“E” Means More than Just “Electronic”
Superficially, e-learning refers to forms of learning that are administered electronically. It’s the same “e” that prefaces “mail” when referring to e-mail. In practice, however, that letter signifies a great deal more. Just as e-mail revolutionized the way people send written correspondence to one another, e-learning has revolutionized the way in which people learn and the way in which society as a whole thinks about learning. E-learning methodologies may well employ electronic tools in their delivery, but what really makes e-learning unique is the way in which one can use those tools to create a uniquely customized and individualized learning experience.
E-learning takes on many forms, but the support of an information system is at the core of all of them. Ultimately, this is the goal of e-learning—to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from an information system to an end user. In this sense, e-learning can refer to the act of locating information via a search engine, taking a college class over the Internet, or using a custom designed piece of software to learn a new skill on the job. Any time knowledge is imparted from an information system through an electronic medium, e-learning is taking place, regardless of whether an automated test, a piece of software, or a “flesh and blood” administrator or teacher oversees the actual process of transmission.