The History of E-Learning
About the History of e-Learning Hello! My name is Sakamoto, CS Manager. Have you been learning or studying using the Internet, such as online learning? With the recent spread 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. Table of Contents 1.The Beginning of e-Learning 2.The Development of e-Learning 3.Internet-Based Learning 4.The Emergence of Smart Devices The computer-based learning, which is the origin of e-Learning, started in the 1950s with an idea called CAI, "Can computers support education? The development of e-learning began in the 1950s, mainly in the U.S., with the idea that computers could be used to support education. Conventional group training programs could not be called efficient because the instructor and trainees had to spend a lot of time in the same place, and people had to do all the checking of trainees' progress. 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 reductions, 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 transformed into computer-based training (CBT). CBT mainly represents a learning method using CD-ROMs as teaching materials; 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, Windows 95, which became explosively popular, was released and personal computers became widely used in homes, and Windows 95 came with CD-ROMs as standard equipment, which helped to establish CBT-based education. CBT, however, did not become widely used because of the cost of producing teaching materials, the difficulty of revising the content after distribution, and the difficulty for the administrator to control the progress of all students. In 2000, 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 the spread of 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 easier and less expensive to 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. The Emergence of Smart Devices In the late 2000s, smartphones such as the iPhone and Android, as well as larger tablet devices, began to appear, and e-learning changed even more dramatically. 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, training and development for jobs that could only be done through real group training, such as customer service, maintenance, and cooking, is being introduced in the workplace. More recently, e-learning has also been introduced in combination with social networking services (SNS) as a communication tool among trainees, as it is expected to be highly effective in helping trainees to communicate with each other and motivate them to learn. In summary, we have reviewed the history of e-learning. Starting with the use of computers in education, the spread of PCs and the Internet, the emergence of smart devices, and the spread of SNS, the role and effectiveness of e-learning itself has greatly expanded. 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.