Understanding eLearning: Key Concepts, Tools and Technologies

Dr.S.Srinivasa Ragavan
Prof.& Head, Dept. of Lib.&Info.Sc.
Chair, School of LIS
Bhrarthidasaan University
Trichirappalli -620 024

What is eLearning
 E-Learning can be defined broadly as any use
of Web and Internet technologies to create
learning experiences.
(Horton & Horton, 2000, p.13)
 E-learning refers to the use of electronic
media and information and communication
technologies (ICT) in education. E-learning
is broadly inclusive of all forms of educational
technology in learning and teaching.
Dr. S. Srinivasaragavan ,Professor & Head, DLIS, BDU

Terminologies
E-learning is inclusive of, and is broadly synonymous with
 Multimedia Learning,
 Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL),
 Computer-based instruction (CBI),
 Computer-based Training (CBT),
 Computer-aided Instruction (CAI),
 Internet-based Training (IBT),
 Web-based Training (WBT),
 Online Education,
 Virtual Education,
 Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)
These alternative names emphasize a particular aspect, component or delivery
method.

Advantages & Disadvantages of eLearning
Key advantages of E-learning are
 Improved open access to education, including access to full degree programs[
 Better integration for non-full-time students, particularly in continuing
education,
 Improved interactions between students and instructors,
 Provision of tools to enable students to independently solve problems,
 Acquisition of technological skills through practice with tools and computers.
Key disadvantages of E-learning, that have been found to make learning less
effective than traditional class room settings, are
 Potential distractions that hinder actually learning,
 Ease of cheating,
 Bias towards tech-savvy students over non-technical students,
 Lack of social interaction & feedback between teacher and students,
 Lack of direct and immediate feedback from teachers.

Technology for eLearning
There are many types of technologies used in the education
system. Most e-learning uses combinations of these
techniques, including.
 Audio
 Video
 Computers, Tablets, Mobile devices
 Webcams
 Interactive White boards
 Screen Casting
 Blogs,
 Collaborative Software
 Virtual Classrooms etc

e-Learning Tools and Technologies
(Grouped by Software & Hardware)
Software Hardware
Create Authoring & Editing Tools
PC, Workstations, Digital
Cameras, Video Camcorders
Offer
Web Servers,
Media (Stream) Servers,
Web Servers (Mainframes)
Access
Web Browsers + Plugins
(Java, Flash, Acrobat Reader)
PC, Pocket PC, Internet
Tablets, Smart Phones

Learning Management Systems
 A learning management system (LMS) simplifies the
process of administering education and training.
(Horton & Horton, 2000, p.169)
 A Learning Management System (LMS) is
a software application for the, administration,
documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of
 e-learning education courses or training programs.

HISTORY
 In the early ’90s some Luther Seminary (St. Paul) faculty
members were struggling to retain students who didn’t have
the funds or, because of family obligations, couldn’t relocate
to attend seminary.
 Tom Walker knew there had to be some kind of tool that
would enable people to communicate with each other
without being in the same place at the same time.
 Learning management systems (LMS) also sometimes known
as Course management systems (CMS) have come a long
way since those early days.

Define Learning Management
System
 A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the
administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of educational
courses, training programs, or learning and development programs. The learning
management system concept emerged directly from e-Learning.
 Learning Management System (or LMS) is a broad term used to describe software
tools designed to manage user learning interventions and provide access to online
learning services for students, teacher, and administrator.
 LMS is used to manage online content and administer distance learning
processes.LMS allows us to create and support an unlimited number of online
learning courses that can be accessed by students from all over the world.

CONT……
 Online quizzes;
 Course documents repository;
 Drop box and mailbox;
 Embedded forum and chat;
 Multilanguage interface and much
more.

What is an LMS Used For?
 At a very basic level, learning management systems centralize, deploy, and measure
learning activities. A state-of-the-art learning management system supports a variety of
internal and external corporate use cases, including:
 Employee On boarding: Perhaps the most common LMS use case is to support new
employees with their initial on boarding. Bring new comers up-to-speed on your
company’s learning culture by providing them opportunities to consume relevant
materials across multiple devices, contribute their own knowledge, and be recognized
for it.
 Employee Development and Retention: Another common LMS use case is to support
the training and development of current employees. Within the LMS, courses can be
assigned to ensure employees acquire the right job skills, are informed about product
changes, are up-to-date on compliance training, etc.

CONT…..
 Compliance Training: An LMS can also be used to make sure employees receive any mandated
training and manage recurring certification and training programs. This centralized approach
mitigates risk and helps to avoid any potential regulatory compliance issues.
 Sales Enablement: An LMS is also central to enabling sales at scale by preparing salespeople
with the knowledge they need, exactly when they need it. The platform also speeds up on
boarding so that new hires can start selling sooner, and ensures that you retain your top
performers.
 Customer Training: Another common LMS use case is for organizations to provide training to
customers. This is especially common for software and technology companies who need to
effectively onboard users so they can use their product. Ongoing customer training will also
provide more value to customers and prevent customer churn.
 Partner Training: The LMS can be also leveraged to train an organization’s partners and
channels (e.g., resellers). This is a great way to enhance your partnership programs and provide
more value to partners.
 Member Training: An LMS is also commonly used to amplify membership value by creating
centralized content and facilitating engagement among your members with digital learning.

LMS Platforms
Open source
 ATutor Bazaar
 Bodington
 DoceboLMS
 Dokeos e-Learning XHTML Editor
 Fle3
 GaneshaLMS
 ILIAS
 interact
 KEWL.Nextgen
 LRN
 Moodle
 OLAT
 Mitechsoft
Commercial
 ANGEL Learning
 Apex Learning
 Blackboard Inc.
 Desire2Learn
 eCollege
 Learn.com
 Meridian KSI
 Saba Software
 SAP Enterprise Learning

Ideal LMS
A robust LMS should be able to do the following:
 Centralize and automate administration
 Use self-service and self-guided services
 Assemble and deliver learning content rapidly
 Consolidate training initiatives
 Personalize content and enable knowledge reuse
 Effectively communicate learning goals to students
 Effectively manage assessment.
 Easy to use and compatible with a variety of web based
platforms.
 Support portability, standards and enable knowledge reuse.

Key Functionalities of LMS
 Student Registration and Administration
 Training Event Management (i.e., scheduling, tracking, and
WBT delivery)
 Curriculum and Certification Management
 Skills and Competencies Management
 Reporting
 Training Record Management
 Courseware Authoring
 Collaborative Content Development
 Facilitated Content Management (i.e., indexing and reuse)
 Publishing
 Workflow Integration

Workflow of LMS

LMS TOOLS CONT…..
Claroline
 Allows teacher to write a course description, publish documents in any
format, administer public and private forums, develop learning paths,
create groups of students, prepare online exercises, and publish
announcements
 Translated into 35 languages.
OLAT - The Open Source LMS
 Multilingual online translation tool having flexible course system.
 Offers wikis, single pages with integrated WYSIWYG HTML editor, forums
and "file dialog" element to discuss papers, questionnaire for course
evaluations, etc.
Dr. S. Srinivasasaragavan ,Professor & Head, DLIS, BDU

LMS TOOLS CONT…..
ATutor
 This open source Learning Management System boasts a variety of useful features, ranging
from email notifications to file storage. One of the most notable highlights of ATutor is that
it is user-friendly and easily accessible, which makes it an ideal match for those who may
be new to the world of eLearning design and development. It also offers a wide selection of
themes to speed up the eLearning course development process, as well as eLearning
assessment tools, file backups, analytics, and poll integration.
Eliademy
 This open source Learning Management System is completely free for educators and
eLearning facilitators, but a small fee per user is charged for the Premium version. It
features eLearning course catalogs, eLearning assessment tools, and even a mobile Android
applications for educators who wish to develop mobile learning modules for their on-the-go
audiences. eLearning facilitators can simply upload and share the eLearning course with
their audience immediately, as long as the learners have shared their email addresses.

LMS TOOLS CONT…..
Forma LMS
 From skill gap analysis to detailed analytics and reporting, Forma LMS is packed with variety
of features. It also boasts certificates, competency management support, and a wide range of
virtual classroom management tools, including calendars and event managers. This open
source Learning Management System is ideally suited for corporate training programs and
offers an active online community where you can find advice, tips, and tricks to get the most
out of the open source tool.
Dokeos
 Dokeos LMS is the powerful, easy to use, and full-featured learning management system that's
flexibility to fit your eLearning needs. Dokeos is the only LMS that seamlessly integrates FDA
and EMA compliance and audit capability to ensure accurate employee validation and detailed
reporting and management tools. DOKEOS eLEARNING SUITE makes it easy to create rich,
effective learning experiences.

LMS TOOLS CONT…..
 DOKEOS MANAGER - The platform for the most complete learning management system
 DOKEOS AUTHOR - Easily create customized training in just a few clicks. Create modules from scratch or
import existing PowerPoint presentations or SCORM modules into engaging online courses.
 DOKEOS LIVE - Organize and manage meetings, courses and conferences online with just a browser. It’s just
like talking face-to-face!
 DOKEOS SHOP - Create your branded e-learning marketplace to deliver free or subscription-based learning
resources.
 DOKEOS WEB TV - Build your personal on-demand video channel/portal to deliver quality eLearning
courses.
 DOKEOS GAME - Easily build serious games online that immerse learners into realistic, 3D scenarios that
are fun and educational with full-featured evaluation and compliance reporting.
 DOKEOS EVALUATION - Evaluate, validate and certify competencies and track your participants’ skills
development using mixed learning features. Online and offline/paper options are integrated into the suite.
 ILIAS
 Powerful Open Source LMS for developing and realizing web-based eLearning. ILIAS was developed to reduce
the cost of using new media in education and training and to ensure the maximum level of customer
influence in implementing the software.

Standards for e-Learning
We need e-Learning standarts for:
 To enable interoperability on different platform
 Accessibility,
 Reusability.

Standards for eLearning
 IMS Global
 non-profit standards organization
 concerned with establishing interoperability for learning systems and learning
content
 mission is to "support the adoption and use of learning technology worldwide".
 eLML
 The eLesson Markup Language (eLML)
 Is an open source XML framework for creating eLessons using XML
 The didactical fundament of eLML is the pedagogical model called ECLASS
 SCORM
 Sharable Content Object Reference Model
 A collection of standards and specifications for web-based e-learning
 Defines communications between client side content and a host system called the
run-time environment
 Also defines how content may be packaged into a transferrable ZIP file.

SCORM
Sharable Content Object
Reference Model
A software model that defines the interrelationship of
course components, data models, and protocols such
that content “objects” are sharable across systems that
conform with the same model.
 Integrates industry specifications from many
other organizations
 AICC, IMS, IEEE, ARIADNE, etc.

Goal of SCORM
 Accessability
 Content can be identified and located when it is needed and
as it is needed
 Interoperability
 Content will function in multiple applications, environment
and software/hardware configurations regardless of the tools
and platform used to create.
 Reusability
 Content is independent of learning context and can be used
for many different learners.
 Durability
 Content does not require modification to operate as software
systems are changed or upgraded.

Moodle
http://moodle.org
Moodle (abbreviation for Modular Object-
Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is
a free and open-source e-learning software
platform, also known as a Course
Management System, , or Virtual Learning
Environment.

Creator: Martin Dougiamas, Perth, Western Australia
69.6 million registered users
81000 registered sites
2.3 million courses
1.2 million teachers
233 countries
Available in 78 languages
Largest site – 200,000 users
Fast growing since 2003
world facts (2012)

Features
 Site Management
 User Management
 Course Management
 Assignment Module
 Chat Module
 Quiz Modules
 Forum Module
 Resources (webpages, documents etc..)
 Activites (assignment submission, wikis, discussion
board, journals, blogs etc..)
 Many other custom modules created by Moodle users.

Why Moodle
 High Availability
 Scalability
 The largest Moodle installation is at Open Polytechnic New Zealand with
45,000+ students and 6,500+ courses.
 Usability
 Moodle’s interface is simple and powerful.
 Interoperability
 Moodle supports LDAP authentication
 Moodle supports import and export of SCORM/IMS Content Packaging
standards.
 Quizes can be exported in IMS QTI 2 format.
 Courses and forums can have RSS feeds.
 Stability
 Security
 Moodle's current system of roles includes administrators, teachers, teachers
without editing privileges (sometimes called teaching assistants), students,
and guests.

as a platform
that comes with a great set of bricks.
Imagine
Ever seen or
played
with

On this platform, we can have different
foundations (called courses).
This is where we put our bricks on (activities,
resources, modules, plugins, blocks, filters).

Let’s imagine we can do four basic things
with four basic colour bricks
Communicate
Store
Evaluate Collaborate

Folders
Files
Links
Webpage
LMS package
Database
Labels
Portfolio*
We can store…

build up folders ,
name, organise
store virtually any
digital documents,
images, audio/video,
text files
cut access time with
direct one-click link
to any website
(“make our own”
page, WYSWIG or
with HTML, embed,
hyperlink, insert
images, connect
insert Flash
Learning objects,
SCORM, embeds
build a searchable
repository of files,
web links, images,
geo tags…
keep things clean
and organised with
labels
create and maintain
a portfolio of
documents*
For example,
we can…
and more!

Messaging
We can
communicate
through…
Forums
Calendar
Dialogue
RSS
Chatroom

send/receive private
instant message,
email notification
For example,
we can…
run class discussion/
debate, peer assess,
interview, FAQ, role
play, Q&A sessions,
notice board…
make sure students
never miss a thing,
reminders included
have in-depth
private one-to-one
conversation, great
for confidential
matters
subscribe to blogs,
forums, wikis,
external sources &
have it all in a
course
have instant
communication, on-
the-spot problem
solving
and more!

Workshop
We can
collaborate
through…
Database
Blog Glossary
Wiki
Lesson
Forum
Social network*

brainstorm,
develop, refine,
conclude, peer-
assess a topic
For example,
we can…
jointly create, store
and search class
collections, revision
sheets, photo
galleries, lists of
useful websites,
book reviews
have students
publish, reflect,
clarify, keep notes,
group work, run
quick response
items, use key tags
have students build
own entries, cross-
reference,
paraphrase, link,
explain, define,
refine
brainstorm, design
group-o-pedia,
track research,
‘jigsaw’ contribute,
build collective
argument, cluster-
maps, histories of
achievement
present info, branch
and scaffold tasks to
learner’s ability
provoke/ moderate
a debate, guide
discussion, view,
rate and reflect on
peer contribution
Find, connect and
share with people
with similar
interests *
and more!

Survey
Assignment
Gradebook
Choice
Quiz
Scales
Grade
Ratings
We can
evaluate
with…

use pre-set surveys
to check on ways of
constructivist
learning
write and submit
online, offline, offer
feedback, grade,
resubmit, upload
one or more files
portfolio style
have all grades in
one place, cumulate
scores, penalties,
notes, customise
permissions
quickly & easily
gather opinions,
permissions,
selections, votes
check & build
understanding with
multiple choice,
true/false, cloze,
essay, drag’n’drop,
short answer Q
create own feedback
formats, self/peer
evaluation made
easy
set your own either
ABCD, 1-5, 0-100,
outcomes,
standards,
competencies
seek opinions, self
and peer evaluate,
run competitions,
rate entries
For example,
we can…
and more!

We can have as many basic bricks as we want.

But we can get many other, compatible bricks too.
Podcast
ELGG
Mahara
Certificate
Polls
Timers
Games
Widgets
Calculators
these plus nearly 400 other compatible
modules, plugins, blocks, filters, activities…
Google Apps
Individual Learning Plan
LAMS
OpenMeetings
Translate
HotPotatoes

We can arrange the bricks that fit in any way that
suits our educational and/or business purpose.

We decide who gets in and does what in our courses
…and for that reason we have roles:
Admin can do,
see & edit
anything on
the site
Teacher can do, see &
edit anything in their
course
Student can do, see
& edit in course as
assigned by teacher
Guest can only look
in to parts allowed
Permissions for parent
or any other role can be
specified...

Learning Management System
https://bdulms.in/

Course Categories

List Courses

Using Moodle
• download a free PDF of the book
 http://tinyurl.com/usingmoodle

Introduction
 Reference Management software program that
simplify the process of reference management by
allowing the user to collect, store, and organize
references, insert citations at the appropriate
place in the body of the manuscript, and generate
a list of the references in an appropriate format of
bibliographic styles.

WhyReferenceneed
 Organize and tag citations & documents
 Create instant bibliographies in standard
formats.
 Create personal citation database of
articles on your topics.
 Format papers with in-text citations and
bibliographies in standard formats.
 Share your database of citations/articles
with others.

FunctionsofReference
 Storing and Managing References
 Creating Bibliographies
 Searching and Retrieving References from
Online Databases

Mendeley
Mendeley is a free, award-winning,
desktop and web program for managing
and sharing research papers, discovering
research data and collaborating online
available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
http://www.mendeley.com/

Features
 Quick and simple installation
 Word Plugin
 Citation styles for +1000 journals
 Create bibliographies instantly
 Flexible formatting
 Collaborate on bibliographies
 Share bibliographies
 Annotate and highlight
 Add and Organize
 Backup, Sync and Mobile
 Network and Discover

Functions/Needs of Mendeley
 Create-your-bibliography-database
 Capture-citations-from-everywhere
 Build-your-network-of-researchers
 Collaborate-share-discover
 Research-papers-statistics
 Annotate-PDFs
 Create-Bibliographies
 Sync-from-Zotero and others

MENDELEY HOMEPAGE

MENDELEY ACCOUNT
creation in WEB BASE
SOFTWARE (BROWSER)

Step: 1
E-mail address is necessary to create the account and further updates.

Step: 2
Choose your research area

Step: 3

Step: 4

INSTALLING ADDITIONAL CITATION STYLES
 Open support portal

Step 5

feedback with dynamically to solve the queries

WIKINDX is a free Virtual Research Environment
(an online bibliographic and quotations/notes
management and article authoring system) designed
either for single use (on a variety of operating
sytems) or multi-user collaborative use across the
internet.

JabRef
• JabRef is an open source bibliography reference manager.
The native file format used by JabRef is BibTeX, the
standard LaTeX bibliography format. JabRef runs on
the Java VM (version 1.8 or newer), and works equally well
on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
• BibTeX is an application and a bibliography file format
written by Oren Patashnik and Leslie Lamport for the
LaTeX document preparation system. General information
can be found on the CTAN BibTeX package information
page. JabRef also supports Bib Latex.
• Bibliographies generated by LaTeX and BibTeX from a
BibTeX file can be formatted to suit any reference list
specifications through the use of different BibTeX and
BibLaTeX style files.

JabRef Features
• Search the Web
– Entries can be searched in external databases and BibTeX entries can be
fetched from there. Example sources: arXiv, CiteseerX, Google Scholar,
Medline, GVK, IEEEXplore, and Springer
• Import of various formats
– RIS, Medline/Pubmed (xml), Refer/Endnote, INSPEC, BibTeXML,
CSA, ISI Web of Science, SilverPlatter, Scifinder, OVID, Biblioscape,
Sixpack, JStor, and RIS.
• Automatic download of full texts
– JabRef can be instructed to search for the full text of a reference,
download it, and directly link it to the BibTeX entry.
• Search the bibliography
– Search a pattern in the whole bibliography.
• Classification of entries
– You can group entries explicitly, by keywords or any other fields.
• Integrates to your environment
– Launch external applications: PDF viewers, web browser
– Insert citations into TeXstudio, LyX, Kile, LatexEditor, Emacs, Vim, and
WinEdt

JabRef Features Cont ,..
 Automatic Key generation
 BibTeX keys can be automatically generated in a customizable way from
document data, e.g. using author names, title and year.
 Support for XMP Metadata in PDFs
 Improve the workflow of sharing PDFs and bibliography information
 Built-in and custom export formats
 HTML, Docbook, BibTeXML, MODS, RTF, Refer/Endnote, and
OpenOffice.org as well as LibreOffice
 Customization of the JabRef interface
 Fonts, displayed fields, etc.
 Customization of BibTeX fields
 You can add your own fields to any BibTeX entry type.
 Translations
 JabRef menus and dialog boxes are translated into Brazilian Portuguese,
Chinese (simplified), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Indonesian,
Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, Turkish, Vietnamese.
 See our translation page on github for more information and the status of each
translation.

PROFILEMANAGEMENT SYSTEM
VIVO
VIVO is a research-focused discovery tool that enables
collaboration among researchers across all disciplines.
Browse or search information on people, departments,
courses, grants, and publications.
VIVO is an open source semantic web
application originally developed and implemented at
Cornell. When installed and populated with
researcher interests, activities, and accomplishments,
it enables the discovery of research and scholarship
across disciplines at that institution and beyond.

ORCID

ORCID
 ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID)
is a nonproprietary alphanumeric code to uniquely
identify scientific and other academic authors.
 This addresses the problem that a particular
author's contributions to the scientific literature or
publications in the humanities can be hard to
recognize as most personal names are not unique,
they can change have cultural differences in name
order, contain inconsistent use of first-name
abbreviations and employ different writing
systems.
 It provides a persistent identity for humans, similar
to that created for content-related entities on digital
networks by digital object identifiers (DOIs)

RESEARCH GATE

RESEARCH GATE

RESEARCHGATE
Institutional e-mail is necessary to create the account

RESEARCHGATE

RESEARCHGATE Contd..,

GOOGLE SCHOLAR

GOOGLE SCHOLAR – PROFILE

STYLE MANUAL

Conclusion
• The influence of information technology the research
scholars are over loaded with information and this lead in
to the problems of identifying, collecting and storing of
scholarly communications for their research.
• Hence research scholars are needed the Reference
Management software to solve their problems and to
handle the downloaded articles from internet, online
databases, online e-journals & e-books etc.
• Reference management software helps to complete the
research in organized way and even it helps the other
researchers to know the related literature for their future
research.

References
 http://human.edublogs.org
 http://www.moodle.org
 http://moodle.com/stories/
 Books -
https://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?id=7246
 Documentation -
http://docs.moodle.org/24/en/?lang=en_us
 Downloads - https://moodle.org/downloads/

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