Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Types of e- learning

Training in key business and professional skills in today’s competitive environment cannot be ignored if you want your employees to develop and help drive the growth of your company.

Types of e-learning

There are fundamentally two types of e-learning: synchronous training and asynchronous training.

Synchronous, means "at the same time," involves interaction of participants with an instructor via the Web in real time. Asynchronous, which means "not at the same time," allows the participant to complete the WBT at his own pace, without live interaction with the instructor. A new form of learning known as blended learning is emerging. As the name suggests it is an amalgamation of synchronous and asynchronous learning methods.

Asynchronous Methods.

Embedded learning Embedded learning is information that is accessible on a self-help basis, 24/7. It can be delivered to the place of work, or to mobile learners. Electronic performance support system (EPSS) is a type of embedded learning. The advantage is that embedded learning offers learners the information they need whenever they need it.

Courses The clear advantage of a self-paced course is convenience. Participants can get the training they need at any time. This can include just-in-time training where a participant gets exactly the training he or she needs to perform a task.

Discussion groups A discussion group is a gathering of conversations that occur over time. They are also called message boards, bulletin boards and discussion forums. Discussion groups can be used to support a group of participants taking the same class or can be used to support participants performing related tasks. A discussion group is a very competent way to supply expert answers to a large group people. A single answer to a common question can help many.

Synchronous Methods

Virtual classroom Virtual classroom duplicates the features of a real classroom online. Participants interact with each other and instructors online .instant messaging, chat, audio and video conferencing etc.

Blended Method Most companies prefer to use custom e-learning solutions of both synchronous and asynchronous e-learning methods according to their requirement.

Conclusion

All in all e- learning is here to stay and only you can decide the degree of involvement in e- learning your company may require and the best methods applicable to you and your employees