Professional September 2018

FEATURE INSIGHT

Dr Sue Smith, CIPP associate director of professional education, discusses the growth and application of e-learning and e-assessment in today’s technological environment The ease of learning and assessment

E -learning is a phrase that was described as a way to learn, based on the use of new technologies (primarily electronic media). It is often associated with phrases such as ‘virtual learning’ and ‘online learning’. For almost twenty years electronic- learning has been on the threshold of being a significant part in the world of learning and development. At its early conception, e-learning encompassed learning on different media such as CDs, cassette recordings and video as well as computer-based internet and intranet – anything that was coined in Los Angeles at the start of this century and has been

fundamentally electronic. Although the concept of e-learning might be relatively new, computer-based training has been around for about forty years and the fundamental principles of online learning (such as mobile or moveable type or print technology) date back even further. The last fifteen consecutive years have seen an impressive and relentless growth of e-learning, and in 2007 online learning, sometimes referred to as distance learning, began to gain traction. Today, e-learning is available in many guises with many universities offering programmes and qualifications as high as master’s degree levels. Studies in the USA have shown that thirty per cent of

college students take at least one online course during their time at college and ten per cent of ‘onliners’ are under the age of 25. This approach to learning appeals particularly to the so-called ‘millennials’, according to the research, as it offers collaboration, instant feedback, mentorship and the use of modern technology. Making use of the modern technology provides e-learning with a unique characteristic. The nature of having an electronic device to learn by means that the traditional way of attending college campus or training courses is not necessary. Providing a world-wide learning platform is not always an advantage, however, as some parts of the globe are not developed enough to have wifi, electricity and electronic devices so learning becomes less accessible for these people, who remain with traditional face-to-face methods of learning. For

...it offers collaboration, instant feedback, mentorship and the use of modern technology

| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | September 2018 | Issue 43 44

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