Course Conclusion
       
       
       
     

Closing the gap

  

This introduction to e-Learning has attempted to address two very large, closely related gaps: 1) that which exists between the number of people espousing the promise of the Internet to increase access to education and training and the number of people actually developing relevant and instructionally sound content; and 2) the gap between the extent of global Internet connectivity, and the amount of accessible e-Learning content. Your interest and active participation in this course was testimony to the potential you see to help close these gaps; it was also an important first step in the process of doing so.

  
   
This course was designed to address the gap between 1) rhetoric and action; and 2) connectivity and content.

The next step
  

You should, if the authors of this course have done their jobs, now have a better understanding of how e-Learning is designed and developed. A number of resources exist on the Internet that will enable you to expand this understanding according to your own needs. Though you have this course, and others in the Rice Knowledge Bank, to act as e-Learning models, you should maintain an open mind as to the form your own e-Learning will take. Your context, and that of your learners, will always be the primary determiners of the solution you provide.

Following the steps of the instructional systems design process outlined in this course will ensure that these considerations receive the attention they deserve. It may even lead you to determine that e-Learning is not desirable in your context. Coming to such a conclusion will ultimately be more valuable than force-fitting a delivery system that does not meet people's needs.

Regardless, we sincerely appreciate your participation in this course and hope it has enabled you to begin exploring the potential of e-Learning to increase the accesssibilty and flexibility of your training.

  
   

Along the road between Thanjavur and Chennai, Tamil Nadu State, South India--Fiber optic cable being layed with telephone and telegraph lines in the background (March, 2002).
Congratulations!
  

For a list of references, click the forward arrow; otherwise, you are now finished the course. Congratulations! Please be sure that you have submitted your course evaluation. Your feedback is essential to our ability to increase the relevance and effectiveness of this course for future offerings.