Categories Of eLearning
There is no set module for eLearning, but instead there are many ways and categories of eLearning that a person or organization can adopt to best suit their purposes. If you ask anyone about the levels and ways of eLearning, you are most likely to get an answer based on that person’s experience with eLearning and not the entire picture. So here’s an overview about the different levels or categories of eLearning to help you get a better idea of all that it encompasses.
Knowledge Databases and Informal Learning: This is one of the most common ways of learning but one that is not recognized by people. Many people are able to learn more about something when off the job or outside the classroom rather than when on the job or sitting in a classroom. This type of learning is called informal learning. As a category of eLearning, it refers to the vast knowledge databases that are offered by search engines on the Internet. And it’s not just search engines, but also storage tools, wikis, and blogs, that all give the informal eLearner a vast and powerful knowledge database.
Course Materials: Another very basic and entry level category of eLearning is courses. Many organizations take their printed course materials and add some electronic media to it, transfer it online, and present it to their learners as an eLearning module. The growing popularity of WebCT and Blackboard, usually considered as a basic requirement for eLearning, is proof of the fact that courses are seen as a very prominent way of eLearning.
Online Forums: Today’s businesses face a lot of complex and multi-faceted problems, which cannot be solved by one person alone. To arrive at a working solution to such problems, the input of different people and their various ideas is essential, and so is current knowledge about your business and industry. In such situations, online forums and communities can be very helpful. Consulting and gaining knowledge from communities within your organization, as well as the larger online communities, can help a lot in problem solving, and at the same time, is a great level of eLearning.
Learning Networks: This is an offshoot of the previous category of eLearning. Forming your personal learning network, which comprises people and online communities that are in the same field as you, or have similar goals, can be a great resource for gaining knowledge and staying up to date with information about all aspects of your industry.
Blended Learning: Switching from classroom type of learning to electronic and online learning can sometimes be a difficult transition. Blended learning, a category of eLearning, can make this transition a lot smoother. This type of learning is a blend of the traditional classroom learning techniques and online eLearning techniques. It involves having a regular face to face course about a particular subject, and then following up such teaching by using online resources and discussions, which can help to students with continued learning at their own convenience. The concern that eLearning will do away with the need for instructors and teachers, has been dealt with by Blended Learning. This type of eLearning is thus the perfect combination of classroom and online learning and makes use of the best of both worlds.
Although the above categories are separate ways of eLearning, rarely can they be used in isolation. You may need to use more than one category of learning, in order to create the best possible method of learning, which will depend on your individual requirements. However varied the above categories may be, the basic premise of all remains the same – that of facilitating learning.
Currently Indexing Over 75 'BluePages' Covering 1,000+ topics!