Communications Technologies Have Led to

¶ … communications technologies have led to major advancements and innovations in many fields, including education. The advent of e-learning, which includes computer-based training, has led to more efficient and more effective means of educating and training individuals in academic as well as professional settings. Students are able to set their own pace when utilizing computer-based training without any loss in the efficacy of the education or training received via this medium; many students are able to learn faster and regardless this makes for a more efficient use of teaching resources.

There are still significant barriers to a wider use of computer-based training and e-learning, however, primarily consisting of human factors (both student and instructor familiarity with current technologies). The U.S. Navy is one example of a large employer that utilizes computer-based training methods regularly as a means of seeking more effective and efficient educational media. Notwithstanding certain environment-specific factors, computer-based training seems to be more effective in terms of the average speed of learning and in the retention of information obtained via this medium.

It also allows for a greater variance and individual specificity in the selection of educational programs both for learning efficacy and for subject matter, leading to better preparedness for more suitable positions following training. By better adapting to the brain's natural processes, computer-based training has become more effective than traditional training and educational methods, though there are still significant human barriers to this type of learning in place, including organizational politics.

Definitions Training: the act of acquiring the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to accomplish a task or set of tasks often comprising an occupation or profession, usually through the direct or indirect instruction of the knowledge/skills/behaviors acquirer or "trainee" by a supervisor, instructor, or other knowledgeable and practiced entity or "trainer." Can also refer to the act of imparting this knowledge, i.e. The actions taken by the trainer to ensure the trainee's abilities and proficiency in the trained-for task(s) and activities.

Computer-based training: Training that takes place with the assistance of a computer and specific software programs as the primary means of instruction, either as a standalone (i.e. without other training methods or media being employed) or as part of a larger curriculum that includes more traditional.