Related Sponsors

What is E-Learning?

Home » Training » E-Learning » What is E-Learning?

In the most basic sense, e-learning is merely a name for delivering training and educational materials via technology, hence the name �electronic�, or �e�, learning. This all-inclusive term includes training or education delivered via computers, floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, and, most recently, the Internet and Intranet. Besides the computer, e-Learning participants may be able to receive training via their PDAs (personal digital assistants) and mobile phones that enable the Internet, e-mail, and discussion forums, and this is called m-learning.

E-learning is also used to support distance learning using Wide Area Networks (WANs), as well as for flexible learning and for courses tailored to a participant�s specific needs and timing. Online learning is a form of e-learning that takes place exclusively online.

E-learning is an overarching term that obviously encompasses many forms of learning, from popping in a disk at your desk and learning on your own to joining a group online at a specific time for a presentation to learning at your own pace from a variety of technological sources. These days, because the Internet and Intranet are so prolific, most people think of e-learning as synonymous with online training, but that�s not always the case.

Other names for e-learning include:

technology-based learning

technology-based training

computer-based training

computer-based learning

computer-based instruction

computer-based education

Web-based training

Internet-based training

Web-based training is often seen as a subsection of e-learning; computer-based learning, training, or instruction often refer to disk-based training.

Next Page: What are some of the different modes of e-learning?

Related E-Learning Articles