Online learning or e-learning (e-learning or e-learning) is a type of technology-supported education (TSL). The general idea is that instead of a teacher, the student learns by using instructions through computer technology.
In some cases, no face-to-face interaction takes place at all. E-learning is used interchangeably in a variety of contexts. In companies, it refers to strategies that use the corporate network to offer training courses to employees. In many cases, a company may have several required courses as well as several volunteer courses. The application that trains and tests the employee may be placed on the corporate LAN or may in fact be provided by a third party vendor from their website.
In the United States, it is defined as a planned teaching/learning experience that uses a wide range of technologies. Again, the main avenue of e-learning is online or more specifically the World Wide Web.
Recently e-learning has been used to very great effect in the delivery of courses or study programs as rarely if ever students attend face-to-face lessons. Many colleges have launched large-scale online educational applications to broaden their appeal to users across the world.
The worldwide e-learning industry is valued at more than thirty-eight (38) billion euros. Although in the European Union only about 20% of e-learning products are produced within the Common Market. Advancements in the Internet and multimedia technologies are the primary enabler of e-learning with content. The vast majority of courses are concentrated in the areas of information technology, programming and computer skills. E-learning is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of educational materials that can be delivered on CD or DVD, over a local area network (LAN), or on the Internet. However, most Internet users would probably expect that whatever medium they use for the course-serving application, it will be supported by updates and online testing.
By 2006, nearly 3.5 million students participated in online learning. This means only those with a tertiary education accredited in the United States. This has now been taken up to a great extent by employers in first world and developing countries like India where in many cases there is a legal obligation for employers to train their employees in several areas. This course may be ‘health and safety training based’ or it can also be ‘rights and responsibilities’ based. Governments tend to place the onus of training increasingly on the employer who must then provide training to employees. In this context, e-learning has been a great way to save time and money from the perspective of employers. Specifically large employers can see the return on their investment by logging employers into their training center. They can train, groom, schedule, and certify employees without leaving their seats.
Many higher education institutions now offer classes online. However, “for-profit” institutions have been able to adopt the technology more quickly than public universities and public education systems.
E-learning fits in naturally with distance learning, flexible learning, and so on Benefit from e-learning for employers is that an employee may sign in at home and continue learning while employers are not paying for it. Tests conducted in the UK indicate that this is the case. If incentives are offered, almost all employees with access to the internet at home choose online over traditional training.
E-learning can also refer to educational websites such as those that offer learning scenarios, worksheets, and interactive exercises to children. The term is also widely used in the business sector where it generally refers to cost-effective online training. Companies like Thirdforce who are one of the market leaders in online B2B training can handle tens of thousands of students. This makes Thirdforce and companies like it one of the largest online training and education organizations in the world.