Thursday, July 3rd, 2008
“Unveiling the Ambiguity in Current Terminology”
E-learning is mostly associated with activities involving computers and interactive networks simultaneously. The computer does not need to be the central element of the activity or provide learning content. However, the computer and the network must hold a significant involvement in the learning activity.
Web-based learning is associated with learning materials delivered in a Web browser, including when the materials are packaged on CD-ROM or other media.
Online learning is associated with content readily accessible on a computer. The content may be on the Web or the Internet, or simply installed on a CD-ROM or the computer hard disk.
Distance learning involves interaction at a distance between instructor and learners, and enables timely instructor reaction to learners. Simply posting or broadcasting learning materials to learners is not distance learning. Instructors must be involved in receiving feedback from learners.
For each of these concepts, the discriminating feature must be the primary characteristic of the learning activity. Intensive use of the feature is required, since incidental or occasional use of a characteristic feature is not sufficient to qualify for a certain type of learning. For instance, running a CBT application from a file-server does not qualify as e-learning; and e-mailing a teacher after taking a class on a campus is not sufficient to qualify as distance learning.
“E-learning, Online Learning, Web-based Learning, or Distance Learning. Unveiling the Ambiguity in Current Terminology” Susanna Tsai & Paulo Machado, InkiTiki Corporation.
http://elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=best_practices&article=6-1
[Accessed: 03/07/2008]
