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About the History of E-Learning Hello! My name is Sakamoto, and I am in charge of CS. Have you been learning or studying using the Internet, such as through online learning? With the recent proliferation of PCs and smartphones, learning via the Internet has become commonplace, but how did it all begin? In this issue, we would like to talk about the history of e-learning. Click here for the Table of Contents 1. The Beginning of e-Learning 2. Development of e-Learning 3. Internet-based learning 4. Emergence of Smart Devices The Beginning of e-Learning The development of computer-based learning, which is the basis of e-learning, began in the 1950s, mainly in the United States, with the idea that computers could be used to support education, known as CAI. Conventional group training could not be called efficient because the instructor and trainees had to be in the same place for a long time, and all checking of the trainees' progress had to be done by a person. Video materials were also introduced, but they presented information in a one-way manner and could not be said to be highly effective for learning. This is why the use of personal computers for learning has attracted attention because of the advantages of not having to choose where to study, cost savings, and the ability to manage learners. However, because it was difficult to construct an ideal system in practice, the quality of education through CAI did not improve as much as expected. Development of e-Learning In the 1990s, with the development and spread of personal computers, CAI was replaced by computer-based training (CBT). CBT mainly represents a learning method using CD-ROMs as teaching materials, and taking advantage of the large capacity of CD-ROMs, teaching materials utilizing video and audio were created. It was also around this time that the term "e-learning" was introduced. In particular, in 1995, the explosive popularity of Windows 95 was launched and personal computers became widespread in homes, and Windows 95 came standard with a CD-ROM, which helped to establish CBT-based education. CBT, however, did not become widely used due to the cost of producing teaching materials, the difficulty of modifying the content after distribution, and the difficulty for the administrator to manage the progress of all participants. To Internet-based learning In Japan, a major change occurred in 2000, when the then Mori Cabinet announced the "e-Japan Concept," which aimed to create a Japanese-style IT society, and the following year, a project to promote e-learning began in earnest. The following year, e-learning promotion projects began in earnest. As a result, the e-learning learning method shifted from CD-ROM learning to online learning using materials distributed over the Internet. By placing the learning environment online, it became possible to easily and inexpensively manage learning materials and check the progress of students. The online learning method is called WBT (Web-Based Training), and with the spread of the Internet, more and more companies began to introduce e-learning training and it gradually became a part of our daily lives. Emergence of Smart Devices Since the late 2000s, e-learning has changed even further with the advent of smartphones represented by the iPhone and Android, as well as larger tablet devices. Smart devices are portable, making it possible to study anytime, anywhere, in any spare time, and it has become common to study on the move with a smartphone. Because of the convenience of portability, e-learning is also being introduced in occupations where education and training could only be conducted through real group training, such as customer service, maintenance, and cooking. In addition, recently, the combination of SNS and other tools for communication among trainees has been introduced, as it is expected to be highly effective in supporting and motivating trainees to learn by communicating with each other. Conclusion In this issue, we have reviewed the history of e-learning. Starting with the use of computers in education, the spread of personal computers and the Internet, and now with the advent of smart devices and social networking services, the role and effectiveness of e-learning itself has expanded greatly. With the further evolution of technology (which has already begun to be used), cutting-edge technologies such as AI and VR will be incorporated into e-learning, and the nature of e-learning may change in the future. Thank you for reading to the end. We look forward to seeing you next time.

The Beginning of MOOCs in the U.S. [e-Learning Around the World Hello. My name is Motoki, and I am in charge of marketing. This is the first installment of the "e-Learning Around the World" series, which began last time. In the first installment, we introduced you to Khan Academy, one of the first flipped learning programs in the United States. This time, as a continuation of the Khan Academy, I would like to look into "MOOCs," which have become popular as a form of online education. Click here for the table of contents. 1. What is a MOOC? 2. Representative MOOCs 3. Summary What is a MOOC? A MOOC is also known as "MOOCS," and its official name is "Massive Open Online Course. As the name suggests, MOOCS is a platform service that allows students to take large courses online. It became popular mainly in the U.S. and other countries because it allows anyone with Internet access to attend lectures at prestigious universities (basically) for free. Some of them offer not only lectures but also post-lecture tests and assignments to qualify for completion of the course. MOOCs are platform services, so each university does not set up its own service, but rather, students use the platform of a "MOOC consortium" or "MOOC provider" that acts as an intermediary. Now it seems that not only universities but also companies are participating and offering lectures, so in a broad sense, it seems that it can be simply regarded as an "online course. (This page focuses mainly on online courses at the university level.) Representative MOOCs ▼Coursera https://www.coursera.org/ Courses from famous universities such as Stanford University are available. ▼EdX https://www.edx.org/ It was launched jointly by MIT and Harvard University. Udacity https://www.udacity.com/nanodegree Udacity is a MOOC specializing in programming and other computer science fields. Summary MOOCs have created learning opportunities for anyone with Internet access to take university-level courses without having to go to a university. In fact, there was news that a 15-year-old student from Mongolia received excellent grades in an edX course and went on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). However, MOOCs have a very low completion rate due to their low hurdles. The completion rate is low because MOOCs are self-study services that depend heavily on the motivation of the learner. However, MOOC courses are being developed through industry-academia collaboration with the world's top companies such as Google and Facebook, and the number of lectures on cutting-edge technologies such as AI, data science, and automated driving, which are currently the focus of attention, seems to be increasing. It is likely to continue to attract attention in the future. The spread of edtech services like MOOCs in the U.S. is also changing the way students learn in school education. From the next issue onward, I would like to take a sharp look at the impact on school education. I would like to discuss the impact on school education in the next and subsequent issues. We look forward to your continued support in the next issue. Reference: Edtech will change the future Author: Masahiro Sato