There is no universally accepted definition of e-learning, but the following is used by the CIPD in our surveys: ‘learning that is delivered, enabled or mediated using electronic technology for the explicit purpose of training in organisations’.
This can be described as an inclusive definition: it includes the use of distributed technology products (mainly CD-ROMs) which do not require the user’s computer to be connected to a network. An exclusive definition would exclude these products and include only products delivered through the Internet or an intranet.
The term e-learning first emerged in late 1999. Suppliers of computer-based training were full of optimism and were considering the implications of delivery through the web. The US-based supplier CBT systems rebranded themselves as ‘Smartforce – the e-learning company’ and held a satellite broadcast to announce the change a month later. However, if distributed technology products are included, it could be argued that e-learning stretches back several decades.