eLearning | Glossary
eLearning Glossary – S, as in... Part 1
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.
In German eLearning terminology, the letter ‘S’ stands for more than just Schulung (training). A number of terms beginning with this letter play an important role in organising digital learning and development. After all, systems need to be able to exchange data, completed learning activities should be traceable, and training should follow clearly defined objectives.
In this part of our eLearning glossary, we explain four terms: Schnittstelle (interface), Schulungshistorie (training history), Schulungsnachweis (training record) and Schulungsstrategie (training strategy). What do they mean, and what role do they play in Learning Management Systems?
Interface
An interface is a point of connection through which information can be exchanged. This may, for example, be the connection between a person and a technical system or between different technical systems. The user interface of a Learning Management System (LMS) is one such human-machine interface: menus, buttons and input fields allow learners and administrators to interact with the system.
Technical interfaces enable data to be exchanged between different applications or systems. In eLearning, for example, they can be used to connect an LMS to an HR management system or other business applications. Depending on the technical implementation, information such as user data, course data or completion data can be transferred automatically. The data that can actually be exchanged depends on the systems involved and the interface being used.
A common type of software interface is an API (Application Programming Interface). An API defines how software applications communicate with one another and access specific data or functions. Such interfaces are particularly relevant for an LMS when the learning platform needs to be integrated into an existing IT environment and manual data exchange between different applications is to be reduced.
Training history
In the context of learning platforms, a training history provides an overview of a person’s previous learning and training activities. The term does not refer to a standardised technical function. Depending on the LMS, such an overview may include completed courses, completion dates, progress statuses, results or certificates obtained.
A training history can help organisations keep track of completed training and current learning progress, as well as organise recurring learning activities. Many LMSs provide functions for recording and evaluating course completions or learning progress. The information that is actually available depends on the system and how it is configured.
Training record
A training record provides traceable documentation showing that training or instruction has been carried out or that a person has participated in it. The requirements for such documentation depend on the subject of the training and, where applicable, on legal, contractual or internal company requirements. There is therefore no universally applicable training record that is equally suitable for every use case.
Depending on its purpose, a record may include the participant’s name, the subject or title of the training, the date on which it took place and information about completion. Certain types of instruction may require additional details. In occupational health and safety, for example, documentation requirements depend on the relevant regulations and rules.
An LMS can support the documentation of digital training by recording course completions or completion dates and providing reports or certificates. However, a course completion stored in an LMS is not automatically sufficient as evidence for every type of training or instruction with legal relevance. The specific requirements of the respective training activity are always decisive.
Training strategy
A training strategy describes how an organisation intends to develop its employees’ knowledge and skills in a targeted way. It links learning and development with the organisation’s objectives and requirements, thereby providing a framework for planning individual training activities.
A training strategy addresses questions such as: Which target groups need which skills? Which learning objectives should be achieved? And which learning formats are most suitable? It may also include defining priorities, responsibilities, schedules and methods for evaluating success. This ensures that individual training activities are not viewed in isolation but are integrated into a broader learning and development process.
Within this strategy, eLearning can be one component alongside other forms of learning. Digital learning opportunities make it possible, among other things, to provide content regardless of time and location and to reach larger or geographically dispersed target groups. However, the choice of learning format should always be based on the relevant learning objective, content and target audience. Depending on the requirements, this may involve eLearning, face-to-face training, webinars, practical exercises or combinations of different formats.
S for structured digital learning
The four terms describe different aspects of digital learning and development. Taken together, however, they show that successful eLearning involves far more than simply providing online courses.
A Learning Management System can support many of these tasks: it can provide learning content, record learning progress and manage training information. Depending on its technical capabilities, it can also be connected to other systems. The right technical solution should always be aligned with the organisation’s processes, requirements and learning objectives.
These four terms are by no means the end of the letter S. We will explain further terms beginning with S in the second part of our glossary.
