• Ε -learning is often used to refer to online learning, but learning expert Marc Rosenberg contends that it is only e-learning if the computer is connected either to the Internet or to an intranet or extra net (private forms of the Internet that limit access to authorized users)。 Because learning materials are available through the

Internet, they can be linked to resources outside the learning program, such as references, electronic mail, and discussions。

Because they do not require that the computer be connected to the

Internet, learning programs on CD and DVD are technically not forms of e-learning, although they are forms of online learning。

• Web-based training is a synonym for e-learning。

• Computer-based training (also called computer-based instruction) is an older term (used before the widespread availability of the

Internet) and refers to courses presented on a computer。 The course does not provide links to learning resources outside of the course。 Often, learners take a computer-based training course on a computer that is not connected to a network。

• Technology-based instruction has a broader meaning;  it refers to learning through any medium other than the classroom。 This includes computers, but also refers to television, audiotape, videotape, and print。

    Not surprisingly, the term online learning confuses people because it refers to a broad range of approaches and involves new and complex technology that people in the industry enthusiastically advocate and at times even hype。 Terminology and concepts become confused (just look at the confusion over the terms online learning and e-learning), and project proposals become muddied as people equate delivery mechanisms with program structure and focus on technical issues, sometimes to the oversight of content。来自优Y尔L论W文Q网wWw.YouERw.com 加QQ7520~18766

Is Online Learning More Effective than Classroom Learning?

That depends on how you define the term effective。 If you define effective as faster then, in some instances, online learning is more effective。 Some studies show that online courses taught exclusively asynchronously (that is, the instructor and learner are not online at the same time) can reduce learning time by about a third。 One of the reasons for this is that learners can skip material they already know; in the classroom, learners must sit through such material。

If you define effective as students learning the material better than in the classroom, no conclusive answer exists。 Some enthusiasts of online learning argue theoretically that learning is more effective online because it engages more senses。 The more senses involved in learning, the higher the retention of the material。

In reality, this view assumes that every online course actually engages all of these senses。 Many existing online courses are electronic page turners, and do not engage the senses。 Research on online reading suggests that reading online is less effective than reading printed materials: reading speeds are 25 percent slower online。 Learners also tend to skim online material rather than to read it carefully。

That might suggest, then, that online learning is less effective than the classroom or workbooks, but studies have not found that to be the case。 Instead, most studies that compare classroom and online versions of the same material suggest that online learning is as effective as classroom learning—no more, no less。

Will Online Learning Replace the Classroom?

Absolutely not。

Admittedly, some of the early advocates of online learning suggested that the computer might replace the classroom, but most people dismiss this point of view。

Instead, designers have learned that the best online learning complements classroom learning。 In fact, some of the most effective online learning programs are blended with classroom programs, letting each medium do what it does best。论文网