What is e-Learning?

e-Learning is the use of Internet technologies to deliver a broad array of learning solutions aimed at enhancing business competitiveness and individual achievement through improved access to and the quality of education and training.

Some of the key benefits of e-Learning include:

• Consistency of training
• Reduced training time
• Increased retention
• Flexibility
  • Study at own pace
  • Skip areas where knowledge exists
• Accessible
  • 24hours a day, 7days a week
  • Study Anytime, Anyplace Anywhere
• Fast roll-out o 1000's simultaneously
  • Across all geographies
• Can be packaged into training programs
  • Graduate recruitment
  • Employee Induction
  • Management Skills
  • ICT
• Enables equal access to training to all levels of an organization

E-learning is naturally suited to distance learning and flexible learning, but can also be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in which case the term Blended learning is commonly used.

In higher education especially, the increasing tendency is to create a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) (which is sometimes combined with a Managed Information System (MIS) to create a Managed Learning Environment) in which all aspects of a course are handled through a consistent user interface standard throughout the institution. A growing number of physical universities, as well as newer online-only colleges, have begun to offer a select set of academic degree and certificate programs via the Internet at a wide range of levels and in a wide range of disciplines. While some programs require students to attend some campus classes or orientations, many are delivered completely online. In addition, several universities offer online student support services, such as online advising and registration, e-counselling, online textbook purchase, student governments and student newspapers.¹

¹ Extracts from wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org