What is eLearning?

Many people get confused when I tell the I am an eLearning Specialist. They look at you with quizzical eyes and need to know more.

I tell them that I  help companies to develop training and use it on the internet. This seems to help. But there are all kinds of actions or activities that can be called “eLearning”.  Here are some terms to help you get by:

WBT – WBT stands for Web Based Training and is one of the first terms used to represent training that was online. Online Learning and eLearning are generally synonymous.  Online learning can also represent virtual classroom / training elements of a training program, more on this later.

CBT – The grandaddy of them all, CBT or Computer based training was the precursor to eLearning. It provided the learner or student with a chance to complete training on a computer normally stand alone but sometimes connected to a network. Many early teachings were just text based versions of what was in a textbook and not very engaging to the student but this depended on the company, developers and trainers.

Virtual Classroom – provides a group of students or employees the ability to communicate with each other regardless of where they live or work in the world. Virtual spaces provide learners with a sense of community, they can ask questions in the moment and even be polled or quizzed to ensure they understand the content being presented by the knowledge expert. Many companies even record the proceedings so others can view or review the material at a later date.

This is particularly handy when your workforce is dispersed all over the world. Some systems will even help you synchronize documents to keep everyone on the same page.

Blended Learning – One of the terms for using more than one technology option along with real live Instructor-led Classroom (ILT) activities. Many organizations will use a blended learning approach to enhance and extend the classroom experience, before and after the learner has attended.