The world of eLearning is littered with jargon and acronyms, the Nine Lanterns Top 12 eLearning Phrases will help you understand the different terminology to help you get started in eLearning.

1. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started!
Nine Lanterns appreciates that there is a lot of
strange lingo associated with eLearning.
Our ‘Top 12 eLearning Terms to Get Started’ aims
to take the mystery out of all the technical jargon
and pesky acronyms!

2. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
1. Authoring Tool
An Authoring Tool is basically a tool that would enable anyone to develop
eLearning (probably after a small amount of training with the tool, although
most are quite intuitive).
There are copious amounts of eLearning Authoring Tools on the market, the
majority are available for a license fee - you may have heard of popular ones
such as Articulate, Captivate or Lectora. Most companies are steering away
from the use of Flash in favour of using a HTML5 tool to enable courses to be
used on a variety of devices.

3. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
2. Bespoke eLearning
Bespoke eLearning is a course or series of modules, tools and/or assessments
that have been designed and written specifically for your organisation by an
Instructional Designer, more often than not with input from a Subject Matter
Expert (this could be someone from within, or outwith, your organisation).
Bespoke eLearning often has great results because the content and any
assessments are tailored for each organisation and is specifically relevant for
the individual undertaking the online training.

4. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
3. Blended Learning
Blended Learning is a term used when learning comprises of several methods
possibly including eLearning, Face-to-Face training, podcasts, webinars, social
learning etc. Quite often one or more other forms of training will supplement
an eLearning course to either pre-empt an eLearning course, check the users
understanding of the eLearning or simply just as ongoing learning.
A popular framework of blended learning is the 70:20:10 Framework. Charles
Jennings founded the 70:20:10 Forum to extend the reach and use of the
framework.

5. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
4. Compliance Training
ELearning can be written about pretty much any subject, however, many
organisations use it initially for their compliance training, the reason being that
they can track it in their LMS and maintain their audit trail i.e. they are able to
show which employees did what training and when, even the results of any
assessments the employee undertook.
Compliance training generally covers topics such as Workplace Health and
Safety, Bullying and Harassment, Consumer Law, and Privacy, although there is
a wide range on the market. It is possible to purchase compliance training ‘off-the-
shelf’ or have bespoke modules made for your organisation.
If you do purchase courses off-the-shelf, it means the vendor will be
responsible for updating the course in line with any changes to legislation,
meaning that your compliance training will always be up-to-date.

6. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
5. ELearning
The Oxford dictionary defines eLearning as: ‘Learning conducted via electronic
media, typically on the Internet’.
Elearning can therefore consist of the traditional online learning
course/module, or can take into account videos, webinars, podcasts, online
document repositories, forums, polls, surveys. These can be accessed and
tracked via an LMS.

7. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
6. Gamification
In short, ‘gamification is the use of gameplay mechanics for non-game
applications’, i.e. ‘game mechanics are the construct of rules that encourage
users to explore and learn the properties of their possibility space through the
use of feedback mechanisms’ [i].
Gamification and 3D graphics are generally the high end of eLearning and of
course the most costly due to the intense graphics work involved. However, for
some organisations they work very well.

8. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
7. Instructional Designer (I.D.)
An Instructional Designer is probably the most integral part of eLearning
development. They are highly skilled writers, able to write an eLearning module
around a set a learning objectives, using information from a variety of sources,
(including an SME), whilst integrating appropriate interactivity to engage
learners.
Whilst any Joe Blogs can write content, it is the Instructional Designer’s job to
ensure that the most relevant points are absorbed by the learner, in order to
achieve a change in behaviours.

9. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
8. Learning Management System (LMS)
‘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’. Source: Wikipedia.
LMS systems can be fully-hosted (often in ‘the cloud’) or self-hosted and the
theming can usually be customised for your organisation should you so wish.
Many LMS systems are customisable for your business processes and can often
be integrated with other HR systems such as the payroll system. This means
that

10. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
9. Off-the-Shelf
Many eLearning companies will offer a variety of courses that have been pre-built
and ready to be loaded onto your LMS. Alternatively, they may be able to
host the courses for you on an LMS they can provide.
Vendors will often charge a per-seat license fee which generally covers the cost
of updating the course – particularly with regards to compliance courses which
need to stay up-to-date with legislation.
With some off-the-shelf courses you will have the choice as to whether or not
you take the course ‘as is’ or customise it with your branding – you may even
be able to change the content so it is more in line with your organisations
culture/policies and employees can relate to it more.

11. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
10. SCORM
Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a collection of
standards and specifications for web-based eLearning. It defines
communications between client side content and a host system (called "the
run-time environment"), which is commonly supported by a learning
management system. SCORM also defines how content may be packaged into a
transferable ZIP file called "Package Interchange Format.“*
SCORM is the most widely used eLearning standard and any SCORM standard
module can be played in an LMS that is SCORM conformant (most are).
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharable_Content_Object_Reference_Model

12. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
11. Subject Matter Expert (SME)
A Subject Matter Expert is a person either within, or outwith, your organisation
who are able to communicate to the Instructional Designers the raw
information – i.e. the information needed to be able to build an eLearning
module. The Subject Matter Expert should be on hand to review the course at
various points throughout the course build.

13. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
12. Tin Can API
Whilst SCORM has been ‘the’ eLearning standard for the past decade, we are
now seeing the introduction of Tin Can API compatible systems.
Tin Can API basically has the ability to record any learning experience, no
matter when or how it happens. See the table here to see the differences
between SCORM and Tin Can. It’s worth noting that SCORM content will still
play in Tin Can API systems.

14. Top 12 Elearning Phrases to Get Started
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