Summary
What is E-learning: definition and meaning
More than a novelty, it is a renewed opportunity. Surely you have noticed: E-learning is spreading rapidly and in many cases has replaced traditional training. There is, however, one very simple question that anyone approaching this world should ask themselves before any other: what is e-learning?
This is technology-mediated distance learning.
The term e-learning was coined in the late 1990s by American Elliott Masie, who described it as “the way network technology designs, distributes, selects, administers and expands training.” Thus, e-learning allows traditional learning systems to be enriched using digital devices. You may have noticed: we are constantly exposed to examples of distance learning. Video tutorials are a daily example of this. Are you beginning to understand better what e-learning means?
The story in brief
Let us now take a step back and see how it all began. You might never have imagined it, but you have to rewind the tape almost two centuries.
Here are the stages of E-learning in history:
– In 1837 the first correspondence courses were born in England. From that time on, it becomes a widespread practice, especially in the United States where universities specializing in distance learning are also established.
– From the 1950s onward, distance learning course offerings expanded thanks in part to the technologies that developed through the 1990s. Audiocassettes, CDs, floppy disks, and even TV itself enable users to develop new skills right from home.
– At the turn of the new millennium, with the spread of the Internet, the resources offered by E-learning began to be available to a much wider audience. Computers become a tool used on a large scale.
– After the 1910s, with the spread of smartphones, education begins to be potentially always with us.
– Today we are witnessing a further evolution. E-learning has taken on different forms and dimensions, crossing the boundaries of the traditional sense of training. Its effectiveness is recognized, and the possibilities of always-usable content are constantly evolving and being updated.
If you think about it even now we are experiencing a momentous turning point in the history of E-learning.
E-learning: from companies to teaching in schools
All this doesn’t sound so new to you, does it? In recent times, in fact, we have all become more familiar with distance learning. There are those who have found themselves, playfully, working from home, and have therefore experienced corporate E-learning, and those who have been involved, more or less directly, in a distance learning (DAD) experience and have therefore learned about E-learning in school education.
From emergency to innovation is a short step, and it is often from the most difficult situations that hitherto unexplored opportunities open up.
E-learning in Italy: where do we stand?
This sector has inevitably undergone major changes, in our country as in the rest of the world, in connection with the pandemic.
E-Learning in Italy has grown exponentially in the past two years because many people have suddenly realized one of the key benefits of distance learning, which-in addition to making learning more personalized and effective, including in the corporate sphere-is able to overcoming space-time barriers that in-person training requires.
Advantages vs. disadvantages
Among the countless benefits of E-learning, moreover, let us not forget:
- Lower training costs – No more need to book classrooms, move people around and pay lecturers for each session.
- Facilitated training monitoring-The LMS collects all the information we need.
- More immediate content update – To edit a piece of content, just update the course with a few clicks. In addition, the content has a very high degree of personalization.
- Wider coverage – Anyone with an Internet connection can train.
- Ability to monitor learning-Thanks to technological tools that detect outcomes (KPIs) and manage teaching.
- Possibility of personalization of learning by the user – If there is something I do not understand, I can decide to review the lesson, redo an exercise, deepen with the material available to me.
- As we said above: Overcoming the difficulties imposed by physical distances.
However, there are also weaknesses, disadvantages of E-learning that it would not make sense to hide, first and foremost the lack of the physical relationship with the lecturer and other students, which could affect learning motivation. However, if you sit down at the table and make the classic list of pros and cons, you will realize for yourself that the needle of the scales will naturally tip toward the advantages.
The technology behind
Technology, as we said, is a key element of distance learning. It is clear to everyone how much this industry has been overwhelmed by momentous change in recent years. For as we know, progress has “galloped” as never before in the recent past, our very habits have been disrupted, and, of course, E-learning technology has evolved.
There has been a proliferation of course production software and the possibilities for users to use it (think of the revolution that has been having a device, our smartphones, at any time of the day), but to take advantage of a distance learning course, which is trackable, you still need an E-learning platform, which in technical jargon is called Learning Management System, or, in short, LMS.
It is a platform for managing the learning process. It is the virtual space where training content is transmitted, enjoyed and tracked. An LMS assesses individual and organizational learning goals, measures progress toward achieving those goals, and even allows the organization of in-person training to be optimized, with a view to optimizing the
blended learning
(blended learning).
To better understand what E-learning platforms are, let’s first understand what they look like.
A Learning Management System consists of:
- An administration interface, in which a training manager manages, from the backoffice, the training content: in other words, courses are uploaded, learning quizzes are organized, students are added, and reports are analyzed;
- A user interface from which students access in order to educate themselves.
Users of E-learning training platforms have different roles:
- Students;
- Lecturers;
- Manager;
To equip themselves with E-learning LMS platforms usually are:
- Large companies;
- SME;
- Nonprofit entities and structured associations;
- Educational and academic institutions.
The methodologies to be followed: from design to content processing
The basis of E-learning methodologies lies first and foremost in design. Identifying precise training objectives and structuring an E-learning design that holds them as primary drivers is critical.
Leading the way in designing a course must first and foremost be the user: training must be
user oriented
and no longer content oriented. At the center, then, is the one who is to enjoy the content, and not the E-learning content itself. The first thing to do when faced with the need to design a course is to ask yourself: who is going to benefit from it? The answer will help us understand how to build it. Then, of course, the subject matter also matters. Sometimes, in fact, it is the content itself that guides us in one direction: think of those types of subjects for which training that is 100 percent distance learning is not recommended (where there is a practical learning component, for example). In these cases, it is often the blended (mixed) methodology that is preferred. Can you imagine how boundless the opportunities that technological progress can offer us in this area? Think, for example, of how close physical experience can be brought to digital training with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
How E-learning training courses are designed
But let’s take another step back. How, then, are E-learning training courses implemented? Clearly, the languages are multiple and constantly evolving. If we think of a digital course, we will tend to imagine slides going on, perhaps accompanied by the audio or video contribution of a lecturer, expert, or even just an actor, illustrating them.
The
authoring tools
most advanced today make it possible to design E-learning courses that are as interactive as possible, alternating between calls to action and multimedia content, learning check quizzes and simulations , andscreen recordings(screencasts). The goal is userengagement (engagement), and to achieve this it is essential to interest, make the experience memorable and, at the same time, intuitive. Remember that simplicity is often the high road to follow, even in the most elaborate courses.
Also the platform, with a view to
engagement
, can come to our aid, because it allows us to structure the training experience by leveraging the
gamification
(the application of elements borrowed from games in training). Imagine enjoying a course in which you are competing with your peers: perhaps with badges to be acquired, prizes to be won, rankings to be climbed, and concrete goals to be achieved. All this may push you to take the course with greater involvement, giving you the very impression that you are playing. Not bad, right?
Naturally, learning in this way will be easier.
Behind the scenes of E-learning design: the professional figures
The design of a course falls under a very specific discipline,instructional design, and in charge of it are specific E-learning professionals: the instructional designers. These are true training designers, working hand in hand with the
subject matter experts
, or subject matter experts, and with platform developers, to create ad hoc training paths. Therefore, those who make E-learning courses are not necessarily trainers or lecturers; in fact, very often they are not. Instructional designers could be called the scriptwriters of the course: the basis of everything is design, guided by imagination.
In reality, there can be many other professionals involved in an E-learning training process, in addition to those already mentioned, for example:
- Project manager
- Content developers
- Multimedia developers
- User experience experts
- Helpdesk clerks
All of these professionals concur to create distance learning pathways that are as engaging and stimulating for the user as possible. But in what way? And by what means?
E-learning software: what are they for
Nowadays there are so many authoring tool available to developers, real software to create E-learning courses, which make it possible to transform a source content (perhaps a simple text document or the most classic of Powerpoint presentations) into an E-learning module, which is either Multimedia, interactive, dynamic, trackable and usable on the move. The outcome of course design and production, the output, is always an object format (tends to be SCORM 1.2) that can be read and tracked by the Learning Management System (LMS) platform.
As we said, there are numerous authoring tools in today’s market. Some of these E-learning software require more or less in-depth development skills and computer knowledge (and basically allow for any kind of design and customization), others are designed to be used even by figures without any kind of technical experience (but allow for effective courses, even if they perhaps have to discount less customization). Based on the starting needs, the amount and type of users to be trained, the skills of their development team, and other variables, the designer chooses which type of E-learning software to lean on for course production.
Mobile Learning
We certainly don’t have to explain to you The central role that mobile devices have carved out for themselves in our lives over the past decade.It goes without saying, then, that if the smartphone has, bit by bit, replaced the newspaper through which to inform oneself about what is happening in the world, and if influencers have taken the place of dear old “shopping tips,” then so, too, have the training sector Has been called upon to grasp from the very beginning The importance of providing users with a learning environment usable by mobile devices. This is to enable them to form in the way they consume all other types of content in their day and thus increase their engagement.
We are talking about mobile learning, or M-Learning. What is it all about? Mobile Learning is a way of accessing training content through mobile devices (smartphones or tablets). This clearly responds in the best possible way to the now indispensable logic of “where you want and when you want.” We need to be able to train not only in the office and during working hours, but also from home, perhaps from the couch, during the home-work commute, at “non-canonical” times, bit by bit, when the spaces of our days allow. Mobile Learning is also strategic for field training: imagine E-Learning training enjoyed directly on the production line, from the tablet, perhaps enhanced by augmented reality (AR) grafts. Through Mobile App, then, users are no longer necessarily tied to Internet access, but can train offline as well, without losing the ability to synchronize progress and track training in the LMS once the connection is re-established.
The importance of interaction in E-Learning
The importance of interaction in online learning contexts is not just a feeling. Indeed, it has been shown how interaction on cognitive goals is able to increase students’ mastery of critical concepts. In the series, “If I do, I learn.”
Think about it, even in face-to-face training, the ability to interact with the class and actively participate in the lesson changes the degree of engagement by a lot. In virtual E-learning settings, interaction often becomes even indispensable. It goes without saying that interaction cannot be limited to a mere “call to click” for the user, but must be designed and structured to maximize engagement and make the student the true protagonist of our course. At the center – in fact – should no longer be the content, but the user of the content. In this sense, both the choice and configuration of the Learning Management System and the logic by which E-Learning courses are designed are crucial.
Explaining this, as we said, are also many scientific studies: “The comparative analysis highlighted the importance of interaction in learning contexts: the results obtained showed that the most important leverage of an LMS is the collaborative and interactive function.” (“Second-level comparative analysis of LMS and construction of an analysis tool” – Design the Future! Extended abstracts of the EM&M ITALY 2016 multiconference; Silvia Mazza, Maria Beatrice Ligorio).
E-Learning for all: accessibility
We always say it: one of the biggest mistakes we risk making when designing an E-Learning course is not thinking about our target audience and not working on the course by making it exactly for the needs of our users. But who are our users? Sometimes the answer is so general that it scares us: “all workers!” And all workers, we know, have the same right to be able to understand and enjoy our course content to the fullest, which is why a hot topic in our industry is that of
accessibility in E-Learning
. Accessibility equals “right to diversity“: different are the people and different are the needs. Understanding those with disabilities in our user base is a valuable opportunity for inclusion that we cannot afford to deny ourselves.
The 'accessibility: significance
But let’s take one step at a time: what is accessibility? Accessibility is the ability guaranteed to every person to be able to enjoy any product or service and access any context. I, a user, must be able to enjoy that course even in its reading part despite the fact that I am visually impaired, just as I must be able to enjoy that audio even though I have a hearing impairment. These are just a few examples, but ones that allow us to begin to understand.
E-learning courses and accessible LMS: a brief guide
Let’s do a quick and non-exhaustive roundup of some cautions that it is always good to keep in mind while designing an E-Learning course or configuring an LMS platform, so as not to run into mistakes on the topic of accessibility.
- Choose and configure the LMS remembering that there are specific plugins to support accessibility.
- Set titles correctly and use h1, h2, h3 tags.
- Fill in the “Alt texts,” which are the alternative texts for images.
- Using tables for data.
- Set video and dynamic content players to always be usable from the keyboard.
- Always provide subtitles (close captioning) in our videos.
- Remember that colors are not only a matter of aesthetics: in general, the more contrasting the better, however, remember that not everyone can distinguish them, so they should not be used as the sole differentiator of elements on a page.
UX and UI in E-Learning
In distance learning, UserExperience (UX) andUser Interface (UI) also have their importance. Did you know? There is a great need, in fact, for easy-to-use Learning Management System platforms in which the user can be comfortable and move with ease.
User Experience (UX) stands for the feelings and emotions the user experiences when interfacing with the platform. User Interface (UI), on the other hand, is the user interface, in other words the graphic layout (buttons, pictures, sliders) of an application (of a platform or course).
Timely design of both helps to improve the Learner Experience (LX), that is, the User Experience of the user.
AI, AR and VR in E-Learning: the future is now
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are already here. InE-Learning, artificial inteligence offers many possibilities (think chatbots, semantic analysis, Big Data) and likewise the distance learning sector benefits greatly from Virtual and Augmented Reality. Lowering oneself into a fictitious 3D environment in which to interact through the use of peripherals (Virtual Reality) can be of great help for some types of training, in parallel, implementing the surrounding reality (the real reality, then), visualizing it through mobile devices and enriching it with digitally usable information, can represent a ‘unique opportunity to give answers to other types of training needs.
The strength of VR is simulation. The greater immersiveness and interactivity of VR allow one to step into a “scene” while protecting oneself from any possible risk. Some medical facilities and construction companies, law enforcement agencies and the military use them.
Instead, portability and relative inexpensiveness on the user side transformAR into a kind of interactive manual or virtual assistant, which contains all the information relevant to a specific context.
Interesting isn’t it? And think that VR and AR are technologies with immense potential, the surface of which has only been scratched.
E-Learning and Pandemic
Perhaps you have also delved into E-Learning over the past couple of years. If so, you probably did so because, as with every other aspect of our lives, that of vocational training has radically changed since the pandemic disrupted our habits. E-Learning, since the first lockdown forced hundreds of thousands of workers home, is the sector that has enabled continuity of training at a time when so many other business processes have come to a forced halt. Students in schools and universities have been able to continue studying thanks to DAD (distance learning), and similarly, workers in companies have found themselves behind a webcam in their living rooms for remote meetings and E-Learning courses to enjoy.
According to a study carried out by DOXA, more than 40 percent of companies in Italy increased their training budgets in 2020. The question that arises, then, is: has there been a change of pace, or, once the emergency is over, will the distrusters of online training turn their noses up again? We respond with a finding from the same study that 90% of those who experienced E-Learning for the first time said they would adopt it in the future. Therefore, this is not a passing fad, but a true new era. Advantages and disadvantages, as mentioned above, are found in all types of training, but the undeniable convenience of a training mode that frees the user from spatial-temporal obligations and lightens the organizational and economic commitment of the company has finally been revealed to the world. The process of technological innovation in the E-Learning world has accelerated significantly since the spring of 2020, but the curve will not stop rising in the coming years.
To stay up to date
As you may have guessed, E-learning is a complex field that lends itself to in-depth analysis. If you found interesting insights in this article, know that we have only touched the tip of the iceberg. Therefore, you will probably find the in-depth content of our
blog on E-learning
, through which you can learn more about techniques and the latest trends in digital applied to corporate training.
