This probably isn’t your first time seeing the word e-learning. Or maybe it is! If so, you came to the right place. But, perhaps you have an idea of what it is, but aren’t sure how it can benefit your company.
E-learning has been part of the academic world since 1999, when Elliot Masie first coined the term. Since then, major strides in the e-learning industry have been made to create systems that rival and sometimes exceed in-person learning. In fact, studies have shown that students retain 15%-50% more information from e-learning than classroom learning. Okay, so what is e-learning? Well, let’s look at the formal definition, and then we’ll talk about what it look like in real-world application.
In the 1990s came a technological boon. People owned personal computers and the internet was growing to become a sensation. This was the beginning of educational courses using PDF files, just like the ones we use day-to-day and interactive CD-ROMS. Throughout the early 2000s this idea expanded with powerpoint and the introductions of the first LMSs. It wasn’t until the mid 2000s, however, that elearning took off. Everything from educational games to eBooks became available. Cell phones even created a new medium with which to create elearning material. Now, we understand elearning as synonymous with remote learning, in many ways. LMSs dominate university spaces as elearning platforms and are even creating waves in training communities. Keep in mind, though, elearning can be any learning done electronically, not just on an LMS.
If you have kids, or are familiar with the current setup of university learning then you’re probably well aware of the biggest application of elearning. Products like Blackboard and Canvas are probably familiar to you. Teachers can create assessments, assignments, and insert grades into these LMS platforms. Remote learning has created an influx in demand for LMSs in the classroom. Elearning is often as simple as the textbook you downloaded a PDF for in college (legally, right?), or as complex as the LSATs testing format. Maybe it’s the educational games your kids plays on PBS, or the quizlets that get students through their studies.
With new technology comes great confusion. When elearning was just beginning in the 90s, the internet was still a simple platform, and in only thirty years it has transformed into a platform even its creators don’t understand. Lucky for us, LMSs aren’t limited by the technology they use. In fact, the first LMS came about in the 1920s using a typewriter! A great LMS is designed to harness the power of the internet to create something simple, concise, and deliverable. Today, the cloud has created a place for LMSs to upload all of their software without having to keep in-house systems.
Maybe you’re the type to leave it to the professionals. Maybe, the professionals don’t understand your company as well as you do, though. That’s why LMSs like Coursettra are designed to do the behind-the-scenes tech and design work, while you can tell us exactly what you want.
Written by Coursettra content strategist: Madelyn Walter
