What is Web-based Learning?
Nearly every organisation has a need to disseminate information consistently and efficiently to multiple stakeholders. Web-based learning systems provide a tool via which that information can be made accessible over the internet or via an organisation’s intranet and presented in a structured form. Moreover, where there is a need to maintain a record that appropriate training has been delivered to an individual, web-based learning systems can provide an audit trail to verify the courses undertaken by a learner and their level of attainment.
Examples of the application of web-based learning include:
- Standardising the induction process for a new employee;
- Providing internal training to a distributed workforce;
- Delivering accredited training to an external audience.
The Advantages of Web-based Learning
The use of web-based learning enables you to:
- Broaden access to learning of all types;
- Reduce paperwork with a consequent improvement in time management and organisation;
- Deliver relevant, up-to-date and consistent training;
- Monitor, report upon and provide an audit trail of the training provided to individuals;
- Reduce the demands on internal IT resources by providing a framework for course development and delivery by non-technical personnel;
- Incorporate content from a wide range of e-learning content developers;
- Radically cut the cost of course delivery.
Cubik's Learning Management System (LMS)
Cubik’s LMS provides the infrastructure for the effective delivery of web-based learning.
It enables course creators to:
- Incorporate appropriate content, including text, PDF documents, images, Flash movies and video;
- Structure that content within modular courses.
It enables tutors to:
- Accept learners onto a course;
- Create the appropriate mode of assessment at the end of each module, including multiple choice questionnaires and written submissions and to stipulate whether there are pass/fail criteria which determine the learner’s ability to proceed to the next module in the course;
- Provide feedback to learners about their performance;
- Set anticipated completion dates for each learner and to monitor their progress against these target dates, highlighting learners who are not progressing at the expected rate and who may require support from their tutor.
It enables learners to:
- Access learning resources at a time which is convenient to them, within a secure, password-protected environment.
Cubik's LMS Technology
Cubik’s LMS is built upon Microsoft Content Management Server 2002. The LMS is available as a licensed product for deployment upon a client’s own infrastructure, or as part of a Cubik OneStopCMS implementation.
Cubik's LMS - How does it work?
When a client adopts Cubik’s LMS solution, they are provided with the tools to build a comprehensive online learning facility.
The core elements of the LMS are described below:
Registration
This area of the system is the learner’s first step to enrolment onto the desired course or courses. Any details collected about the learner at this stage are completely customisable and will vary depending on whether the learner is a member of the public accessing a website or a member of staff accessing an internal system.
Once a visitor has completed the registration process, they are automatically put forward for acceptance onto their chosen course(s) by the course tutor(s).
Induction
The induction course is an optional pre-requisite to all other courses for a first-time learner and can be made available to the learner once they have been accepted onto their chosen course(s) by the tutor(s). The induction course supports the learner in understanding how to work their way through courses structured within the LMS.
Courses
Course creators develop individual pages of content. Each page can contain multiple media types (text, image, video, audio, Flash movies, PDF files and so forth). One or more pages can be grouped to form a module and multiple modules can be grouped to constitute a course. Typically, the progress through a course is sequential and learners can only access content later in a course if they have completed the earlier stages of that course.
At the end of a page, the learner can be presented with one of a number of options:
- If no assessment of the learner’s understanding is required, a ‘next’ option can be presented, allowing the learner to proceed to the next page of content.
- If the page constitutes the end of a module and no assessment is required, the learner can again be presented with a ‘next’ option, allowing them to progress to the next module in the course.
- If the page constitutes the end of a module or course and some form of assessment is required, the learner can be presented with one of three options:
- He or she can be required to complete a multiple-choice questionnaire, consisting of a series of questions (possibly selected at random from an available pool of questions). The system logs which questions have been presented to the learner and will not allow him or her to simply refresh their browser to be presented with an alternative set of questions.
- The learner can be asked to respond to questions via the submission of data within a form;
- The learner can be asked to submit an essay or dissertation as a file attachment for review by the tutor.
- The system can be configured such that simply completing the questionnaire or submitting the form or file attachment entitles the learner to proceed to the next step, or can require the achievement of a satisfactory pass mark (multiple-choice questionnaires) or verification by the tutor that an adequate mark has been achieved (forms submission, essay or dissertation) before the learner can proceed. In the event of a learner failing to achieve the pass mark assigned to a multiple choice questionnaire, it is possible to configure the solution to give the learner a further opportunity to answer questions relevant to the topic, presenting him or her with a different set of questions to those that were originally answered.
Management
Comprehensive tools are provided to configure and manage courses and to report upon the progress of learners.
Standards Compliance
Cubik’s solution provides a platform which enables organisations to develop courses and assessments which comply with the requirements of the National Open College Network.
