| Web-based training (WBT) refers to on-line learning delivered over the World Wide Web (WWW) via the public Internet or a private, corporate intranet. Although on-line learning is not actually new—it has been around since the 1960s—it is the Internet’s user-friendly interface, coupled with improved technology, that has brought the Web into the mainstream of current culture.
WBT is one specific delivery method within the larger category of computer-based training (CBT). Like WBT, the term CBT has evolved along with technological advancements. Originally, CBT encompassed any training delivered via a computer, but that did not mean much, and CBT did not initially develop into the broad category it was intended to become because there were few practical ways to deliver CBT. In practice, corporations relied almost solely on CD-ROM because of its ability to store large, media-rich files, and the term CBT became almost synonymous with training delivered via CD-ROM.
Therefore, you will hear industry professionals refer to technologydelivered training as “e-learning.” WBT is one of the most popular forms of e-learning. WBT includes both synchronous and asynchronous instruction. Synchronous WBT includes real-time interactions between instructors and students in virtual classrooms, chat rooms, or on-line videoconferences. Asynchronous WBT includes the use of on-line lessons that students can use anytime and anywhere. The most effective WBT combines both synchronous and asynchronous elements. |