It’s not always easy to separate these two terms and to see what’s hiding behind each definition.

What’s rapid learning ? A way to create content or a way to learn ? What differentiates producing e-learning from rapid learning ?

Once again, your e-learning expert tells you everything you need to know in 2 minutes.

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In the internet world, there are some simple rules to follow to communicate effectively.

One of them is the difference between a vector graphic and a pixelized image…

Your e-learning expert tells you everything you need to know in 2 minutes.

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In France, 24% of all employees declare that they have taken an e-learning course, as opposed to 47% in the U.K. and 51% in Spain!

Solutions adapted to companies of all sizes

The e-learning offer is now wide enough to target any type of audience that wants to profit from a training program, from the smallest SME to the largest international groups. Easy-to-use interfaces and rapid access represent real assets for companies that do not have their own IT departments, for instance. Paradoxically though, 49% of employees from SME (500 employees or more) have followed a tutored e-learning program and 56% a blended learning program (training that combines e-learning content with presential training). Yet in very large companies, these same figures drop to 41 and 49%, respectively!

Matching the offer and the demand

For French employees, quality e-learning programs should be based essentially on the real-life situations presented, on videos and interactive learning experiences, and on online evaluations.
The current e-learning software offer meets all these needs and, in addition, does not require advanced computer expertise. Virtual classes, LMS platforms, e-learning project management, software that designs interactive animated scenarios … there are numerous possibilities for using the software independently or as a complement to tailor-made e-learning programs.

The choice of an e-learning solution depends on a number of factors. For example, the solution selected should be adapted to:

-    The number of students involved in the training program
-    The IT tools that already in place; the solution should be easy to integrate into the existing IT platform (e-learning and/or administration platform, virtual campus …)

The e-learning tools should be accessible 24/7 and from anywhere in the world. For this reason, the choice of a full web solution is highly recommended.
It is critical that the teaching staff be supportive of the decision to implement a tool of this type. For many teachers, there are significant advantages to the system: personalized and individualized training courses and evaluation programs, plus the opportunity to teach students of different levels. Teachers continue to play their role as instructors and also become coaches and tutors, as they are able to closely monitor students’ progress and level of attentiveness.
For students, e-learning provides greater flexibility of access. It also allows them to benefit from specialized and customized training programs, which are MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) certified, a major asset for their future careers.

A HRIS is based on four independent modules, enabling users to carry out administrative tasks as well as those relating to human capital management.

LMS Platforms and HRIS Solutions

There are two options available if you want to implement a HRIS that includes an e-learning component. You can either :
- Choose one of the major HRIS as they all offer an integrated LMS platform module
- Deploy a dedicated e-learning platform on a human resources management application

The HRIS / LMS solution you choose should enable you to develop e-learning content that is flexible and easy-to-use. A user without any special technical skills should be able to develop the content and post it directly on the teaching platform.

When choosing a LMS platform, there are a number of operational factors to be taken into account: ergonomics, price, the ease with which the tool can be implemented and adopted, the opportunities offered for creating content, and SCORM standard-compliance.

In the case of a LMS and HIRS connection, the technical criteria are the different communication protocols offered as standards (Batch, SOAP, LDAP, etc.). You also have to be careful about whether you can effectively manage these different services. The key question to ask is whether you can connect an application to the LMS without having to call upon a systems integrator.

The Features of a Touchscreen-based Language Laboratory
These types of digital labs provide users with access to all multimedia-related resources: digital audio and video media, that can used repeatedly without any perceptible distortion or loss of clarity. AAC (Audio Active Comparative)-compatible, the labs offer all the capabilities of classic language labs.
Technology Platform and Teaching Tools

The solution is made up of three components:

- The teacher console, used for managing the learning sessions and teacher/learner interactions;
- The server, which centralizes, organises and stores the teaching resources and student productions;
- The student units, which are simple, easy-to-use installations.

Touchscreen-based language laboratories are based on audio active comparative methods that are used to create linguistic automatisms; students review digital audio and multimedia content, record a separate audio response track, which are then compared.

A Technology Environment that Fosters Language Learning
The solution offers language instructors features that are practical and easy-to-use.
The language lab is displayed on the screen in three dimensions, enabling the teacher to identify and select groups of learners and/or to initialize one-to-one exchanges. The teaching actions are linked to the touchscreen via a simple interface.

Solution Details

The teacher console provides powerful and comprehensive desktop tools allowing language instructors to:
- Lead the sessions and monitor the progress of each student;
- Easily identify and locate students through the 3D display;
- Organise the class by groups of users to customise teaching;
- To launch learning activities on student consoles and support them while they work individually, in pairs, or in groups.
- Use digital or analog resources to create learning sequences.

Teachers can also organize the sessions by type, subject, or level and choose which students or groups of students will have access to which type of resources.

The teaching tools can be accessed via an exercise and resource library during the class or independently. When there are several teacher consoles involved, the library content can be shared thanks to a user rights management feature.

How can you do More for Less ?

Cut training-related costs.
By enabling remote access to training programmes, e-learning enables organizations to significantly reduce the costs related to their implementation: the extra expense of travel and accommodations are eliminated as learners can access their courses directly from their workstations.

Customised learning
E-learning allows companies to boost the efficiency of their training programmes and reinforces teaching by making learners active participants in their education. With its customized solutions, e-learning offers learners the opportunity to advance as fast and as far as they want in their studies.

E-learning software adapted to office and language training requirements
There are e-learning software programmes for office and language training that can be fully customised for tailor-made studies. The programmes can be adapted to the needs and levels of each member of the staff, and their license-based fees enable you to access the various catalog updates at no extra cost.

When : 19-20 January 2009

Where : France, Paris Palais des congrès

More : www.ilearnforum.eu/

Over 2000 delegates from more than 95 countries and every continent attend the conference to discuss the latest developments in the field.

Where : Berlin -  Germany

When : december 3-5, 2008

More :  www.online-educa.com/en

All this means that you no longer have to have a special room dedicated exclusively to the teaching of information and communications technologies. Everything you need is provided: a Wifi terminal, an extension cord, a headset, a pre-installed e-learning software programme, a USB key…The training software is provided on a CD-Rom and loaded onto the teachers’ computers, enabling them to monitor their students’ progress, choose the appropriate content, and share their resources with others.

The advantages of this “all-in-one” solution
Thanks to this new increasingly mobile equipment, it is now possible to computerize schools at a very low cost. The equipment can be easily shared within any given school.
In France, this new turnkey PC solution, which is available at a price accessible to the vast majority of local school authorities, means that student progress can be measured at the end of each cycle of the B2I programme (Internet and Computer Science certificate).

For more:
Laptop Multimedia Laboratory
French Ministry of Education / B2I