Aspects and Technologies of E-learning in an Architectural Context

Introduction E-learning promises to play an important role in education. Whether this will lead to entirely virtual universities or, rather, will enable brick-and-mortar universities to adapt their educational offerings to new market expectations is too soon to predict. Currently, large IT multinationals are leading the e-learning evolution. They are recognizing the need for life-long learning for their employees and are banking on the knowledge and information base that is built up within a company’s workforce. They also consider it an important service to their customers, offering them training over the internet concerning their products and related knowledge domains. Online universities are also targeting the active professional as the most profitable profile in this new market. Many offer continuing professional education, possibly customized to corporations’ specific workforce needs (Scheling, 2001). For example, the University of Phoenix Online, one of the current market leaders, is an adult education school with an enrollment of about 20.000 students in various programs, including customized training. A growing number of these online universities result from partnerships between eAspects and Technologies of E-learning in an Architectural Context STOUFFS, Rudi; VENNE, Ramon F.; SARIYILDIZ, Sevil; TUNÇER, Bige Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands http://www.bk.tudelft.nl/informatica/toi/ [email protected]