E-learning: The Journey so far
By Bhaskar Pandya
We all know that until the past few decades (language) teaching was never computer aided or technology enabled. Instead it was taking place in a classroom more popularly referred to as a language classroom and that too in presence of a qualified trainer. With the advent of technology and its continuous improvement, schools and colleges began to integrate teaching with the computer and technologies and e-learning took birth.
In the early 1990s, many companies were using videotape-based training for their employees. Those companies then represented a very small market and lacked the ‘scalability’ that is so important in today’s applications. The idea of putting training on video was a good idea, though it was lacking in a few areas (1) Customization based on needs of users, (2) Expensive to maintain and (3) Could not be upgraded easily. There is also the issue of employees having to hunt down the proper equipment in order to watch the videos. These videos often had limited interactions which lead to the nearly impossible task of tracking progress and assessment.
Gradually it was found that these videos were not enough nor were they the best solution and hence, a new form of training evolved i.e. CBT (Computer Based Training). Windows 3.1, Macintosh, CD-ROMs, PowerPoint marked the technological advancements. And we had the Multimedia Era. CD-ROMs were quite cheap in production and the problem of checking in and out the videos was eliminated. Employees were also happy that they could simply pop in a CD to their personal computer at their desk or at home and complete the training.
Although the CD-ROM and Computer-Based Training made advances toward the betterment and facilitated language teaching – learning and training, it was limited and had very few chances of delivering fruitful and desired results. As it still lacked the ability to track employees’ performance in a central database and was also not as easy to upgrade. It was one time investment and one time gain kind of a thing offering a very limited scope to flourish. Though it was computer based testing/training, it needed a lot of paper work and clerical work.
But gradually with the advent and the use of Internet and the technologies and later on with Information and Communication Technologies as a means of delivering content the problems disappeared. The only problem was: when the content was placed on the web, it was simply text to begin with and maybe a few graphics. Nobody really cared for effectiveness of this new medium – it was just really cool.
People in this field of e-learning began to realize that you simply can not put information on the web without a learning strategy for the users. “…In order for technology to improve learning, it must ‘fit’ into students’ lives…not the other way around. As a result, e-learning was born.”
One of the first innovations in actual e-learning was the LMS or Learning Management System. “The first Learning Management Systems (LMS) offered off-the-shelf platforms for front-end registration and course cataloging, and they tracked skills management and reporting on the back-end.” This enabled schools and companies to place courses online and be able to track students’ progress, communicate with students effectively and provide a place for real-time discussions.
The eClassroom evolved shortly after, which are “…web-based synchronous events with integrated CBT and simulations.” Centra is a great example of an eClassroom that is used quite often today. eClassrooms are often called Live Instructor-Lead Training or ILT. “Live instructor-led training (ILT) via the Web can be combined with real-time mentoring, improved learner services, and up-to-date, engaging “born on the Web” content to create a highly-effective, multi-dimensional learning environment.”
E-learning has come a very long way since its early days of being text-based via the Web or CD-ROM. So what does the future hold? There really is no saying where the field is headed. As long as training is continually geared towards the learners and strategies are used in the training, there is no end in sight for e-learning.