Before Blue Stream: The Evolution of eLearning

Article by Lewis Cowlishaw, Content Development Manager.

“You need to finish your Blue Stream training”, many of you will have heard from your managers.

You complete (or endure) many forms of training throughout your career, but terms such as distance learning, compliance, MOOC, asynchronous learning and gamification can confuse all of us.

So where did it all begin? You may be surprised to learn that the earliest instance of distance learning can be traced back to 1728. Caleb Philipps from Boston, Massachusetts, pioneered the idea that education could be successfully carried out remotely, through a series of exchanged letters.

He organised his shorthand course into manageable increments that could be sent to the learner in bite-sized chunks. An advertisement published in the Boston Gazette on 20 March 1728 read as follows:

‘CALEB PHILIPPS Teacher of the NEW Method of Short Hand… Any Persons in the Country desirous to Learn this Art, may by having the several Lessons sent Weekly to them, be as perfectly instructed as those that live in Boston.’

It is unclear how successful Philipps was in his attempts, but the idea was developed with Isaac Pitman in the 1840s with another shorthand course. Pitman mailed texts transcribed into shorthand on postcards and received transcriptions returned by his students for correction. This proved to be very popular and helped to improve the writing speed of journalists, secretaries and other individuals who wanted to learn Pitman Shorthand.

1840's Postal Course for Pitman's Shorthand

Fast-forward another 100 years and the first ‘online’ courses were developed. In 1960 (9 years before the internet was invented!) the University of Illinois created an intranet for students. A series of linked computer terminals could pass information between them, enabling students to access course materials and listen to recorded lectures.

This soon evolved into Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations (PLATO). PLATO offered coursework to students, local schools and other universities and taught a range of topics including Latin, chemistry, music and mathematics.

By the 1970s, PLATO had colour, sound and even touchscreen capabilities – enough for Boeing to develop a flight simulator for training aspiring pilots!

Throughout the 1990s, some universities preferred to design, develop and maintain their own systems and, as such, technology brought a new term to the market: LMS. A ‘Learning Management System’ is a central hub that allows teachers to exchange learning materials, complete knowledge tests and track progress.

Although these systems are still used today, many organisations prefer the hassle-free and inexpensive alternative of subscription options and benefit from the support and guidance of industry professionals. With education videos being watched twice as often as those in the ‘pets and animals’ category, and with more than 2 billion users visiting YouTube every month, it seems that you can learn anything from an online video in 2020. Whether you need to learn to tie a tie, build a boat or take the perfect selfie, there is a YouTube channel to help!

There are obvious limitations to this. I would not like to learn CPR without any practical introduction; the confidence gained from an experienced trainer is invaluable. Online training will never completely replace traditional face-to-face training, but it can be designed to complement it.

With case studies, discussion points and patient stories included throughout our eLearning modules, users often report feeling connected with these illustrative characters in a similar way to how they connect with patients and service users in their role. This increases knowledge retention and adds a deeper level of understanding to otherwise difficult topics.

For healthcare professionals and managers alike, navigating the vast array of eLearning choices can seem daunting. Organisational requirements often call for fast, efficient and effective training at a low cost, and through years of working with UK healthcare experts, we continue to deliver.

We are always here to help people gain the most from their training. If you have any comments or suggestions for new content, please get in touch with me via email at lewis@bluestreamacademy.com.