June 5, 2025 Christin Münzberg
eLearning | Glossary

eLearning Glossary – D, as in...

Welcome back to our eLearning Glossary series! In the fourth instalment of our series, we focus on key terms beginning with the letter D. From data protection to didactics and the GDPR, we offer clear and concise explanations of what these terms mean in the context of modern learning formats.

Psst… just a little side note: We choose our glossary terms based on the first letter of the original German words. So don’t be surprised if the English version features slightly different terms than the title might suggest.

Data Protection

What is data protection? When handling personal information, individuals can be placed at a disadvantage, data protection exists to prevent this. Within the European Union, this protection is considered a fundamental right. Protection of personal data – “Everyone has the right to the protection of personal data concerning her or him.” Art. 8 Para. 1 EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Data protection law governs who is permitted to process another person’s data and for what purpose. It essentially defines the “rules of the game” for processing personal data.

Why is data protection so important? Breaches of data protection can damage an organisation’s reputation and lead to costly legal consequences for both the organisation and the responsible individual. Data protection is therefore a crucial prerequisite for digital learning platforms and modern corporate communication.

In short: Data protection is the safeguarding of personal and business-critical data against unauthorised use.

Data Security

What is data security? It encompasses protective measures designed to prevent unauthorised access to, loss of, or tampering with personal data or other sensitive business information.

The focus is on three core objectives:

Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability

The aim is to avoid violations and threats to these objectives. Data security thus forms the technical backbone of a trustworthy digital learning environment.

Didactics

According to the Duden dictionary, didactics is the “science of teaching and learning.” It plays a vital role in the design of eLearning courses. A well-structured course is more than just information delivery, it is an engaging experience that motivates learners and embeds knowledge for the long term.

What defines good didactics in eLearning?

Clear learning objectives
Target audience-specific content
Interactive elements
Storytelling and real-world examples

Only through well-considered didactics can sustainable, motivating, and effective learning formats be developed, an essential key to successful digital learning.

Digital Learning

Digital learning involves the use of technology to support learning. It is a cornerstone of contemporary education and professional development. However, it is not just about the technology, it’s about using digital learning formats in a didactically meaningful way.

Examples of digital learning formats include:

eLearning modules and web-based training (enabling self-paced learning regardless of time or place),
Live online sessions and webinars (interactive real-time learning experiences),
Blended learning (a hybrid format combining in-person sessions with digital components).

Benefits of digital learning:

Flexibility
Personalisation
Time and cost efficiency

Despite these benefits, the social aspect of learning can sometimes be lacking. Blended learning approaches, combining online and face-to-face sessions, can help bridge this gap.

Drag-and-Drop Interaction

The drag-and-drop activity is a key component of interactive eLearning courses. Learners use their mouse to drag content (such as terms, images, or icons) to the correct location, enabling a playful and hands-on learning experience.

Advantages of this task type: Encourages active engagement with content, supports visual learning, motivates through immediate feedback Especially in data protection or compliance training, where a great deal of knowledge must be conveyed, drag-and-drop interactions offer an effective means of knowledge validation.

GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an EU-wide regulation (officially titled: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC), which standardises the handling of personal data by public and private entities.

Its aim is to strengthen data protection for individuals within the European Union (safeguarding privacy) while ensuring the free flow of data within the EU’s single market. Since 25 May 2018, it has established consistent standards across all member states. The GDPR replaced the earlier Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC from 1995, which had previously served as the basis for cross-border data protection.