The Evolution of Online Learning Tools

The Information Era

Initially, almost every website was designed to offer some form of information. This information was presented in various formats:

• FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions were commonplace. These FAQs often listed user questions, but mostly, website owners created the questions and provided the answers. The use of FAQs has significantly decreased, except on product support pages.
• Checklists: These became more useful over time, providing guidance for planning, buying, designing, building, maintaining, or performing specific tasks.
• Pictures: Initially used as decoration, pictures are now used to provide information, such as company officers, tourist locations, and product images.
• Drawings and Charts: Drawings were used to explain products, while charts were extensively used by the financial community to illustrate financial events.
• Articles: As the internet evolved, it became clear that lists and illustrations were not enough. Articles on every aspect of the internet and the products and services being sold became prevalent. Today, we are in the "age of articles".

The Learning Era

As the internet matured, it became apparent that websites should not just present information but enable visitors to learn. Visitors learned directly from the website or through experts associated with or visiting the website. Some of the learning tools included:

• Expert Sites: A visitor asks a question or presents a problem, and an expert replies.
• Discussion Boards: Continuous discussion of issues or problems in a given field.
• Mailing Lists: Similar to Discussion Boards, but executed via email.
• Quizzes: These enabled the quiz taker to determine aptitude for art or business, discover whether they needed a product or service, or assess their status regarding insurance or investment.
• Templates: These were used to define a format, a procedure, a way of doing things.
• Calculators: On sites dealing with real estate, finance, engineering, and other areas where numbers are important, calculators enabled visitors to do their own figuring and thus learning.
• Models and Simulators: Sites selling sophisticated products and services may have presented a model or simulator for learning.
• Ebooks: These combined many of the above elements into a focused ebook.

Dynamic Learning

Dynamic sites, with oscillating banners, turning spheres, or flashing alphabet letters, have become very common. However, these elements have not significantly contributed to improving visitor learning. An exception is the ViewletBuilder by Qarbon.com, a software package that enables the creation of a learning sequence of slides showing how to accomplish a specific task or procedure. These viewlets are primarily vehicles for learning.

To understand the value of something like the ViewletBuilder, visit JimWorld's Free Site Templates. Here, a large number of viewlets are available to assist in designing and building a website. Some of the many topics covered include HTML, FLASH, FrontPage, Paint Shop Pro, and Dreamweaver. Companies such as Proctor and Gamble, Home Depot, Sony, and Cnet are reportedly using ViewletBuilder.

Future Learning

The future of online learning will undoubtedly involve videos. However, for videos to be widely used, the cost of broadband needs to decrease to make it accessible to the majority of internet users. Until then, tools like the ViewletBuilder and its competitors will continue to facilitate online learning. Importantly, a visitor can access a viewlet with a 56K modem and without having to download a plug-in.