global eLearning market is booming, with more and more organizations reaping
the benefits of eLearning. The guaranteed advantages that come from adopting
eLearning are as follows:
01 Just-in-time knowledge
06 Self-paced learning
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A HISTORY OF ORGANIZATIONAL TRAINING
It hasn't always been classroom lectures for organizational training. Organizational
training has progressively moved from classroom training to social learning in a very
gradual manner, and the migration has been sure and steady. Here’s a brief look at
the move (Thornton, 2015).
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E-LEARNING STATISTICS AND TRENDS
The market size of the global corporate E-learning market is predicted to reach
close to USD 31 billion in revenue by the end of 2020 (Research, 2016).
The global e-learning market will grow at a CAGR of 17.81% during the period
2016-2020 (Markets, 2016).
74% companies used an LMS in 2014 and 41% of non-users said they intended
to purchase an LMS in 2015 (2014 Training Industry Report, 2014).
25 percent of companies said they are using social learning to some extent
(Staff, 2016).
1.8 percent of training hours were delivered via mobile devices in the US, in
2015 (Staff, 2016).
31.9 percent of hours were delivered with blended learning techniques, up from
29.1 percent in 2014, in the US (Staff, 2016).
Technology use was higher overall in 2015 than the previous year, with Learning
Management Systems accounting for 73% (Staff, 2016).
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E-LEARNING’S IMPACT ON BUSINESS
ELearning impacts business and plays a very vital role in the growth of businesses,
aids their competitiveness, productivity, and profitability – and increases value.
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E-LEARNING’S IMPACT ON BUSINESS
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E-LEARNING’S IMPACT ON BUSINESS
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E-LEARNING’S IMPACT ON BUSINESS
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E-LEARNING’S IMPACT ON BUSINESS
Cost Savings
Reduced travel, lodging and meal costs
Reduced training/learning function overhead costs
Reduced costs associated with in-person events
Reduced wasted training costs (wrong training for the right people and vice versa)
Reduced lost opportunity costs (the hidden costs or revenue lost when critical
work does not get done because people are away at trainings)
Reduced administrative costs – ELearning automatically tracks learning and
reports attendance, grades and completion of events
Reduced training time – Courses are easier to create, quicker turnover time and
quicker to update. (A 30-minute online training module can be created in less
than 3 weeks.)
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HERE’S WHAT ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TO SAY
ABOUT E-LEARNING:
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TYPES OF LEARNING AND
E-LEARNING DELIVERY METHODS
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TYPES OF LEARNING AND E-LEARNING DELIVERY
METHODS
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SYNCHRONOUS LEARNING: REAL-TIME LEARNING
Synchronous learning is just like classroom learning except that the instructor and
all the learners could each be in an entirely different location. Even though they
are separated by distance, they can communicate with each other via chats, IMs
and real-time video.
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ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING: STUDENT DIRECTED,
SELF-PACED LEARNING
With asynchronous learning, the course material is made available to learners, who
then access it at their own time and pace. In fact, learners prefer asynchronous to
synchronous learning as it does not affect their daily commitments. Learners and the
instructor are not connected in real time, nor do they access the course material
simultaneously. Emails, blogs, discussion forums, eBook CDs and DVDs are used.
Generic training that has a long shelf life and does not pertain to a particular group
of people such as soft skills training, management training and financial training can
be conducted via asynchronous eLearning. Process-based training is well conducted
this way. The advantage of this type of learning is that:
Learning happens at the learner’s convenience
Learners gain in-depth subject knowledge as they have more time to learn
Learning is available just-in-time, for instant access to knowledge
Training reaches all learners, simultaneously
There is uniform learning across the organization – at no extra cost
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BLENDED LEARNING : A MIX OF SYNCHRONOUS
AND ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING
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COMMON E-LEARNING DELIVERY METHODS
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COMMON E-LEARNING DELIVERY METHODS
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AN OVERVIEW OF THE
E-LEARNING PROCESS
Analyse
Evaluate Design
Implement Develop
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AN OVERVIEW OF THE E-LEARNING DESIGN AND
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
An asynchronous eLearning program has many components - the technology,
the developer and the learner. In order to make a program effective, all these
components have to function in synergy with each other. Developing an eLearning
program in a systematic manner will help bring all these components together.
Successful eLearning organizations use the ADDIE process of developing an
eLearning course. The acronym stands for Analysis, Design, Development,
Implementation and Evaluation.
An overview of this process can be illustrated through the following diagram:
Analyse
Evaluate Design
Implement Develop
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A BRIEF LOOK AT THE ADDIE MODEL OF
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
Based on the inputs in the design phase, the content, visuals and
DEVELOP
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A BRIEF LOOK AT THE ADDIE MODEL OF
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
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THE THREE Ds OF
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
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DESIGN
Design
Based on the analysis
of the audience,
content, and best
delivery method
The designing phase deals with Keeping in mind the principles of adult
describing the design specifications of learning (which differ from the principles
the course; these design specifications of early education), the style of learning
are compiled in a design document which (for visual, auditory and kinesthetic
provides explicit information about the learners), and the type of learning that
requirements of the course and how the needs to be presented (facts, concepts,
product is to be put together. principles, procedures, processes) are
finalized. Anticipated concerns are
All the information that is collected addressed during this phase.
during analysis (the A phase of ADDIE), is
assimilated together in a well-planned, A storyboard of the course is created in a
and well-designed manner, to make logical and sequential manner and sent to
sense and meet the learning objectives. the client for approval. Once approved,
it goes into the development stage.
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DESIGN
Design
Based on the analysis
of the audience,
content, and best
delivery method
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DEVELOP
Design Develop
Based on the analysis Based on the
of the audience, design document
content, and best created during the
delivery method design process
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DEVELOP
Design Develop
Based on the analysis Based on the
of the audience, design document
content, and best created during the
delivery method design process
ARTICULATE STORYLINE:
This authoring tool comprises a very comprehensive set of tools and is yet
extremely easy to use to directly convert PPTs to an eLearning course. It’s so
simple to use that even someone who has never created a course before
can create a beautiful course without any trouble. Anyone who can create a
PPT can use Articulate Storyline as the user interface (UI) is similar. The
entire structure of a course can be used to create a new course, saving
SMEs time. It is very easy to deploy courses that are published in Articulate
Storyline, on an LMS. It is also good for publishing quizzes.
1
Simple, short and lightweight courses
Online courses
Courses that do not require a lot of customization
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DEVELOP
Design Develop
Based on the analysis Based on the
of the audience, design document
content, and best created during the
delivery method design process
ADOBE CAPTIVATE:
Adobe Captivate can be used to build more complex courses. But because
it can be used for more complex courses and has many more features that
are also complex, it needs some amount of mastery before it can be used.
It has inbuilt assessments and is easy to sync audio with animations.
Adobe Captivate can be considered an all-round tool for the development
of eLearning assets. It is possible to convert text to speech with this
software. Adobe Captivate is recommended for application training.
2
Complex courses
Application training courses
Online courses
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DEVELOP
Design Develop
Based on the analysis Based on the
of the audience, design document
content, and best created during the
delivery method design process
LECTORA INSPIRE
Lectora is the most popular tool to build HTML5 courses. It has several
built-in templates that lend the completed course a very professional look
and feel. It can be used for text-heavy content and when quick
translations are required. The courses can be made interactive. Audios,
videos and flash animations are some of its features. Customizations are
possible. Content can be made very interactive. It can also be integrated
with social media. However, courses created with Lectora take a long time
to load. Also, one needs to be trained on its usage and features before
using it. The latest version of this tool is packed with several new
innovative features that make the development of digital courses easier
and quicker than even before.
3
Text-heavy courses
Translations
Interactive courses
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DEPLOY
The course is now ready to be delivered via a system that was decided on in the initial
stages - either by a web portal, LMS (learning management system), LCMS (learning
content management system) or mobile device. If the course is deployed on an LMS,
the deployment would also include installation of all the modules, transferring files to
the system and testing the course. The course is made SCORM, AICC or xPerience API
compliant - these are eLearning standards that must be met for courses to be
compliant with an LMS.
Once the course is tried and tested and is ready to be rolled out, it’s time for
implementation of the course. But a very important precursor to the rolling out of the
course is the training of employees and administrators on the use of the course in a
way that will enable them to glean maximum benefit from eLearning.
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DEPLOY
Note: Learning guides for the trainers as well as for the learners will be
beneficial. It is important to keep track of the learners’ reaction to the
content, the media, and the software used to make sure it is all positive.
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E-LEARNING DELIVERY PLATFORMS
Learning Content
Learning Management System (LMS) Management System (LCMS)
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EVALUATION OF AN
E-LEARNING COURSE
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EVALUATION OF AN E-LEARNING COURSE
This is an ongoing process. The course is evaluated at each stage to make sure that
the course meets all the learning needs and objectives at each stage. Evaluation at
the reaction level as well as at the learning level takes place here. Learners are tested
at the end of the course to make sure that knowledge has been transferred.
If the eLearning course fails to meet its objectives and there is no sign of transfer of
knowledge to learners, the course must be revised. A learner’s reaction to learning,
how much learning occurred, change in performance due to learning and whether the
training met the organization’s need are all evaluated during the evaluation process.
At the end of the day, the goals and objectives that were outlined at the very
beginning, must be clearly met.
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CONCLUSION
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CONCLUSION
Last year, the average training budget per learner decreased from US $976 in 2014 to
US $702 (Staff, 2016). Today, organizations must do more on a smaller budget – this
trend will continue for a while. ELearning has proved to have immense business
benefits – helping organizations to do more, with less.
Any organization that wants to stay at the forefront, can make use of
technology-enabled learning to give both the organization as well as its employees a
competitive advantage. Technological advancement has changed the way we learn.
There is a trend toward learning that is social, interactive, dynamic and fun - with fewer
limitations and better opportunities for engagement and active participation that will
transform the organization.
Now that you have an understanding of the basics of eLearning, the next step is to
implement eLearning in your organization, in a matter that will be fruitful - both to
your employees and the organization.
The steps involved here would include analyzing the eLearning readiness of your
organization; presenting an eLearning case to the decision makers; deciding on
whether to outsource your eLearning needs – and if so, finding the right
eLearning vendor; understanding the organizational eLearning
barriers you might encounter along the way; and making sure
unexpected pitfalls don’t disrupt your eLearning venture. All this
and more in our next eBook!
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Want to
IMPLEMENT E-LEARNING
in your organization?
Know how much it will cost you.
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REFERENCES
Guttierrez, K. (2016, Apr 07). Facts and Stats that Reveal the Power of
eLearning. Retrieved from Shift eLearning:
http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/301248/15-Facts-and-Stats-
That-Reveal-The-Power-Of-eLearning
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