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Writer's pictureMarco Gaudenzi

The history of E-learning

According to The Economic Times, E-learning is defined as a learning system based on formal teaching corroborated with the help of electronic resources, such as computers, tablets, or digital services. While the main distinction we can make with classic tuition is that it can be distinguished in two categories: inside or outside the classrooms. What differentiates E-learning is the use of devices and the Internet as its primary components. It can also be described as a network enabled transfer of skills and knowledge.

When it was introduced for the first time, it was not called “E-learning” but “distance learning” and many generations have studied this way over the centuries. As a matter of fact, E-learning was not invented in recent years, but it has its origins in the XIX century.


The first documented case of remote learning took place in 1837 in the United Kingdom, when Isaac Pitman taught the first stenography course by correspondence.


Later on, remote study was adopted between the 1960s and the 1990s. The training courses were taken through different media that were following the technological evolutions of the times, like video tapes, cassettes, floppy disks and CD-ROMs.

The next evolution happened during the 1990s, when the growing diffusion of personal computers in offices and homes began and the internet became the main support for online courses. Software companies started to produce specific programs for the process of self-training. From that moment on, these kinds of courses started to be called “E-learning”.


The last stage in E-learning's history occurred along with the evolution of the Web. People found a more interactive and collaborative way to learn. Nowadays E-learning is seen as an efficient method for learning and represents a remarkable way to fill the gaps between the demand of knowledge and its offer, keeping the students’ education at the centre of the process.

Since 2000, the E-learning industry has grown by 900% and it will increase in the following years. In recent times, more and more people have chosen to study remotely. Not only private citizens for their own needs, but also enterprises have chosen the use of E-learning to improve their employees’ skills.

Why have all these people decided to learn remotely?

E-learning has many advantages, such as:

  • Notes can be created and shared easily between both teachers and learners

  • The learning process can be adapted at the right pace for everyone

  • The lessons can be taken more than once

  • Topics can be customised for each individual

  • The cost is lower than that of classroom lessons

  • Presence and learning can be verified via software

  • Lessons can be interactive and use multimedia elements to enhance learning

  • It’s easier to evaluate the learning level of every student

Online courses are easier to update quickly

Obviously E-learning doesn't come without flaws, like the lack of interaction between teachers and students, but every solution can be improved. Maybe in the future there will be an hybridisation of E-learning and regular learning, giving everyone the chance to adapt the system to their daily routines, like we are experiencing right now also with remote working.


Please visit this page of our website to discover more about our E-learning Offer and what we can do for you and your company to bring knowledge closer to your students or employees.

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