Home: Introduction to E-Learning

What is e-learning, distance education, or Internet-based hybrid learning?

Several complementary and competing terms, concepts, and definitions are used to discuss and describe the varieties and variations concerned with online learning. One of the best collections of definitions from the technological perspective is the E-Learning Glossary found on the Web site of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).

     American Society for Training and Development
     http://www.learningcircuits.org/glossary.html

As research was conducted during development of the E-Learning Knowledge Base, a few terms and definitions appeared repeatedly in many of the publications and discussions defining the e-learning knowledge domain. Selected terms and brief definitions appear at the beginning of each of the synthesis sections.

The following topics are covered in the four synthesis sections:

1. Curriculum and Standards-Based Content (grounding e-learning to state, professional, and national curriculum standards).
2. Teaching and Learning (pedagogy and critical skills for e-learning success).
3. Instructional Technology Systems (the Internet, networks, platforms, operating systems, software tools, creating effective online learning environments, and online professional development).
4. Milieu: Cultural and Organizational Context (the social, cultural, and political dimensions of e-learning).

Welcome to the NCREL E-Learning Knowledge Base!

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