Accepted definitions of online learning
Throughout the changes brought about by technology in L&D provision, managers and the learning community have been challenged by terminology for example by what ‘online learning’ really means or what ‘e Learning’ really is.
It’s one of the brakes to adopting a newer approach in my experience. People fall at the first hurdle as they encounter suppliers who have very different offers to make under the heading of e Learning for example. I am often asked if I design e Learning packages – well, yes I do if what you mean is an integrated training approach to achieving learning objectives by using the internet in whatever form that takes (online platforms, webinars, virtual coaching etc etc). BUT if what you’re looking for is a web based, technologically whizzy, press-this-button-to-see-if-you-have-the-right-answer slide programme, then no, I don’t design e Learning!! (However I can say that I develop the learning architecture and then pass this over to a platform designer to make it whizzy – yes, I do that). See, it’s complicated.
Whilst terminology is not, in itself, a block to advancement as long as you know what you mean, it can be when you come up against others in your organisation who are not thinking the same thing or receiving the same message from the words you use. Let alone what happens when you go outside the organisation looking for suppliers. How can you ensure that you’re all talking about the same thing?
How good are you at defining the elements that can make up the learning blend?
What if you have been asked to propose “online learning” as a way forward in your organisation, how would you describe it to your senior managers?
My challenge to you is to come up with a definition of each of the following [I know, you don’t have the time]:
- Online learning?
- e Learning?
- Blended learning?
- Hybrid learning?
- Mobile learning?
- Virtual learning?
- Digital learning?
- Individual learning?
- Micro-learning?
Good luck 😉
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