Washington State eLearning Network

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What is eLearning?

You can find nearly as many definitions of e-Learning as you can people willing to pontificate about any major industry, perhaps because learning is becoming so important to so many. The following are a few of the definitions of e-Learning:

e-Learning is the convergence of learning and the Internet. – Banc of America Securities

e-Learning is the use of network technology to design, deliver, select, administer, and extend LEARNING. – Elliott Masie, The Masie Center

We define e-Learning companies as those that leverage various Internet and Web technologies to create, enable, deliver, and/or facilitate lifelong learning. – Robert Peterson, Piper Jaffray

e-Learning is Internet-enabled learning. Components can include content delivery in multiple formats, management of the learning experience, and a networked community of learners, content developers and experts. e-Learning provides faster learning at reduced costs, increased access to learning, and clear accountability for all participants in the learning process. In today's fast-paced culture, organizations that implement e-Learning provide their work force with the ability to turn change into an advantage. – Cisco Systems

e-Learners Maximize the Medium

In a USbancorp – Piper Jaffray report titled Helping Investors Climb the e-Learning Curve, Robert W. Peterson, Mark A. Marostica, and Lisa M. Callahan define the "e" in e-Learning from the perspective of the user:

What The "e" Is About

exploration

e-Learners use the Web as an exploratory tool to access a plethora of information and resources.

experience

The Web offers e-Learners a total learning experience, from synchronous learning to threaded discussions to self-paced study.

engagement

The Web captivates learners by enabling creative approaches to learning that foster collaboration and a sense of community.

ease of use

Not only is the Web easy to use for learners who are already familiar with the navigation capabilities of the medium, but to learning providers as well, as they can easily make content immediately available to learners across all technical platforms (Windows, N4AC, Unix, etc.).

empowerment

The Web puts learners in the driver's seat with a set of tools that enables personalization of content and allows learners to choose the way in which they best learn.

e-Learning vs. Online Learning

The Corporate e-Learning: Exploring a New Frontier report by WR Hambrecht +Co clearly identifies the differences between e-Learning and online learning. e-Learning represents the whole category of technology-based learning, while online learning is synonymous with web-based learning. In this case, online learning is actually a subset of e-Learning.

e-Learning = Technology-based Learning

The term e-learning covers a wide set of applications and processes, including computer-based learning, Web-based learning, virtual classrooms, and digital collaboration.

We define e-learning as the delivery of content via all electronic media, including the Internet, intranets, extranets, satellite broadcast, audio/video tape, interactive TV, and CD-ROM. Yet, e-learning is defined more narrowly than distance learning, which would include text-based learning and courses conducted via written correspondence. For the purpose of this report, the term e-learning is used synonymously with technology-based learning. Terms like e-learning, technology-based learning, and Web-based learning are defined and used differently by different organizations and user groups. Moreover, use of these terms is constantly changing, as the world of e-learning evolves.

Online Learning = Web-based Learning

Online learning constitutes just one part of technology-based learning and describes learning via Internet, intranet, and extranet.

Levels of sophistication of online learning vary. A basic online learning program includes the text and graphics of the course, exercises, testing, and record keeping, such as test scores and bookmarks. A sophisticated online learning program includes animations, simulations, audio and video sequences, peer and expert discussion groups, online mentoring, links to material on a corporate intranet or the Web, and communications with corporate education records. In this report, the term online learning is used synonymously with Web-based learning or Internet-based learning.

New Way of Learning

In a SunTrust Equitable Securities report, titled e-Learning and Knowledge Technology, Richard C. Close, Rob Humphrys, and Brian W. Ruttenbur explain how important e-Learning will become:

Technology is increasingly changing our lives. First, it was the emergence of the desktop computer, now it is the Internet. It enables the ordinary person to have access to never-ending quantities of information and knowledge. Technology and the Internet empower individuals and facilitate a more active role in the educational process. As previously mentioned, the Internet has transformed the way people shop (B2C) and the manner in which businesses conduct transactions with each other (B2B). Over the last several months, we have seen the evolution of a third area that we believe can have the most significant impact on all our lives. The e-Learning sector is just beginning to emerge. Just as the Internet has transformed the retail market, we remain confident that it will also transform the education and knowledge markets. As stated in a New York Times article summarizing John Chambers' (CEO Cisco Systems) comments at 1999's COMDEX Conference, "The next big killer application for the Internet is going to be education. Education over the Internet is going to be so big it is going to make e-mail look like a rounding error." As more individuals become connected, the Internet will penetrate deeper into our everyday activities, including the way we learn.

The Internet has the ability to level the learning playing field. Whether it is a high school student seeking assistance with a geometry question or a father at home in Iowa who wants to get an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Management's distance education program. Individuals now have the power to learn on their own time and at their own pace. E-learning technologies allow for the real-time performance, thus enabling individuals to spend time on their deficiencies rather than spending time on areas that they have already mastered. Not only will e-learning improve the achievement of students from kindergarten to high school, but also the productivity of Corporate America's workforce. We believe that the e-learning market will realize substantial growth over the next five to ten years. Moreover, we believe that as bandwidth, video, and voice technology continue to improve, the demand for e-learning products and services will grow exponentially.

SunTrust Equitable also points out that the trends indicate there is no stopping the new
e-Learning and knowledge markets.

IDC projects that a substantial percentage of the U.S. population will be active Internet users. Notably, IDC also forecasts nearly 60% of the U.S. population will actively use the Internet by 2003, up from just 15% in 1996. Although the rate of growth of individuals online is expected to stabilize somewhat, the actual numbers of individuals expected to become connected remains impressive.

In 1996, there were an estimated 38 million individuals connected to the Internet. By 1998, the number of users increased to 82 million, growth of 116% over two years. IDC forecasts that the Internet population will grow to 158 million by 2003. The 23% compound annual growth rate in users from 1996 to 2003 is significant. Again, although the rate of growth in users should experience some deceleration, we believe that the time spent online per individual will expand. Based on a greater amount of time spent online, we remain confident that the growth in e-commerce revenue can meet current projections. The growth in users and the amount of time spent online is favorable for emerging areas such as the e-learning and knowledge markets.

There is no stopping the revolution. The number of daily activities impacted by the Internet will continue to rise. However, as more individuals connect and become accustomed to the benefits created by the Internet, its presence will become commonplace. Therefore, the e-learning experience will be second nature to the growing Internet population.

The e-Learning Value Pyramid

The SunTrust Equitable report breaks down the different learning markets and then build up what they perceive to be the value chain in e-Learning in the form of a pyramid.

The opportunities in the education and knowledge arena are impressive. With U.S. spending on education estimated at more than $700 billion, the industry is the second largest, behind healthcare. As we look at technology product and service providers focused on the education and knowledge markets, we have divided the industry into four sectors based on the customers targeted. These include K-12 (K-12), post-secondary (P2), corporate training (CT), and lifelong learning (LL).

The opportunities in each sector are striking. Spending on the K-12 marketplace has surpassed $380 billion, with more than $30 billion spent annually on childcare and $352 billion spent on K-12 education. By our estimates, this is the largest of the four sectors. Although smaller than the K-12 market, the post-secondary sector eclipsed $230 billion in 1997-98. The Internet is already changing the landscape of the P2 sector. Despite being significantly smaller than the K-12 and P2 segments, we believe that e-learning will penetrate the corporate training market at a faster rate than the K-12 and P2 sectors. An increasing amount of education is provided in the workplace. The CT market has realized substantial growth, reaching an estimated $62.5 billion in 1999 compared to $60.7 billion in 1998. Notably, this excludes the estimated $40-plus billion spent by the government on training. The newest arrival to the education industry is the lifelong learner. This market size is much more difficult to quantify than the segments mentioned above. It would include individuals who purchase self-help books, participate in seminars (in person or online), or are just seeking to acquire new information or knowledge. We look for the LL sector to develop into a prominent segment within the e-learning marketplace as the Internet encompasses a larger presence in our daily activity.

Given the tremendous opportunities that exist in the education and knowledge marketplaces, there has been a surge in companies targeting these markets. A tidal wave of capital has crashed upon the providers of e-Learning technology products and services. Specifically, we have identified more than $1.2 billion distributed to e-learning companies and more than $302 million in public equity raised during 1999. With roughly $300 million raised so far in 2000 and a current backlog of nearly $370 million in equity expected over the next several months, it appears that the e-learning public equity market is just beginning to emerge. At this time, we have identified more than 100 companies focused on the learning and knowledge markets. These companies provide a wide array of products and services to the four customer segments of the education and knowledge industry. In an attempt to evaluate the dynamics of the e-learning and knowledge technology market, we have divided the industry into five categories. These include: Content/Publishing, Tool-R/Enablers, Learning Service Providers (LSPs), Knowledge Hubs/Portals, and Educational e-Tailers. Although we have segmented the industry, in many cases companies fall into several of the categories mentioned above. For example, a company that provides a web-based learning program to a client may also have supplied the content and the platform.

Of the five segments focused on the learning and knowledge markets, we believe that content is the most critical component of learning through the Internet. In order for skeptics to be swayed to use the Internet as a tool to enhance learning, they must become comfortable that its content does not distract individuals, but increases the enthusiasm for knowledge. Learning tools and enablers are also important in the process. Providers of learning platforms and knowledge management systems are instrumental in the effective delivery of content. These companies supply the infrastructure needed to deliver content. The knowledge hub, e-Portals and learning service providers are the distribution channels for content providers. They distribute content through a platform to the end user. In order to be successful, these knowledge hubs and LSPs must make painstaking efforts to ensure that their customers consistently receive fresh content; otherwise they will fail to expand their customer base. Completing our pyramid of e-learning are companies focused on educational entailing. In many cases, representatives of the other categories also partake in entailing as a complement to their primary product or service. There are, however, single focused e-tailers as well. Companies such as bigwords.com and ecampus.com cater to the P2 sector through online textbook sales.

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