The AMA Handbook of ELearning [Electronic resources] : Effective Design, Implementation, and Technology Solutions نسخه متنی

Dick, Carey, and Carey, 2000) or Horton, 2000).

We believe that most e-learning products (asynchronous or otherwise) contain four basic elements or building blocks that are combined in a variety of ways to achieve the desired outcome, depending, of course, on the content, the audience, the objectives, and the available technologies. These building blocks of e-learning are as follows.

1. 
   

   Presentation contains information about the learning context (i.e., the relationship between the skills to be learned in this program and those that have been acquired previously), content (information to be learned), instructions, or other information the designer wants to directly convey to the learner.



2. 
   

   Elicitation requires learners to make a response that indicates understanding of content or to take an action in response to stimuli presented on the screen. Elicitation building blocks are developmental in nature and, as such, scores or results are neither tracked nor stored.



3. 
   

   Evaluation measures the degree to which learners have mastered the relevant content. In some situations, elicitation building blocks can serve this function, but with evaluation building blocks scores or results are typically stored for further reference.



4. 
   

   Collaboration enables asynchronous interaction with an instructor, other learners, supervisors, or anyone else who might contribute to the learning experience.

Building blocks are not designs themselves. Rather, they represent the ways in which information can be presented to the learner in order to increase the likelihood that learning will occur. The design of the learning experience is the process through which these building blocks are selected, sequenced, and, of course, populated. It is important to note that we are not prescribing a methodology. Some people might prefer to lead with elicitation and follow with presentation, making collaboration available at all times. Other might take a more traditional route with several sequences of presentation, elicitation, collaboration, and evaluation. We do not have a position about which is better; both can be effective, as can any other combination. What we are saying is that most asynchronous e-learning programs will comprise some combination of the building blocks we have identified above.

It is important to remember that a building block is not the same as a screen, as a building block can comprise one or more screens, depending on the outcome they are intended to achieve. In addition, building blocks are not media specific. They can include audio, video, text, graphics, or any combination of these and other media. Building blocks simply represent a way of thinking about how to construct e-learning experiences.