eLearning is re-emerging as a solution for delivering online, hybrid, and synchronous learning

regardless of physical location, time of day, or choice of digital reception/distribution device.

This white paper considers some of the reasons that institutions and enterprises are turning to

eLearning to help engage learners with ideas and information in revolutionary ways. It also takes

a look at a number of the “Lessons eLearned” that summarize years of empirical evidence

exploring learning technologies use and cognitive achievement. Finally, it offers practical

suggestions for creating digital learning experiences that engage learners by building interest

and motivation and providing opportunities for active participation.

We are an increasingly connected global community with endless numbers of ideas and information

to share. Al Saracevic recently noted in his September 9, 2006, San Francisco Chronicle

column that there are more than 2.5 billion connected cellular phones, smart phones, and digital

communicators and computers on the planet. The Computer Industry Almanac for 2006 reports

that the number of people on the Internet (whether using 3G, WiFi, or Cat 5) has passed the

1 billion subscriber mark, with 2 billion subscribers expected in 2011. You Tube, www.youtube.

com, announced in July 2006 that its viewers were downloading 100 million videos a day. In the

country of Finland alone, more than 1 billion text messages were exchanged in 2005. The

number of e-mails, text messages, and IMs exchanged on a daily basis continues to grow

exponentially—and all this, futurist Wayne Hodgins reminds us, with only 13% of the world

currently estimated to be “online.” By all appearances, it seems we are standing on the front

wave of ubiquitous connectivity. And it seems as if the more we are connected, the more we want

to engage with ideas, information, and one another in ways that had not been possible even just a

few years ago.

In this mostly connected, always switched-on world, eLearning makes more sense than ever

before. It gives everyone who needs to learn a new skill, prepare for a new job, or pursue a new

career the opportunity to complete training, get a certificate, or earn a degree without moving

or leaving current employment. eLearning extends the reach of the campus and corporate

learning center, and it provides learners with more ways in which to participate in education,

training, and professional development, on terms increasingly defined by learners themselves,

than ever before.