E-Learning for Beginners: Back to the Basics

(First in a periodic series)

People say all the time that our world is constantly changing. Yes, obviously. I see it when my grandparents whip out the iPads at dinner and show me what they’re learning in their Apple classes. Or when my parents check their e-mail on their iPhone and joke about having to keep up with the younger generation. No kidding our world is changing! And we have to continue learning just to keep up with it.

And that’s where it gets interesting. Learning is changing too. And quickly. Learning no longer takes place in a classroom. Learning is not restricted to formal education. Today there is another frontier of learning. It all begins when an “e” in front of the word.

E-Learning.

That “e” represents the entire ELECTRONIC world.

That one letter has HUGE implications – including the evolution of learning itself.

So for those of you who are new to the e-Learning world or for those of you who are experts and want to help welcome others in, let’s set out to clarify a few things. First, we must begin with a basic, working definition of learning. With that foundation, we can build an understanding of e-Learning.

Learning 101

According to the trustworthy Merriam Webster, learning is “the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, practice, study, or by being taught.” Agreed. So learning is the result of the intake of new concepts or ideas. This gained understanding leads to application. In short, learning transforms – either habits, knowledge, actions, or beliefs.

Sourced from Big Dog & Little Dog Performance Juxtaposition

Practically, what does learning look like? Consider just a few different outlets – online courses, in-class teaching, reading in a library, being coached on a football field, etc. Learning has so many faces!

At the same time, it is important to understand learning as a complete concept. According to Marc Rosenberg in his book E-Learning, learning is most commonly associated with training. But to see training and learning as the same misses the mark.

Rosenberg states that “training [is] used when it is necessary to shape learning in a specific direction – to support learners in acquiring a new specific skill or to utilize new knowledge in a specific way or a specific level of proficiency, perhaps within a specific time frame” (Rosenberg 5). 

The distinction lies in this: training is one form of learning, but there are also other forms of learning. In other words, all training is learning, but not all learning is training. Learning is bigger than simply learning how to do something mechanically or to a specific end. It changes thinking. Learning is the broader acquiring of knowledge and skills that have transformative effects.

Looking holistically at the concept of learning, it makes sense that the field and process of learning is itself being transformed, especially as we acquire new skills and knowledge about learning and technology. So not only is the world changing and not only do we need to learn new things to keep up, but the ways in which we learn are also changing.  We are learning new ways of learning at the same time that we invent even newer ways of learning.

This is the SEISMIC shift. Have you noticed it?

Rosenberg says that learning is changing in the following ways:

• From training to performance
• From classroom to anytime, anywhere
• From paper to online
• From physical facilities to network facilities
• From cycle time to real time

The element of ELECTRONICS as it applies to learning is changing everything. In our next post, we’ll explore these shifts more and consider the value of learning in our technology-driven culture. But for now…what are your thoughts? We can all learn from each other…

Rosenberg, Marc J. E-Learning. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001. Print.

“Knowledge.” Big Dog & Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition. 13 July 1995. Big Dog, Little Dog and Knowledge Jump Production. Web. 20 Jan 2012. http://nwlink.com/~donclark/knowledge/knowledge.html