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One of the most confusing aspects of eLearing is that nobody knows what it is.
We do know the "e" doesn't stand for "electronic".
Just taking a Word document or PowerPoint presentation and
doing a "Save as HTML" does NOT mean you have created eLearning.

We're very concerned about an August, 2002 survey from a very respected company.
The survey asked 259 training managers at Fortune 500 firms
what tools they use to create e-learning content.

Top choice was PowerPoint with 66% of responses. Next was Microsoft Word with 63%,
Macromedia's Dreamweaver 61% and Flash 47%. (Respondents could choose more than one.)

If the "e" in eLearning must be defined, it would be closer to use - Evolving or Everywhere or Enhanced

What's the difference? We don't think there is any.

eLearning IS	eLearning IS NOT
Non Linear - Learners determine how, what and when they access information.	Linear - Learners must move through presentation in a predetermined sequence.
Dynamic Process - Transformed on demand to in response to learner and environment. Available on demand and just in time.	Static Event - Learning is not an event that only happens when scheduled training occurs, it happens continuously.
Learner Controlled - Learner controls their own interaction with the content and presentation. Learner has opportunities for reflection and application.	Instructor Controlled - Instructor determines sequence, content, media and timing. An online, synchronous presentation/meeting/course is still instructor controlled so it is NOT eLearning.
Reusable Objects - Content of any media that can be chunked down to the most granular, meaningful level to allow combinations of objects to be assembled and dynamically presented for different environments and functional needs.	Learning Objects or Knowledge Objects or Information Objects - By focusing the use of an object for only one enviroment, you remove reusability. This also means that LMS & LCMS's are ineffective platforms to manage the interaction of users and content.
Informal - Recognizes that at least 70% of learning occurs in meetings, in the corridors and breakrooms, through collaboration, in situational communities.	Formal - Learning occurs w/o training. Training is not the same as learning.
Platform Independent - can be transformed for presentation on different e in a variety of formats - XML, HTML, DHTML, PDA, etc.	Standards - AICC (Don't you just have to ask "Why are we using a standard from an Aviation Industry CBT Committee?) , SCORM - (Sharable Content Object Reference Model)
Knowledge Management - Rich, flexible tools chosen to create, collect and distribute information on demand and contextually to learners, intra and extra organizationally.	LMS or LCMS - To manage the administrative and content aspects of training, usually supports a linear presentation of materials.
Communities of Interest - Collaborative, self selecting and organizing groups of individuals that share the same interests.	Functional or Departmental - Limited by type of function, title or expertise.
RAD (Rapid Application Development) - Iterative, incremental design process. Define, design, refine processes are integrated and parallel. Continuously refining prototypes allows improvements to be integrated and testing with each iteration.	ISD - Linear approach to needs analysis, design and evaluation. Errors are compounded from wrong audience analysis, invalid sample audience, skewed survey results, wrong focus on weaknesses, questionable validity are not discovered until training is delivered.
Multi Channel Learner <-> Learner, Content <-> Learner, Expert <-> Learner, Expert <-> Content, Expert <-> Expert	Single Channel - Trainer to Attendee

BENEFITS

Supports organizational evolution from tangible (machines) to intangible (people) assets
Same as eCommerce - ability to respond to clients (learners) with personalized information
Easy to Update and align to ever shortened product cycles.
Allows collaborative, interactive learning -L2L, (Learner to Learner), E2L (Expert to Learner), L2E (Learner to Expert), E2E (Expert to Expert) , Learner to Content (L2C), Content to Learner (C2L)
Increases retention - Learners learn what they need, when they need to apply it.
Available anywhere, anytime - International and remote locations can access information even when training department is "closed"
Increases availability and productivity of "experts" and "gurus" - instead of answering a question over and over to different people, the information is captured and available when needed
ROI - easier to determine by using "hit" reports from web areas, access reports by module and other tools to determine spread and impact of moduls - Objective not subjective usage reports
Eliminates static overhead of expensive classroom space, managing books and binders, computers, projectors, food
Delivery costs are minimal - very small incremental cost to support 10 or 10,000 learners
Integrates with other online job tools/processes/company handbooks. - CRM (Customer Resource Management), EPSS (Employee/electronic Performance Support Systems), SFA (Sales Force Automation), BI (Business Intelligence)
Increases Attraction, Motivation, Retention - customer & employee
Consistently captures, codifies and communicates Best Practices.
Customizable and Personal to match learner preferences - auditory, visual, kinesthetic, reflective, social, whole, linear
Supports Informal Learning - 70% - 80% of learning happens informally (see Elliot Masie quote, plus common sense - how much of your job did you learn in a classroom?)
Flexible and reusable objects mean that editing, updates and changes can happen without reissuing materials which saves time and money.

TOOLS

Web Site Web sites contain many pages that are composed of text, animation, audio clips, video or interactive databases. They are very useful for presenting information on a wide variety of subjects in a wide variety of ways and can be used on an Intranet or the Internet. Creating an effective site requires knowledge of different programs and an understanding of the differences involved in presenting information with a web page vs. printed materials.

Blogs are another form of web page used for Knowledge Management.
Email (asynchronous) - Many people have access either at home or at work. Good for presenting text based information or sending out notice of an internet address that contains graphics, slides or animated presentations. Cost is low, the software's included in Internet browsers such as Netscape or Internet Explorer, free email programs such as Eudora and free email services are available from many suppliers as long as you have an internet connection. This is an adequate method of delivering information when you don't know what technology your audience will have available but it's not very interactive and lacks the ability to do graphical presentations. There are also services available at a very low cost ($20 per month) that allow you to email information on a timed basis (such as every two weeks).

Discussion Forums/Listservs (asynchronous) - These are email groups that use one email address to send messages to everyone who's subscribed to the list. Good for interactive discussions that doesn't require everyone to be available at the same time. Cost is low but only usually only includes text based and link information.

Chat - Text - Instant Messaging (synchronous) - Also group oriented but the discussions take place in a live, real-time environment. Usually requires participates to be connected at the same time and facilitators need to understand how to moderate a discussion with multiple comments being posted at the same time. Discussions can be saved and organized by subject (threads) for reference or review on a web page.

Chat - Audio - Verbal discussions in a live, real-time environment. Requires more equipment and discussions may be interrupted or delayed by slow connections. Most services offer a "raise-your-hand" approach to allow the facilitator to control and manage comments. Probably better to use a phone or telecommunications service instead of the Internet unless you have an Intranet that can handle the technical requirements. Since this fails the reusabilty test, we do not really consider this an eLearning tool, but many other people do.

Video/Conference - Can be offered one-way or two-way live. One-way (video clips or streaming) is usually a video file on a web page that users choose to view by clicking on it. It may require additional software (plug-ins) to be installed by the user. Two-way conferencing is possible over the Internet but it usually suffers delays from slow connections. For now, telecommunication services offer better connections unless you have large, sophisticated connections between your locations. Plus, unless you're saving the sessions for replay, this also fails the reusability test.

Assessment, Quiz, Survey, Polling - Used for immediate feedback to learners, facilitators and organizations. Eliminates the need to distribute paper and re-entering replies. Results can be easily summarized, analyzed and presented live by creating an interactive site that uses off-the-shelf software or custom databases.

CBT Hybrid - The CBT (CD-ROM) is used to distribute large amounts of information that doesn't change or information that may involve information that is too large to send over the internet such as large graphic, animation, video or audio files. It can also contain references (links) to a web site that contains frequently changing information, discussion groups or other resources.

Whiteboarding - Similar to a whiteboard or chalkboard in a classroom. Participants can see, and sometimes write, comments and drawings on the "board" during real-time brainstorming, team or other group discussions. Unless saved for playback, it fails the reusability test but it is a good collaboration tool.

Document Sharing - Documents are posted for interactive review and revision.

Dynamic Content Engine Usually uses a web database or a technology such as XML to create and present content on-demand. Can be an Knowledge Management application.

Expertise Location and Management (ELM). ELM solutions identify experts, and let people connect to ask questions, share knowledge and get answers.