e-Learning Technologies

There are two main groups of elearning technologies:

Authoring

Authoring technology includes the hardware and software required to create the e-learning course. Before selecting an authoring software, check with your IT department to make certain that it is consistent with company standards, such as programming language, and browsers and plug-ins that are supported.

Other issues to consider include:

Does the software support the word processing and presentation software in use?
Does the software support the different graphics and database technology currently supported in the organization?
Will training developer and/or user systems require upgrading to support the elearning software?
Will additional hardware, such as a zip drive or CD-ROM or a DVD drive be required?

Delivery

The other elearning environment is the hardware and software needed to deliver the online course to the user. Some of the issues to consider are:

What are the minimum system requirements of the viewing equipment?
What are the hardware and software platform requirements?
What browsers will be used? Will there be multiple versions and which ones will be supported?
Will any type of plug-ins be required, and if so, how will users obtain the plug-ins?

It is critical to include your IT department early in the development of an elearning strategy. Often IT is not included until the actual implementation and this can lead to the failure of the e-learning program. You will need to partner with IT because your e-learning initiative may require:

Software installation
Server space
Customization
Application development
Maintenance
Ongoing support
Legacy system interface
Help Desk Services

Training : IT Collaboration

Standards should be established jointly, with both departments agreeing to expectations and roles.
Ensure IT resource are trained to support elearning technology.
The service level requirements for supporting users, and trainers should be outlined in detail.

NEXT: eLearning Planning Considerations