| > | | | | If subscribers have an opinion on a particular LMS, |
| What makes for good online learning? | | | | they're invited to forward it to us. We'll collate your |
| Perhaps one of the strongest temptations when | | | | responses and feed them back to the list.... |
| approaching online solutions is to start by converting | | | | Alliances and Initiatives |
| existing training resources into web resources. Since | | | | Announcements of e-learning collaborative initiatives |
| much face-to-face delivery is backed up by print | | | | amongst and between commercial and educational |
| materials, putting print documents online is often a | | | | institutions are a daily event. Many are funded by |
| popular starting point. If learners are academic, highly | | | | venture capital, and often combine an IT company's |
| motivated and good at organising their study, they'll | | | | expertise with the knowledge base of an educational |
| probably cope with large volumes of text. They'll print | | | | provider. The following examples are illustrative of |
| it out, read it, file it logically and use it. | | | | the range of initiatives taking place. There are also |
| Is this the profile you're dealing with? Probably not. | | | | some trends starting to emerge: |
| The reality is that the Web is a visual medium. It's | | | | - Globalisation of education and training means |
| also true that reading large amounts of text from a | | | | progressive educational institutions are combining |
| screen is unpleasant and learners will avoid it where | | | | forces to make available the capital and infrastructure |
| possible. | | | | necessary to produce online solutions that will tap |
| One of the other advantages of online learning is that | | | | into the new global market |
| content can be linked and accessed in non-linear | | | | - Education is becoming one of the core areas of |
| ways. Large blocks of text online can limit the | | | | venture capital investment in online solutions generally. |
| potential to make learning a dynamic process. | | | | The traditional idea that educational institutions were |
| The challenge is to design education and training | | | | non-profit organisations working for the public good is |
| solutions that draw on the strengths of the media | | | | fading rapidly. |
| selected. Future updaters will pick up on educational | | | | - The most effective solutions usually involve a |
| design as a tool for achieving this. | | | | partnership that combines the technical expertise of |
| Generic development/delivery tools, what's out | | | | a commercial organisation with the educational |
| there? | | | | resources of a larger institution or institutions. |
| The last 5 years have seen a raft of Learning | | | | - Perhaps the area of greatest activity is providers |
| Management Systems (LMSs) hit the market. They | | | | offering delivery platforms for partner institutions' |
| offer, in varying degrees, the ability to develop, | | | | content. This meets the need of smaller institutions |
| deliver and administer online learning solutions. | | | | companies wanting to offer training online, but not |
| Mainstream products include: | | | | having the infrastructure or resources to develop |
| "TopClass" ( | | | | online LMSs. |
| "Learning Space" ( abs/learnspace), | | | | *Jackson State University (JSU) announced plans to |
| "WebCT" ( | | | | spend US$20 million to create a major technology |
| "Web Crossing" ( | | | | research and incubation center in Mississippi, a move |
| "CourseInfo" ( | | | | made possible by a $17 million donation to the |
| "FirstClass" ( | | | | university by Allstate Insurance Company. |
| Core features generally include: | | | | *The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) |
| - file structures for making materials available online | | | | announced a partnership with British and Australian |
| - chat and bulletin board communication systems | | | | institutions to develop a for-profit online film program |
| - administration systems for managing students' | | | | that will be offered globally. |
| progress | | | | *CYBeR-CARE Inc. (a telehealth technology |
| Each touts a list a mile long of institutions that use | | | | company) and Wichita State University's College of |
| them, but in our experience, often only part of the | | | | Health Professions have announced an alliance to test |
| product is used. For example, the communication and | | | | the effectiveness of initiating and monitoring physical |
| student management facilities of FirstClass are | | | | therapy and other rehabilitation services for patients |
| popular, but some organisations choose not to use it | | | | in home settings using the Electronic HouseCall(TM) |
| for content delivery for various technical reasons. | | | | System. |